- Houses of Parliament have been rebranding the historic Portcullis emblem
- The authorities are said to have paid consultants £50,000 for the project
- There appears to be only small differences between the old and new versions
- Parliament spokeswoman says new branding is less ‘confusing’ for the public
The Houses of Parliament have spent £50,000 rebranding the Portcullis logo – only for the new version to look almost identical.
The authorities at the Houses hired consultants to make the famous emblem less ‘confusing and inconsistent’.
But the changes appears to be limited to removing some dots and replacing the words ‘Houses of Parliament’ with ‘UK Parliament’.
The changes appears between the old logo (left) and the new one (right) appear to be limited to removing some dots from the crown and replacing the words ‘Houses of Parliament’ with ‘UK Parliament’
Parliamentary officials said previous versions of the portcullis logo were being consolidated into one
Parliamentary officials said previous versions of the portcullis logo were being consolidated into one.
The branding had ‘previously used a confusing and inconsistent range of identities’, they argued.
‘The visual identity of the UK Parliament has been reviewed and updated by the administrations of both houses because the current version does not work successfully on digital channels,’ a spokeswoman said.
‘The new version works with mobile responsive websites, and is more accessible and readable.’
The Sunday Times said the overall cost of the rebrand was £50,000.
The crowned Portcullis has been used on House of Commons documents since 1967, and is deployed widely online and across the estate.
But the symbol has a much longer history.
According to the parliamentary website, it probably came to be associated with the Palace of Westminster through its use as decoration in the rebuilding of the Palace after the fire of 1512.
The portcullis was the badge of Henry VII and his son Henry VIII.
In 2012 an adviser to Speaker John Bercow caused an outcry by calling for the Portcullis logo to be ditched altogether.
Professor Jonathan Drori, chairman of the Speaker’s Advisory Council on Public Engagement, said it was is seen by the public ‘as a gate to keep them out’.
He said Parliament must make more effort to be ‘welcoming’ to visitors.
An adviser to Commons Speaker John Bercow (pictured) called for the Portcullis logo to be scrapped altogether in 2012