Hot off the press. Melbourne City Council has just unveiled their new $240,000 logo. The newly launched brand, developed by Landor to replace the previously dated design from the 90s follows in the footsteps of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre’s logo.

Already described as an incarnation of MTV by Monash University’s Francis Farrelly, this new logo presents itself as a prism-esque monogram of the letter ‘M’ with sharp, shard like edges creating a striking 3-dimensional effect.

At first glance, I was a little unsure if I liked it, as it does come across as ‘over-futurized’ and potentially, trying too hard to look like something from the year 3000. Not to mention the miniature rave dance party that’s going off in the top left corner.

However, after studying the logo for more than a nano second, I think the new logo has been well executed with a great style system/colour palette that would roll out nicely on Melbourne City’s streets, ultimately complementing some of the more modern architecture (Federation Square, Southern Cross Station and Olympic Park’s Rectangular Stadium) that have been constructed in recent years.

In all honesty, this logo is already growing on me and I think the new look strikes the right balance to complement the modern and energetic vibe that this glorious city offers. In fact, I’m quietly confident that this rebranding will hold it’s own for (at least) another decade.

As with anything that promotes change, I’m sure this logo, like the 2012 London Olympics logo will create a bit of a stir (although, maybe not as big) so it would be interesting to see what thoughts other folks have on the new ‘Big M’.