What are the chances that everyone will like a logo designed to define the new World Trade Center? The place is so loaded with emotions and meaning that–no matter what gets proposed–not everyone is going to agree, especially in New York. The new logo, under heavy scrutiny at the site these days, was designed by Landor Associates. It features five vertical bars to represent the five towers the WTC complex will have when it’s completed. Shadows of the Twin Towers are visible in the top half (the two empty columns).
According to the New York Times, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (the agency that owns the WTC site) paid Landor $3.57 million for the design job. Mark Wilson of FastCoDesign says about the expensive endeavor: “The logo manages to squeeze in so many references, juggling a landmark, a Twin Tower tribute, and an ad in one, that it feels like it’s pandering. But given the wildly competing interests that have informed the redevelopment of the site, this logo just might be the perfect embodiment of a space still in search of its identity.”
