Rapid Transit Branding. Winnipeg Style.

Am I the only one who kinda sorta doesn’t like the new Winnipeg Transit “Rapid Transit” logo and branding? One Man Committee makes a pretty good attempt at giving it a positive review. But I’m not sold.

I’m confused as to why they’ve chosen to exclude “Winnipeg Transit” from the branding. Bus rapid transit  is more or less completely integrated with the non-rapid transit system. It’s not like it’s going to be a separate division of the transit system. Winnipeg has a long history of public transit, dating back to the horse-drawn Winnipeg Street Railway corporation in the 1880s ( less than a decade after the City’s incorporation). Winnipeg Transit itself and the iconic flying “T’ logo have over 40 years of brand recognition. It’s usually a good idea to build of existing brand cred, isn’t it? The designer of this logo has chosen to ignore all this history and start over.

It logo itself is a rather predictable attempt creating a London underground style icon, with the “r” and “t” sort of resembling the lines on a subway route map, as One Man Committee points out. Again, how does this make any sense? We don’t actually have a subway system and there are no plans to build one. Where did the colours come from?

I’m simultaneously confused and bored.

Also, can you see “RT” without thinking “retweet”?

In related news, the new rapid transit corridor features a tunnel, so there’s that.