The Ox Unboxed

Thursday 14 September, 2006

Oxfordshire 2007, the year of festivals and special events coordinated by cultural development agency Oxford Inspires, has an eye-catching logo. Marketing director Cath Nightingale takes the lid off the creative process that led to its design.

A brand for Oxfordshire? At first thought, not a problem: dreaming spires, Oxford Blue. But these iconic symbols are now victims of their own cliché. Today’s Oxford is far more—a vibrant, modern city with a unique culture.

When promoting Oxfordshire to the wider world, the county's image tends to be defined by the city, a strong pull for tourists. Although Brand Oxford is readily recognisable—and easy to sell—it fails to represent the county as a whole. There are people in the rural corners of Oxfordshire who rarely, if ever, visit the university city.

So for every word used to describe Oxfordshire, its opposite also springs to mind: town and gown, historic and modern, traditional and innovatory; rural and urban. It's also true to say that the dynamic relationship that exists between these opposites is what makes Oxfordshire such an interesting county. This is substantially different from the traditional heritage view, which Oxford Inspires, the county's cultural development agency, is keen to readjust to reflect more truthfully the complexity and rich cultural mix which is today’s Oxfordshire.

But how to reconcile this into a brand for the year of cultural celebration that is Oxfordshire 2007?

Instead of tearing our hair out at the impossibility of reconciling these differences, we used them as our starting point—and having realised the attraction of opposites, we were off. We took two of the most iconic images of city and county, brought them together and gave them a twist. Result: the multicoloured ox.

Luckily for us, the ox is not only the symbol of Oxford, but also a rural image, so we felt justified in extending its association beyond the city itself. The White Horse is etched on the Downs at Uffington and we borrowed its distinctive style. It's a striking symbol of old and new Oxfordshire, since this particular corner of the county is a relatively recent addition, when boundaries were redrawn in 1974. Both horse and ox also feature on either side of the county coat of arms.

So our symbol successfully combines a number of opposites. We also wanted to get away from the heavy, lumbering ox—the civic creature described by Oxford artist Ted Dewan as "famous for its slow wittedness... stomping on the flowers in the public square". In contrast, our ox is festive and colourful, symbolising playfulness and diversity—and the changing nature of the county.

The Oxfordshire 2007 symbol is designed to catch the imagination, reach out to people and be seductive enough for those taking part, both organisers and supporters, to want to belong under its banner. The use of well-known imagery also means that we don’t need to devote a large proportion of our marketing spend on establishing its recognisability.

Next year a feast of culture pays tribute to Oxfordshire’s rich history and highlights the exceptional array of creative activity that exists in the county today. Oxfordshire is changing and we want to celebrate this. Its galleries, museums, theatres and concerts offer programmes of the highest quality to people of all ages. Oxfordshire 2007 will also turn the spotlight on special events and more than 70 festivals, creating exciting collaborations and encouraging people to engage in new cultural adventures.

We have a £100,000 marketing budget, funded by Oxford City and Oxfordshire County Councils, modest for a cultural enterprise of this scale, but enabling us to provide a strong marketing umbrella to enhance individual organisations' own publicity. Brand recognition is the key. The new symbol, designed in collaboration with Oxford agency Visual Philosophy, achieved widespread publicity at the end of June when we projected it on to another Oxfordshire icon—Didcot Power Station. We shall roll it out over the coming months, in the run up to the launch of Oxfordshire 2007, with the help of The Oxford Times and BBC Oxford, our principal media partners.

This is a year for Oxfordshire people, and we are encouraging local businesses to reap the benefits of association with the brand. BMW Group Plant Oxford, The Oxford Bus Company, The Midcounties Co-operative, Update Software and Raymond Blanc have so far pledged support. We aim to make the Oxfordshire 2007 symbol a household image: it's already proving a hit with the public and has met with overwhelming approval from the business community. The design allows for future development and we hope that its popularity will enable it to be used for similar programmes in future years.

Businesses interested in supporting the Oxfordshire 2007 programme should contact Oxford Inspires development director Kathelene Weiss, 01865 816394.

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