El Madrid City Council The city has decided to revamp its public image with a new logo that aims to be simpler, more recognizable, and easier to use across all types of screens and media. The capital is thus updating its visual identity after decades of using previous versions that, according to the City Council itself, had fallen short of expectations. current communication demands.
The change has become visible by taking advantage of one of the moments of greatest media attention of the year: the turning on the christmas lightsIn front of more than 150.000 people in the streets and tens of thousands of viewers following the online broadcast, the new emblem appeared in public for the first time as the calling card of the renewed municipal brand.
A simplified logo for the digital age
The new symbol maintains the essential elements of Madrid's imagery: the bear, the strawberry tree, the crown and the seven starsHowever, they have all been reinterpreted with a much cleaner and more schematic style, designed to work in reduced sizes, social media profiles or application icons, where the details of the traditional shield were easily lost.
The General Directorate of Communication emphasizes that the intention has been to achieve a image of the 21st century For a city that wants to project itself as modern, innovative, and adaptable. The simplification is especially noticeable in the strawberry tree, which is reduced to very basic lines, while the bear retains an appearance closer to its usual form, something that some professionals have pointed out as an unbalanced visual contrast.
Another striking modification is the arrangement of the starsThe stars, no longer distributed across the frame of the old coat of arms, are now positioned above the group formed by the bear, the tree, and the crown. This change aims to reinforce the presence of the seven stars as the city's own symbol, although some branding specialists believe that two distinct graphic languages coexist: a very minimalist one for the center of the logo and a more detailed one for the crown and stars.
The City Council insists that the institutional dimension remains untouched: Neither the official coat of arms nor the flag are modifiedThe redesign is limited to the logo used in communication, signage and digital channels, while the protocol symbols remain in effect as they were.
A “zero-cost” identity developed internally
One of the aspects that the mayor has emphasized most, José Luis Martínez-AlmeidaThe reason is that the project has been carried out internally by the team of the General Directorate of CommunicationThe councilor has stressed in several speeches that the new logo has had “zero cost"for the municipal coffers, since there has been no external competition or design studio hired for the occasion."
According to municipal sources, the commission was placed approximately two years ago, with the idea of developing the new identity gradually and progressively. implement it gradually to avoid additional costs associated with replacing physical signage. The new brand is already visible on official social media profiles and in some institutional communication materials, but the municipal website and other urban elements will continue to change gradually.
The City Council maintains that the update responds to the need to have a logo that “hooks” with current eventsThis aligns with the channels through which citizens currently access information: social media, videos on digital platforms, online campaigns, and small-format advertising. The idea is to create a more versatile image for the city without abandoning the traditional icons that define it.
In contrast to this view, some in the graphic design sector believe that the commitment to “zero cost” sends a problematic message about the professional value of designSeveral experts point out that developing a strong identity involves research, testing, and planning for uses in multiple contexts, a task that is usually outsourced to specialized studios through competitive and paid processes.
Chulapa typography and the reinforcement of the traditional
Beyond the icon, the redesign also affects the spelling of the city's name. The City Council is fully adopting the new typeface. ChulapaA non-geometric, free-to-use sans-serif font inspired by ceramic lettering. historic street map of MadridIts origin is linked to the work of Ruiz de Luna and later interpretations, which ended up shaping this typographic family with a hand-drawn feel.
La Chulapa had already made an appearance in recent years in popular festival campaignsThis is especially true in San Isidro, and it has appeared in various municipal communications. With the new logo, the typography has evolved from a one-off resource to become the city's signature typeface, replacing previous fonts used by earlier administrations.
Branding experts value this choice positively, considering that it brings a recognizable and distinctive feature as opposed to more generic solutions. Inspired by elements closely linked to Madrid, the typography functions as a local touch that combines tradition and formal clarity, without sacrificing legibility at small sizes or in digital applications.
Regarding color, the council maintains its commitment to the combination of blue and whiteInherited from previous identities, but with a darker and more subdued shade of blue, moving away from the electric blue of past eras. Although not all specialists see a clear historical justification for the dominance of blue over the classic crimson, the City Council is consolidating it as the capital's chromatic symbol in its communicative aspect.
This mix of traditional elements—bear, strawberry tree, Chulapa, seven stars—and a simplified design seeks, according to the City Council itself, a balance between tradition and modernizationaligning itself with trends in other major European cities that have recently modernized their institutional brands.
Low-key presentation and criticism for lack of participation
The way the new logo was presented has raised as many eyebrows as the design itself. The City Council opted to introduce the identity almost abruptly. surprise The Christmas lights were switched on without a specific event or prior information campaign. Initially, no press releases detailing the project were issued, even though the image was already displayed on social media and illuminated signs in locations such as Plaza de Callao.
This strategy, which some analysts describe as a “policy of faits accomplis”, has been questioned by the opposition. From within the PSOE, voices such as that of Reyes Maroto They have criticized what they consider an “Almeida brand” project, denouncing the lack of transparency and citizen participation in the decision-making process regarding a symbol that should be shared by the entire city.
Similarly, Más Madrid's spokesperson Eduardo Fernandez Rubino He described it as a "disgrace" that an emblem intended to represent all citizens does not come from a open and collaborative process in which civil society, associations, and the cultural sector could have been involved. They describe the process as "opaque and flawed" and regret that the opportunity to approach the redesign as a collective project has been lost.
The criticism is not limited to the political arena. Several design professionals consulted have pointed out that the absence of a public tender And the lack of open documentation on the project makes it difficult to assess the identity as a whole. They believe that, rather than a well-developed, comprehensive system, the result resembles a functional "fix," sufficient to get by but lacking the depth one would expect from the brand of a major European capital.
Adding to this feeling is the fact that the City Council has begun to implement the new image in a fragmented way, with it still coexisting in the city and on digital channels. remnants of the former identity with the newly launched logo. The City Council itself admits that the replacement will be gradual, partly to avoid generating extra expense by renewing all the signage at once.
Citizen reactions and debate on design
Since it was first revealed, the new logo has become a recurring topic of conversation on social media and in discussions. A large part of the debate centers on the degree of simplification This reduction is particularly noticeable in the strawberry tree, which is now depicted with just two strokes. For some users and professionals, this extreme reduction is perceived as a symbol of the city's lack of appreciation for its trees, ironically echoing previous controversies surrounding tree felling and pruning.
Other comments focus on the contrast between the minimalist tree and the less simplified bearThis creates the impression that both elements belong to different styles. In contrast, proponents of the redesign argue that the cleaner design improves readability on small screens and in contexts where attention spans are very short, such as on social media or in fast-paced signage.
Among citizens there are also those who question the priority of the project compared to other urban demands, interpreting the logo change as a ill-timed decision This comes amid everyday problems like cleanliness, traffic, and noise. Some social media posts criticize the institutional effort dedicated to branding while perceived deficiencies in basic services persist.
On a more technical level, visual identity specialists point out that the new logo adds to a global trend towards minimalist designsThis is especially visible in public and private brands seeking greater digital functionality. While acknowledging that these types of solutions are usually correct and discreet, they warn that there is a risk of losing personality and distinctive features if simplification is overused.
The case of Madrid is often compared to that of other European cities, such as Barcelonawhich has also recently updated its identity. There, a professional competition organized by entities in the design sector was used, with transparent selection processes and remuneration for both finalists and the winning studio, something that many cite as an alternative to the model followed in the Spanish capital.
A brand that stands between modernization and continuity
With the new logo, the City Council is also reinforcing the use of the slogan “Madrid, where the roads cross”This slogan, which is integrated into various campaigns and graphic materials, aims to encapsulate the idea of an open and welcoming city, connecting with the image of a metropolis that embraces people from diverse backgrounds and lifestyles.
The city council assures that the renewed identity is designed to last over time and accompany Madrid in a phase of international projectionurban innovation and tourism growth. The stated intention is for the logo to be easily recognizable both within and outside of Spain, while remaining anchored to the city's most deeply rooted symbols.
At the same time, the debate sparked by the process—both because of the “zero cost” and the lack of participation and public documentation—leaves the door open to future discussions on how should institutional branding projects be approached in major European cities. For some in the sector, the Madrid case illustrates the tension between the political logic of quick impact and the professional logic of long-term brand building.
The new identity of the Madrid City Council combines a simplified logo, Chulapa typography, and blue and white color palette to update the capital's image without abandoning the elements that have defined it for decades. While the City Council defends the operation as a necessary adaptation without added cost, the opposition, design professionals, and many citizens question both the result and the way it was carried out, making the new logo much more than a simple graphic change and placing it at the center of a debate about representation, participation, and the value of public design.