Bengaluru Becomes First Indian City to Get its Own Logo

Bengaluru has joined the league of cities like New York, Amsterdam, Melbourne and Singapore to become the first Indian city to get its own logo: Bengaluru - Be U (be you). The logo, launched on Dec. 24 by the Karnataka government, aims to brand India’s IT hub as a tourist destination.

In an attempt said to be the first of its kind in India, the logo “Be U” portrays the cosmopolitan culture of the city and aims to build the city’s image in the global arena. The logo was unveiled at the Vidhana Soudha during the Bengaluru Habba, an open street festival.

In a first #Bengaluru becomes first city in India to have its own logo. #BrandBengaluru is now like #NewYork and London which have their own logo………………. pic.twitter.com/P12cyzAxQw

— Chirag Vasani (@ChiragVasani15) December 26, 2017

While logo “Be U” is a mix of typography in English and Kannada. The seventh and eighth letters (U and R) resemble the vowel, oo, in Kannada. The rolling font of the logo, selected from 1,350 entries, was designed by bankers-turned-designers Rushi Patel and M Venkateswara Rao.

The logo has been hailed as one that everyone can associate with, and which can be easily pronounced. The logo will also be a part of memorabilia that tourists can purchase when they visit the city. It is available in three colors — green, red and yellow.

Although tourists visiting Karnataka buy memorabilia of the state like Mysore silks and Channapatna toys, these don’t have a direct Bengaluru connection. The new logo is expected to fill this gap. It is expected that it will generate new jobs as well, as the logo can be used to create t-shirts, fridge magnets, mugs and other Bengaluru-specific memorabilia.

The move has been largely welcomed in the city, and the social media has been abuzz with tweets saying that the new logo provides an excellent branding opportunity for the IT hub.

Our city gets its logo, first city in the country to get. BE You and Be yourself. #Bengaluru #NammaBengaluru pic.twitter.com/45VXKqA8Q5

— Rohit Agarwal (@rohit_agarwal08) December 26, 2017