Today I’m not going to talk about commercial brands. I’m here to talk about another kind of brand: city brands.

Few cities in the world have managed to build such a powerful identity from everyday objects as London has. Its red telephone boxes, double-decker buses, underground signage, and black cabs go beyond their practical function to become global brand assets. They are symbols that, together, form a coherent and recognizable system anywhere in the world.

This summer I went with my family to spend a week in England, starting in London. Walking through its streets, I reflected on what a strong city brand London is, and the key brand assets it possesses that have helped it become the modern, vibrant, and global brand it is today.

When a brand comes to life

A brilliant strategy, with well-defined attributes and an impeccable brand book, remains just theory until it is materialized into real applications. A brand only begins to exist when it is activated: when the logo and colors appear on packaging, when photographs, illustrations, or visual elements are chosen for a website, when a claim for an ad is selected, etc.

For a commercial brand, creating these applications is easier. In the end, if you sell a product, that’s enough. The product itself carries the brand assets. If it’s a service, it becomes slightly more complex since there is no tangible element, but the brand can still be applied through the website, offices (walls, signage, stationery), staff clothing, etc.

But for a city, it’s more complicated. In this sense, London couldn’t have done it better. It likely wasn’t the result of a highly defined strategy followed consistently for over 150 years, but rather a combination of good decisions, strong design sensibility, and avoiding the tendency to reinvent what already works.

The red telephone box: from infrastructure to cultural symbol

Perhaps the best example is the iconic red London telephone boxes, the telephone kiosk designed by architect Giles Gilbert Scott, who in 1924 won a competition to redesign them. The architect was inspired by a neoclassical mausoleum by John Soane and chose the bright red color so they would be easily visible in the urban landscape. They are so iconic that they have become protected heritage, and today, although they are no longer used as public telephone booths as originally intended, they are preserved with new uses (Wi-Fi points, mini libraries, or tourist information spaces) because the city does not want to give up this design icon that defines its identity. And so, what began as practical infrastructure has been transformed into a cultural icon.

The Routemaster: the bus that never left

Another of the most powerful symbols of London’s branding is the double-decker bus. And it has a long history. In 1907, the London General Omnibus Company decided to paint all its vehicles red to differentiate itself from competitors (who used green, blue, or yellow). In 1923, the first double-decker bus appeared, but it wasn’t until 1954 that the Routemaster was launched, the curved design by London Transport that became a global icon of the city. It became so iconic that in the early 2000s, these buses began to be withdrawn due to accessibility issues. However, after public protests, in 2012 the New Routemaster was introduced, a design that echoes the original’s curves but incorporates hybrid technology and improved accessibility. A new icon traveling through the city’s streets. Today, this bus has gone beyond its function as public transport and has also become a tourist asset for the city.

The Underground roundel: a pioneer in visual identity

The London Underground also understood the power of symbols. We cannot overlook the London Underground signs, whose origins also date back to the early 20th century. In 1908, the roundel was introduced, that red circle with a horizontal blue bar which the Underground Electric Company adopted to mark stations. In 1916, designer Edward Johnston created a custom sans-serif typeface (the first time a transport system adopted its own corporate typography, which, with minor updates, remains the official typeface to this day). In 1920, Frank Pick (Advertising Director of London Transport) simplified the design, turning it into the logo of the London transport system and another iconic symbol of the city.

Added to these symbols are the black cabs, with their unmistakable silhouette and the reputation of their drivers trained through the demanding Knowledge of London, and the Buckingham Palace Royal Guard, which brings a ceremonial dimension.

Three strategic lessons: presence, coherence, and consistency

London is a great example of how to build an iconic brand through tangible icons that represent it. It also demonstrates the application of the three principles we advocate at Noxis for building winning brands: presence, coherence, and consistency.

• PRESENCE: The fact that what have become brand assets were everyday elements, things people interact with frequently and that are omnipresent throughout the city has been one of the key drivers of the city brand’s success.
• COHERENCE: All these assets share a highly refined design component (they were created by renowned architects or designers, often through prestigious competitions, etc.). They use proprietary colors (from the English flag: primarily red and black, but also blue), and they are all functional elements that have transcended their purpose through design. Additionally, these assets do not work in isolation, they form an ecosystem of symbols, or a branding system, that amplifies their impact. A red telephone box alone would not be as powerful, but together with the bus, the taxi, and the guard, they create a cohesive branding system.
• CONSISTENCY: The value of these symbols lies in the discipline of not changing them. This is evident when we see that their origins date back to the early 20th century and that they have been maintained with only minor adaptations. Today, with the speed driven by technology, we tend to grow tired of our brands and their assets. London shows that icons are built over decades.

Presence lies in the visibility of brand assets. Coherence lies in the consistent use of design, colors, and the system. Consistency lies in the discipline of maintaining them for over a century. That combination is what turns London into an iconic brand.

These principles are embedded in our methodology for building iconic brands, and we use them to analyze brands and plan activation strategies.

An untapped opportunity for Madrid

I have to admit that, reflecting on this, I thought about my city, Madrid, which has a unique personality. Madrid has the potential to elevate its own urban symbols to the level of city brand icons. Doing so requires the same long-term vision that London applied to its assets.

A few ideas come to mind: Madrid is one of the most tree-filled cities in the world, why not turn this into an iconic element that encourages people to explore the city? Or, as print media declines and kiosks look for new offerings, why not take the opportunity to redesign them? Beauty always adds value and even more so when it is also functional.