The new logo of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas was perceived to be a “step back” from some of today’s logos deemed modern with its flat design.
BSP on Friday announced that it is changing its 10-year-old logo as part of its strategy to become “more relevant” to Filipinos, according to reports.
The new logo, according to BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno, was meant to introduce “renewed vitality” and underscore the “integrity and competence” of the institution in line with its 2020-2023 strategy.
It features the same elements of the current logo—the iconic Philippine eagle, three stars and the seal’s circular shape—but the eagle has become full-bodied and completely rendered in gold.
Other changes from the current one include the placement of the stars and a darker blue background.
The @BangkoSentral said in a statement that the new logo "is intended to represent the BSP as well as the Filipino people which it serves."
What do you think of the new logo? pic.twitter.com/Plt7kUwaw1
— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) November 20, 2020
“While the strong foundation of the BSP brand remains the same, its visual representation in the form of the logo requires an update to infuse the institution with renewed vitality, underscore its integrity and competence, and further promote the understanding of its mandates,” Diokno said.
The goal, according to the central bank chief, is to make BSP “more relevant to the Filipino people” as it works towards price and financial stability and support for sustainable economic growth.
The eagle is supposed to capture “strong leadership and foresight,” Diokno added.
The new logo would be the fifth seal of the central bank and the third one ever since the institution was renamed to “Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas” from “Central Bank of the Philippines.”
Diokno said the current logo will be used in the meantime as the implementation of the new logo will be done in phases.
Views on the logo change
Meanwhile, some Filipinos thought that the current logo with its flat design appeared more “modern” compared to the one proposed by the institution.
“The current BSP logo is sleek as it is. Easily printable in memos and letterheads. Why change?” a Twitter user asked with an accompanying image of the logo.
The current BSP logo is sleek as it is. Easily printable in memos and letterheads. Why change? pic.twitter.com/S5I3biAr5N
— JM Brosas (@jmbrosas) November 20, 2020
“Is the BSP turning to a fascist republic? The left seal is better! Modern and forward-looking,” UP Associate Professor Dr. Peter Cayton said.
“BSP just introduced a new logo ‘in keeping with the changing times’ but it seems they took a step backwards, mas modern tingnan ‘yung 2010 version,” a former brand communications manager at ABS-CBN tweeted.
“I don’t get it. Nabasa ko sabi ng BSP, they introduced a new logo ‘…in keeping with the changing times.’ Nani (What)? The old logo looks more modern and contemporary. Flat design, minimalist…” commented another online user.
A different Twitter user commented that companies and organizations have been switching “to the flat design for their icons and logos.”
“This move of BSP (changing their logo) seems like a step back,” he wrote.
A crowdsourcing platform for logo and graphic designs said that companies have been shifting to the “flat logo design” trend where bold colors are used with plain typography.
“Flat logo design has suddenly become the hip new thing and emerges into the limelight also because tech giants such as Google, Apple, Amazon etc. have transformed theirs for an easier transition for user interface,” ZillionDesigns said in 2018.
“Seeing these giants going for flat has motivated other major brands to do the same. The reason being, previous logo styles followed strict rule-gradients, shadows, and other visual enhancements. However, flat design logos focus on clarity and versatility and reflect a modern look with vector-friendly graphical shapes,” it added.
The platform pointed out that brands tend to shift towards a flat design of a logo since it appears trendy, has crisp visuals, is able to offer a creative twist, flexible, easy to remember and is cost-effective, among others.
An online design service provider defines a flat logo design as something “based on minimalism” which is “free from all intricate details such as shadows, stuffed fonts, textures and gradients.”
“Minimalist and flat designs are easy to remember as they tend to stick to the memory of the target audience quickly. On the other hand, intricate designs make it difficult for them to digest every single detail that the logo includes,” Invictus Studio said.
“Fewer details and more empty spaces are the most effective way to grab the viewer’s attention,” it added.
