By Mark James (Allerton), director of Southampton’s Inkjet Media, local dj and owner of Overdraft Records Store, in response to: “Southampton council criticised for handing city rebrand to London firm”
Eighty grand gone!
This, honestly, feels like a slap in the face to every creative trying to make a living in this city, but also an insult to the people of Southampton in general.
As someone who’s poured their heart and soul into building a media company here since 2019 – launching just before the pandemic, no less – I’ve seen first-hand how tough it can be. Every project is a potential lifeline. So when I heard about this branding exercise, I was initially intrigued as to who got the contract and was suspicious that it went to an outside firm, no tender process, no chance for local businesses to even bid.
It’s a gut punch.
Not only does it mean £80,000 left the city’s economy, but it also suggests a complete disregard for the talent we have right here on our doorstep. It’s a sad and frankly disappointing decision, especially considering Southampton’s ongoing struggle to retain talent, particularly graduates. We’re constantly losing bright minds because they don’t see opportunities here. This just reinforces that feeling.
It makes you wonder who’s making these decisions. It feels like a closed shop mentality that stifles growth and innovation.
The signs themselves… The big “S” logo. It’s clinical, disconnected, and strips away the rich history and culture that makes Southampton, well, Southampton. It doesn’t resonate because it lacks soul.
It’s like they’ve tried to erase the city’s identity instead of celebrating it.
I also felt the launch was a complete disaster. Instead of a proper unveiling, the designs were revealed through a local newspaper article. No fanfare, no build-up, just a rushed and frankly embarrassing reveal. It felt like an afterthought, a PR nightmare waiting to happen, so of course the public reaction was overwhelmingly negative.
I’ve been in the marketing and design business for 20 years and I feel I know what would work better. We have to understand the communities that drive the culture, the very DNA of a place to market it effectively. I’ve lived in Southampton long enough to know how to tell its story in a way that’s authentic, respectful, and appealing to both locals and investors.
We could have created something that truly reflects the vibrant hub this city is striving to be – a centre for careers, business, education, science, arts and tourism.
This isn’t just about me or my business though. It’s about all the small businesses in Southampton. If they don’t invest in local talent, they starve them of opportunity and it creates this cycle of decline. This city needs to nurture its creative sector, not ship its budget off elsewhere.
This whole situation brings back memories of the City of Culture 2025 bid. We lost that bid and much like this signage debacle, it felt like a result of outsider interference and a complete lack of strong local leadership. My feeling is those in charge simply failed this city.
Southampton deserves better.
We deserve leaders who champion local talent, who invest in our community and who understand the true value of our unique identity. This £80k signage isn’t just about some new signs; it’s a symptom of a much deeper rotten problem. It’s a problem we need to highlight and fix so I really welcome your efforts to write about it and discuss with In Common readers.
Picture by Mike Daish.
Have your say – send your letter for publication to editor@in-common.co.uk
- In Common is not for profit. We rely on donations from readers to keep the site running. Could you help to support us for as little as 25p a week? Please help us to carry on offering independent grass roots media. Visit: https://www.patreon.com/incommonsoton
You may also like:
Southampton council criticised for handing city rebrand to London firm