A resolution on updating the Counterfire logo as amended and passed at Counterfire’s National Conference 2015

Conference notes

1. The election of Syriza, the demise of the traditional mainstream parties and the ‘Green surge’ in Britain represent a growing interest in the emergence of a new left in Europe.
2.  Counterfire’s excellent record of non-sectarian revolutionary politics within the anti-austerity and anti-war movement places the organisation in a good position to engage with this changing political landscape.
3. The rapid growth in the number of people encountering Counterfire for the first time as demonstrated by the rise in website hits and well-attended meetings inside and outside of London.
4. A historic opportunity offered by Counterfire’s new publication to connect with those recently attracted to left wing ideas, alongside the website and our other publications.
5. Counterfire has moved from being a few founding members around a website to becoming an organization that can take serious initiatives within the English left with good prospects for growth.
6. Our logo is a reflection of our beginnings. As part of the launch of a publication and a big push for CF, we should look into redesigning the logo, in keeping with the current design, to better reflect the outward-looking organization we aim to be.
7. The current logo is established and recognised, being used on all Counterfire publications and promotional material since March 2010

Conference believes

1. A new Counterfire logo (alongside a new publication) could help re-launch as well as re-affirm Counterfire’s identity within the movement.
2. A new logo design would not be a complete redesign but be an updated version of the current design to maintain the link while offering something new, fresh and moving with the times, whilst retaining the ‘brand recognition’ established by the current logo. This means that some key characteristics of the current logo should be retained.
3. We can use the opportunity of the publication launch to build on the successes of the past year and move into what we hope will be an exciting new period for the organization as a whole.

Conference resolves

1. To commission a number of re-designs of the Counterfire logo following the designers’ brief outlined in the Appendix. These will be presented to the Steering Committee, website and publication editorial boards for consideration if they would be an improvement over the existing logo.
2. If a new logo is chosen, it would be launched alongside, and as part of, the new publication.

Appendix: Counterfire Logo re-design brief

The Counterfire logo is to be an updated version of the current design offering something new, fresh and moving with the times whilst retaining some core characteristics that deliver ‘brand recognition’.

The following is a description of the characteristics of the current logo: 

• the word ‘Counterfire’
• all capitals
• the letter ‘I’ in red [hexadecimal #d82731]
• serif font
• ‘dirty font’ (as opposed to ‘clean font’) 
• irregular character spacing
• irregular character alignment
• ‘Antique Roman’ font 

The following core characteristics should be retained:

• the word ‘Counterfire’
• all capitals
• the letter ‘I’ in red [hexadecimal #d82731]

The following may be varied:

• serif font
• ‘dirty font’ (as opposed to ‘clean font’) 

The following can be dispensed with:

• irregular character spacing
• irregular character alignment
• ‘Antique Roman’ font 

Essential

• must work at small sizes.
• must be appropriate for range of media including print, web and video
• must be delivered in a format that is editable and scalable [.EPS]
• must work in both greyscale and colour