Warsaw officially changes its logo, preserving the city’s emblem

Warsaw-based studio Podpunkt has unveiled the new logo and design system for the Polish capital. Made in consultation with a historian at the Museum of Warsaw, Dr. Krzysztof Zwierz, the new logo preserves the historic symbol of the Warsaw mermaid as well as the traditional colours of the city – red and yellow. The design refresh was initiated by the City Hall of Warsaw departments and will likely take years to complete, due to the complex range of touch points and communications involved.

Previously, the city has used two logos: a traditional crest and promotional logo both featuring different design styles and iterations of the Warsaw mermaid. In the new logo, the mermaid remains, though Podpunkt has chosen to immortalise the Polish-French physicist Marie Skłodowska-Curie through the depiction. The studio adds that the new work is based on circles and geometric shapes, and includes details such as a historically accurate sword.

According to Podpunkt, neither of the previous two logos met the requirements of “digital times” in terms of scaling or legibility. Until now, each of the 18 districts of Warsaw have also used their own logos and identification systems, with varying degrees of connection to the city’s overarching iconography.

However, the refresh was primarily prompted by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. In particular, the use of the phrase “Fall in love with Warsaw” used in the promotional logo has received renewed consideration, changed to reflect the nature of the global topics Warsaw speaks on. “The outbreak of war in Ukraine made Warsaw an important place on the map of aid for the Ukrainian community,” a press release explains. “It made Warsaw more visible in the world media.” In recent years, the capital has also received coverage for Poland’s strict abortion law, with protests taking place in Warsaw and beyond last March.

The renewed logo comes in four colourways, with round icons for mobile use. It saw Podpunk complete workshops with 18 city districts and 48 institutions, and call in designer Mateusz Machalski to create a customised version of his Engram font for the wordmark, adjusted for better legibility at smaller sizes.