Labour logo and slogan overload!

Can someone please explain to me what’s going on with the Labour Party’s branding strategy, or the lack of it? I’ve already posted about Labour’s logo problem (i.e. what is the logo presently) but now the party also has 3 different slogans on the go – the Blair-era new Labour new Britain, the early Brown-era new Labour for Britain (based on Gordon’s own slogan Gordon Brown for Britain) and from spring conference this weekend another new one – new Labour your Britain.

Each time the fonts and colours have changed as well – from Labour Gothic to Paralucent to something else I can’t identify for the latest effort, and a mid-red (HTML – #E30030, RGB – 227-0-48), a lighter-red (#E15645, 225-85-69), and now a puce-red (#C41230, 196-18-48). Plus the conference site has no Labour rose anywhere on it, and also links to a new Labourspace website that uses yet more colour combinations.

All of this concerns me at two levels. First of all to the general population this gives an impression of confusion. Like it or loathe it, the Tories’ oak tree logo is at least consistent in design and style. Labour’s approach is a mess. Secondly, how am I supposed to work with Labour’s visual identity? I’m making websites for Labour politicians on an everyday basis and I don’t know what the brand identity is supposed to be. My problem will surely be replicated by local Labour activists across the UK.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not arguing for one slogan or another, for one logo or font or another. I don’t care what shade of red is used. But Labour needs consistency in its branding, and that’s really sorely lacking at present.