Blue and green tree logo set to replace Tory torch

Conservative Home has learnt that the Conservative Party is likely to choose a tree image as its new logo.  The blurred image on the right (blurred not by design but because of the way it was transmitted to me) is very similar to the oak tree image chosen by 63% of ConservativeHome readers in June.  The party is holding a series of meetings during August with party workers to discuss the party's rebranding.  The new blue and green tree design is likely to be well-received.

12.30pm update: 'Ash' - who submitted the four nations entry to the ConservativeHome vote - will be pleased to know that the logo will be slightly different for Wales and Scotland.  Scotland, for example, will probably have a pine tree logo.  Will Northern Ireland's Conservatives get something special?  Or will they be forgotten again?  If there are going to be lots of logo designs perhaps the taxcutting, Eurosceptic right could get a Redwood!

10.30pm update: ConservativeHome's logo exclusive was not acknowledged by tonight's London Evening Standard when it carried a story on p2 (click on image to enlarge).   The LES story does conclude by quoting the wisdom of Tam Large, Graham Smith and Jack W...

Comments

[Martyn Douglas]

Well, after thinking about whether or not I should re-join the party, all this nonsense about the logo shows me it would be a waste of time. All the things we could be talking about; the things that are so wrong with this country, and here we are getting all excited about a tree. Leave the logo alone and concentrate on policy!

[Mark]

1. If it's an Oak Tree for Britain, and a Pine Tree for Scotland, presumably an orange tree for Northern Ireland?

2. This debate has revealed one thing about the state of our party, namely a high dependencey on Risographs. Anyone still using risographs for their literature deserves to lose. It sends out an image of a fuddy duddy party far worse than any logo we may choose...

[Ben Howlett]

1. The logo is almost exactly the same as the Barratt Homes logo, I wonder if Barratt will sue the party for breach of copywrite?

2. If we have a tree and the Lib Dems have a bird what stops the Lib Dems coming and perching on our tree?

[Andrea Leadsom]

Labour's logo is a red rose; surely ours should be a can of weedkiller?

[Kent Tory]

It does seem slightly ludicrous that in the exciting run up to the 2012 Olympics, which will hopefully been opened by a Tory Prime Minister, that we ditch the Tory torch!

[George Hinton]

I question the need for a logo. That sort of thing smacks of autarchy, indeed logo's are used in countrys with a high level of illiteracy as a means of identifying various parties at elections. Whilst i recognise that under New Labour our education system has gone down the toilet, surely not to that extent.

[George Hinton]

Perhaps the Eurosceptics could have a stunted acacia tree in a desert.

[Paul Oakley]

As for resemblance to other logos, the one on the left looks like the Timberland brand, much beloved of hoody-wearing yobs.

[Peter Piper]

George Hinton, are you being sarcastic or ironic ?

'.. indeed logo's are used in countrys with a high level of illiteracy..'

[Devil's Kitchen]

A tree? What the hell are they playing at?

If Dave hadn't already lost my vote, then this load of old arse would have been the final nail in the coffin lid, frankly.

DK

[Nick]

Looks remarkably similar to the logo of the Italian Democrats of the Left (the ex-Communist Party. How far to the left is Cameron prepared to take the Tory Party?

[Nick]

Looks remarkably similar to the logo of the Italian Democrats of the Left (the ex-Communist Party. How far to the left is Cameron prepared to take the Tory Party?

[AB]

A plain blue troch is easy to prit on a risograph. Not a blue AND green one.

[TB]

The right hand image looks like a nuclear mushroom. Could be aposite.

[J.Chew]

The torch represents much more than Conservatism but a light for the country to look to when in need of help and reform. If the torch goes... im sad to say the real brand of conservatism goes with it. It is a saddening day!

[Drew]

Andrew Kennedy's response to my comments rather proves my point about the party membership.

His response to my challenge of getting involved in local communities was all about raising money for the party and beating the Lib Dems in local elections.

All very commendable achievements, for Tories. They will no doubt please the party, but I think you rather prove my point that the party does not understand community involvement. None of that is of the slightest interest to 'real' people who frankly could not care less about how many active branches the local Tory Party has or what our logo is. They are interested in real issues and unless we stop obsessing about ourselves we will never win the trust of the people again.

Your petition is silly unhelpful and makes us look like a bunch of incompetents who would rather argue with ourselves than address people's real concerns. Shame on you.

[Drew]

I have to say however I agree with many of the other comments in response to my comments about us not needing a big arguement right now. We the ordinary members did not start it but I think we have a responsibility to prevent it escalating into a fully blown arguement.

Yes there are far more important issues we should be addressing at the moment but if this is what the elected leadership has decided needs to be done then we could all do to be a little more sensible and save fall outs for more substantive issues.

We, or rather not me but others, elected Cameron to the leadership of the party on a modernising agenda. We dont elect leaders to hold referendums on every single change they propose, we are not a direct democracy neither as a party or a country.

[James Maskell]

I dont think a vote is appropropriate for this. Whilst it is a massive change, I dont think a vote is needed. Just dont change it, save the money for campaigning...

Maude has again misled the membership and in fact in this case has outright lied to us. Another nail in the coffin I feel. Cameron do the good thing, just drop him. Hes a liability.

[kate]

Like the idea of the tree as a symbol, glad to see the Conservatives pushing the "green" ideals which are prevalent in the public's mind these days, and important to the future of the planet. Good on ya!

[Charles Warburton]

Why change the good old logo. For God's sake, aren't there more important things to discuss (such as the infamous Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill and Mr. Blair's foreign policy)?

[James Maskell]

Oh yes the LRRB. Read the most recent version of it (after Lords Committee). Its still horrible. Gives far too much power to Ministers. Its an Enabling Act in all but name.

[Sue Doughty]

The one on the right looks a bit vague. The one on the right only uses one colour of ink and will be cheaper to use in hard copy. But I prefer the one on the right really.

[J.Chew]

Also i believe it is time to throw Cameron out... he is demoralising everything the party once stood for! It is high time a senior member of the party stood up to him and said "Thats quite enough, this change is TOO radical and TOO Left- Wing. Get some policies set out, or GET OUT!"

[Miss Eastwood]

I read a comment in the "Daily Telegraph today:

"if conservatives are changing their logo to an oak will Labour change their to a Bush?"

[John]

http://www.lonympics.co.uk/Coooool/fantsayleadership.htm A game where you can run for the Tory leadership

[Patsy Sergeant]

I loathe the torch symbol - corporate Britain, or a torch carrying fire and just think of the modern association with fire - burning the rain-forest etc: etc: and so on.. Of course fire is a natural element, but man's use of it is seldom natural.

I much prefer a tree - an oak for England and yes why not a pine for Scotland, what do they have in Wales? Why is a leek supposed to be recognisably Welsh?

Above all I agree with many other posters, that much as I hate the torch, if funds are so tight in the Conservative Party, what on earth are they wasting money on a new logo for? The party seems to have changed its image considerably WITHOUT the new logo, what else is it supposed to do? - stimulate hope in the absence of policies???

[malcolm]

Mr Norton, is that your design for which I remember you wanted to charge the party £50,000 plus vat plus postage? Worth every penny I'd say!

[Lydia Rivlin]

I don't like the torch, and I rather like the blue tree, but I am surprised that no-one seems to have noticed that whatever the tree is supposed to be, it is not an oak. I'm a town girl myself but even I know that oak leaves are a completely different shape. If we're going to call it an "oak tree" logo, we should at least get it right. We'd have laughed ourselves silly if New Labour had made a similar mistake with their rose logo.

[johnC]

Could I make a plea for the retention of capital letters for CONSERVATIVE as in the original design ? There seems to be a strange reluctance to use capital letters these days, whether due to political correctness (in teacher training I was told that capital letters were 'threatening' to secondary school children), ignorance of correct grammar, or the generally casual approach to modern life. No doubt if CCHQ (or cchq) see this they will be all the more likely to use lower case in their manic and very unconservative addiction to 'change'.

[Logo Design]

I will vote for the left one, That's a great design and better than the right side logo design.