As part of Sadiq Khan's new 'Let's Do London' campaign, in order to draw more visitors to the capital, he commissioned artist David Hockney to redesign the iconic Transport for London logo for Piccadilly Circus, with very mixed reviews.
The overall feel is that it was created in a hurry, with not enough room was left for text, thus the dropped 's' - and not something expected from a world renowned artist. It could be mimicking a crowded Underground station, complete with the dropped track., with purple signifying chaos, yet the yellow circle being connotative of the positivity London has to offer outside of the stations.
It is reported that David Hockney wasn't paid for this project. Perhaps this is his way of sticking two fingers up to his client? My thoughts are that it wouldn't have made it past the Creative Director in this case, or perhaps he's trying to demonstrate that art/design are whatever you want them to be?
Either way, I think that it certainly got people talking about London, bringing it to the forefront of the viewers mind, which in turn could get them to visit. Yes, they could certainly have searched for other London artists to create something far more aesthetically pleasing, but it would not have had the same effect.
Purely judging the visuals, I personally think it's rubbis... h.
