Taichung Metro Corp has filed a patent for a new company logo after its current logo, which is shaped like the front of a Taichung Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system train, was met with criticism.
A public opinion poll showed that the new, simpler design was much more popular with people, the company said on Tuesday, adding that some respondents said the new logo was more easily discernible.
Others said the new logo was reminiscent of one used by Taichung Municipal First Senior High School, which has a history dating to the Japanese colonial era.
Image copied from the Intellectual Property Office Web site
The company’s logo has undergone several changes, with the first iteration chosen through a public vote held by the company in 2012.
However, the company later opted not to use that version and held another vote in 2017, registering the logo chosen in that vote in April last year.
However, public criticism has been rampant since the registration was announced, it said.
Image copied from the Intellectual Property Office Web site
Some people joked that it resembled a dog’s head or a motorcycle helmet; others said it looked like a Chinese opera mask or even buttocks, it said.
The new design is much simpler, featuring green and blue lines that come together to create the Chinese character for chung (中) from the city’s name, Taichung, it said.
Green and blue are the colors representing the MRT system’s first and second lines respectively.
“Those who have seen the new logo said it looks nicer and that it better represents Taichung MRT,” the company said.
However, some said the new logo was “ugly” and hoped it could be refined, it said.
“Some even questioned whether the use of blue and green meant the system would only have two lines, and that the planned third line would be canceled,” it said.
The logos put to vote last time had been chosen by the city’s Rapid Transit System Office and proved divisive, Taichung Metro Corp chairman Lin Chih-ying (林志盈) said.
This time the city hired a design consultancy company to create a logo that is neutral and more representative of the city, he said.
The MRT system is to have more than two lines, he added, hoping to clear up confusion caused by the use of two colors.
If the new logo passes a review, it could be used on station signage, as well as on Taichung MRT products, he said.
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