A NEW project aimed at developing a 'brand' for Tavistock was given its first public viewing at a public meeting in the town last week.

The branding project is being worked on by the Tavistock BID (Business Improvement District). BID manager Adam Fleet told the meeting the branding project was a 'fantastic opportunity' for the businesses involved in the district.

He said: 'We are very much a proud community, we really want to make sure we capture the essence of Tavistock.

He said the designer had talked to representatives of the business community, groups, the local authorities and individuals.

'We have used copper writing, which captures the historical element, and we have managed to put together one of the most effective logos we have seen in a long time.'

Mr Fleet said the BID was also looking at new media marketing tools, such as the development of a 'Tavistock app'.

'This is just a very short presentation to give you a real sense of what we are trying to do. The images are very contemporary, we are trying to promote Tavistock well beyond Tavistock,' he said.

Some of the marketing ideas suggested featured an image of Tavistock Pannier Market with the words 'Our Hypermarket'. Another was 'Out of town shopping' with an image of an ice cream van on the moor.

Tavistock resident Hilary Johnson was not impressed with the logo, which featured a typeface using random upper and lower cases. She said: 'As a teacher you try to explain to people about upper case and lower case. If you have this logo all over Tavistock, it defeats what we are trying to do.'

Several people were opposed to the colour of the logo — a brown background with copper-coloured wording — some finding it too dark to be noticeable or eye-catching.

Others said Tavistock was 'not trendy' and 'jokes' about hypermarkets and out of town shopping were not funny.

'A joke's not a joke if you have to explain it,' said one resident.

Local historian Alex Mettler said: 'If you are talking about a brand name for Tavistock BID, that's fine, but if this is a brand for Tavistock and Tavistock's heritage, it's wrong.'

Tavistock businessman John Taylor said he thought the campaign appeared 'very confusing' in general — he also disliked the typeface chosen for the logo although he applauded the idea of a 'Tavistock app'.

'I think you need to go out to wider consultation — I am worried you are steaming ahead with something that might not be that popular,' he warned.

And Christopher Kirwin of Tavi said: 'Tavistock already has pretty good colours in its crest. I think the BID needs to be a bit careful here — some wise advice has been given this evening.'

Guy Talbot, a member of Tavistock Chamber of Commerce, said he understood the concerns regarding upper and lower case letters — but he thought the logo was eye-catching as it was.

'If you look at many adverts these days you will find a mixture of upper and lower case, but we did agree to keep this under review,' he said.

Mr Fleet this week told the Times that as a result of the feedback, he was meeting with the marketing agency to make changes which he hoped would address the issues raised.