City’s new image tied up in Notts

After the Diary brought you news of Leicester’s challenging “Boring, Boring” campaign (MW November 20, 2003), and Derby’s successful attempt to usurp Paris in the romance stakes (MW January 27), it would seem that the final member of the East Midlands trinity – Nottingham – is feeling the heat from near neighbours.

The area is, apparently, “the world’s best kept secret”. However, Nottinghamshire United intends to put an end to all of this secrecy with a new visual identity. That’s right, it’s putting the “shire” in Nottinghamshire in italics.

The new identity will signal a new way in which both the city and county present themselves. However, what really impresses the Diary is that in a 600-word press release about all things Nottingham, it was only in the footnotes that Robin Hood was fleetingly mentioned. Maybe the city where robbery and burglary offences stand at more than four times the national average is rethinking what its focal point for attracting visitors should be.