Southampton’s new "Welcome to the City" signage has to go.

The signs would look bad on a 1970s industrial estate in Totton, but these muddy brown bands of nothingness are the first thing visitors to Southampton see.

How could a city that sought to be a City of Culture make such a mistake? These signs suggest you are about to enter a place where there is no culture.

Maybe our city needs a new logo that isn’t a ship or the Bargate. But these bland and ugly signs are not the answer. And it appears almost comical that our council paid £80,000 to some Londoners to come up with this new logo.

Southampton should have a colourful and vibrant welcome. We need a welcome that promotes our amazing city and makes people want to visit, work, and live here.

Our council should take down the signs from London—and be better.

Jon Walters
Southampton