The branding, jointly funded by Newcastle City Council and the State Government, comes with the tagline ‘‘See Change’’ and is expected to cost $88,000.

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Its inspiration, according to the council’s Tourism and Economic Development Manger Simon McArthur, was a desire to reinvigorate the image of the changing city once known for its mining and steelmaking.

“This is a contemporary approach that shifts from separate branding for tourism, business and community sectors to a broader, more inclusive brand that everyone can use in their marketing,” Mr McArthur said.

The various colours on the logo represent the city’s industries and icons: mining, retail, medical research, beaches, sport, heavy industry, the financial and legal sector, environment, academia and the arts.

The logo will feature on tourism marketing websites, visitor brochures, and could soon be seen around the city centre, the new Newcastle Museum, city signage, bumper stickers and even T-shirts.

It is hoped the design will create an instantly-recognisable identity for Newcastle similar to the way branding has in cities like New York and Amsterdam.

The launch was accompanied by the unveiling of 16 new touchscreen visitor information kiosks, which are now operating at 16 locations across the city including the Newcastle Herald’s office in Bolton Street.