The understated branding, developed by Saffron, is intended to promote London as the number-one city destination as well as an Olympic host city.
'So many city and country brands with their brush-stroked suns and rah-rah cheerfulness, whether appropriate or not, fall for me-too conventions,' said Visit London marketing director Martine Ainsworth-Wells. 'London's name says it all.'
She believes a city's branding should reflect its personality, but also be timeless, as countries' tourism budgets are constantly being reviewed. VisitBritain's review of its identity is on hold while it heads the Department for Culture Media and Sport's tourism review following the government's decision to cut the tourist board's funding by 18% in the years up to London 2012.
'London's branding, like the city, is clean and classical, vintage and modern,' says Ainsworth-Wells. 'Its simplicity buys it longevity and flexibility.' She cites Paris' logo, with its Eiffel Tower image, as an example of branding that feels dated.
Visit London plans to adapt its identity, often dropping the word 'Visit', to promote specific aspects of the city, producing umbrellas, for example, carrying the line 'London. It rains more in Rome.'
The body is bolstering its activity in the face of a decline in consumer spending and a predicted 1% slip in visitor levels to the city this year. It is also aiming to raise tourist numbers in a highly competitive market: headline-grabbing fares from low-cost airlines and improved rail links to the Continent have boosted the popularity of European city breaks.
London's international rivals are also ramping up their marketing efforts. LA Inc, the Los Angeles tourist board, has launched a Europe-wide drive to promote the city as a destination for film fans, while the Hong Kong Tourism Board is bolstering its brand online with a website and Facebook application.
Further competition comes from within the UK; several cities have won bids for sporting and cultural events, such as Liverpool, joint European Capital of Culture, and Glasgow, which hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2014. York, meanwhile, is promoting its status as European Tourism City of the Year.
Travel companies, too, are looking at ways to capitalise on the strength of city brands. This summer British Airways is to launch a social networking site, www.metrotwin.com, designed to link people in New York and London.
Ainsworth-Wells considers it vital for cities to have a strong brand in the event of a catastrophe. 'London's strong status served it well following the 7/7 bombings in 2005,' she says. 'Everyone was certain the city would bounce back.'
Similarly, following the attack in New York in 2001, the city's unofficial 'I love NY' logo became prominent, with visitors wearing T-shirts bearing the iconic motif as a sign of support. However, the state has been forced to work hard to protect its logo: it has filed more than 3000 trademark objections as others have tried to tap in to the design.
Stark warnings by the European Tour Operators Association that hosting the Olympics is detrimental to national tourism, as overcrowding and price inflation deters regular visitors from host cities, have been rejected by VisitBritain. But as the downturn continues, London's identity will have to be stronger than ever if the 2012 Games are to generate the expected £2.1bn boost in tourism revenue during the next 10 years.