The city of Melbourne, Australia, has a new face, and it's bold, fresh, and possibly seizure-inducing.

The new identity unveiled this summer is a major break from the collegiate, fragmented version of old. Upon first glance, it's as if the letter M and a color swatch ran headfirst into each other and fell into a game of Tetris. It's adventurous, and that's what makes it particularly interesting.

It's not unfounded to say that daring leaps of innovation are lacking in city branding. With a city's worth of strong opinions on how it should be represented, design sometimes can settle for the least common demoninator. That's why it's unsurprising to see a fair share of mixed reviews and criticism for its $A240,000 ($US195,000) entrance fee. In the end, though, maybe critics should be thankful for what it isn't.

The identity, in all its many facets, certainly speaks of a 2010 future. One where flying cars, shiny suits and cleaning robots are the norm (sorry, you don't count, Roomba). It's fluidity and multi-purpose application is enough to make any designer salivate. But does it convey the Melbourne experience, or is it better suited on a flag held by a moonman? And if it does conjure images of Madonna rolling around in a wedding dress or the Gloved One, is that a bad thing? Maybe those are questions best answered in time, as a rainbow of geometric M's will be there to greet travelers of Melbourne for a good, long while.

View - City of Melborne on the Behance Network