Throughout history, people have engaged in mass movements from smaller settlements to larger areas, primarily to meet various economic, cultural, social, and political needs. As a result, the majority of the population has settled in these areas, which are now referred to as cities. Today, a significant portion of the global population resides in cities, and this number is expected to increase exponentially in the coming years. Cities, which have evolved over an extensive historical period, have undertaken various initiatives to distinguish themselves from others, much like brands, and have sought to establish their own identities. One of the key elements cities have strived to develop in their pursuit of a distinct identity is their visual identity. This study focuses on the concept of urban visual identity design. It examines urban visual identity within the framework of visual communication design and aims to explore the impact of city logos, which serve as graphical elements of urban visual identity, on the overall identity of a city. The study’s sample consists of the cities of London, Sydney, Rome, Tokyo, and San Francisco, which were ranked among the top 11 most admired cities worldwide in the 2022 edition of the Ipsos City Brand Index.The official logos used by the municipalities of the selected cities will be analyzed using the semiotic analysis method. Semiotics is a discipline concerned with the creation of symbolic meanings and the transmission of constructed messages, making it a crucial tool for analyzing city logos. This approach is particularly significant in understanding the formation of a city's identity and image, as it provides insights into the inherent meanings of symbols, signs, and other indicators used in the logos. Based on the data obtained through semiotic analysis, the study finds that municipal logos frequently reference cultural and historical backgrounds, economic structures, and local characteristics. These findings highlight the strategic role of visual identity in shaping urban identity and branding efforts.

Keywords: Urban identity, visual identity, urban studies, visual design, visual communication, semiotics