What is the first thing you see?
We get data from our senses. Our eyes see, and then the brain makes meaning of the information collected. In his book, The Brand Gap, Marty Neumeier explains that out eyes quickly find the contrast in what we are viewing, and then the brain takes over. We see the difference between subject and ground, big and small, rough and smooth, motionless and moving – then we determine the importance of those differences.
In his book, The Advertising Concept Book, Pete Barry explains that a good ad communicates its message, but a great ad “stops you, hooks you, and hauls you in.” Further, a great ad will make the viewer react in at least one of six ways – SLIP IT. This concept also works for email marketing, web landing pages, direct mail, and more.
I came across this link in a recent emailer from Applied Arts Magazine and thought it would be neat to share it with everyone.
Being that we are in the middle of the World Cup and that the United States just beat Algeria to advance to the next round I thought this was the perfect time to look at the new logo for the Vancouver Whitecaps. For those of you who don’t follow soccer, the Vancouver Whitecaps are a new addition to the MLS (Major League Soccer). They have been around since 1973 but 2011 will be their first season with the MLS, so I think it is only appropriate that they’ve engaged in rethinking their image, and after careful introspection, have re-branded themselves. The goal was to have a clean and efficient look that could stand up to all sorts of mediums and I personally think it is a success. I like the simplicity of the new logo and it’s defined look. It doesn’t give into the current trend of sports logos using a mascot to sell the brand, it takes a risk. It lost the original “cartoon” feel and became more simplistic and shield-like. Also, it has a lot of symbolism which gives it strength. This blog quote explains it best:
We’ve been working on some projects lately that have had clients sending us some pretty big image files. We’re all getting so used to high res images from high res digital camera’s, we often don’t realize or forget that these images are sometimes too large to email.
Being that we are currently doing some logo and branding for a client in the wine industry, I thought that exploring the world of color might be a fun topic. We have just about finished up our black and white logos for the client and it is almost time to show them some color options. However, the color options are a little tricky since it seems like most companies in the industry use the same old color palate. I know that when people think of wine they think of red, white and blush (pink) but the question is are these are only options and how do I get away from them?
Over the past two years Pizza Hut has begun a massive brand-repositioning to modernize. With the tough economic times and people eating out less they have introduced, “The Hut” which aims to introduce fresher and more abundant toppings. It’s an effort to get back those consumers who have opted to eat in for healthier options. This new image, the red pizza boxes and their new menu items like multigrain pizza are part of Pizza Hut’s effort to reconnect with consumers.
I just came across an article on LogoDesignLove.com’s website and wanted to share it with our blog readers. Our summer intern, Alex, who’s worked only on class projects so far, had the opportunity to contribute some ideas for a pro bono project we’re working on. As this is one of her first “real-life” projects, we thought this list was a great quick tip reference for her when working on concepts. It includes some great design essentials that all of us should be reminded of when thinking about logos.
Today I read about “The $50 Logo Experiment” on 160over90’s blog.
As a designer I have always wondered about those online design companies that offered custom logo services with unlimited revisions in a matter of days. They are my “competition” according to some, but I don’t think I should worry anymore after reading “The 50 Dollar Logo Experiment.” The post was not only amusing (Sorry to those who felt it was cruel!) but it is a perfect example of why you should stay far away from companies like that. That is unless a smiling cheese is what represents your company!
I think that in all the years that we have had a president, we have never had one quite like Barack Obama when it comes to his ability to realize how important branding is to represent who we are and what we stand for. Everyone who followed his campaign will never forget his logo or slogan “Change We Can Believe In.” Whether or not you were/are an Obama fan, his slogan was something people will never forget. He never backed down from it. He believed in what he was representing and that authenticity is what made him a strong competitor. It made him stand out from the pack and ultimately, I think, what gave him that edge.
