From WTF to TFW – How a Blog Caused a Logo Change for Wisconsin
October 6, 2009
Earlier this year, one of my favorite blogs, Your Logo Makes Me Barf, wrote a post called WTF Wisconsin? that pointed out a glaring error made by the Wisconsin Tourism Federation. If you don’t know what the acronym WTF stands for, I’ll tell you — “What the fu*k?” Take a look at the logo below.
While it’s surprising that no one within or working with the Wisconsin Tourism Federation mentioned this problem to them, the more interesting point of the story comes from how they learned about it. The power of the blogosphere is demonstrated once again with the WTF Wisconsin? post on Your Logo Makes Me Barf. The Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel wrote about it on the same day in their Hubbub blog.
Perhaps the more unfortunate part of this story though is something mentioned on another of my favorite blogs — Brand New. The organization took the time and invested the money to change their name after realizing the error (the new name is Tourism Federation of Wisconsin), but they just flipped the letters in the logo instead of creating a new one. Now that’s a missed opportunity as this logo leaves a lot to be desired (see below).
Of course, the lesson to learn is — always make sure multiple people review your work. You never know what you might miss.
When the World is Unstable, Brands Have Success Returning to the Past
July 1, 2009
The past always brings people a feeling of security and peace of mind. Earlier this week, I wrote a post on the Corporate Eye blog about brands needing to focus on messages related to longevity these days when economies are weak and the future is uncertain for so many consumers (you can read that post here if you’d like). While messages about longevity and security in the future are very important, there is also something to be said for looking at the lessons and success from the past and repeating them to leverage the commonly held perception that the past connotes feelings of security.
The Philadelphia 76ers have done exactly that by replacing the modern logo the team launched just over 10 years ago with a new version, which is almost exactly identical to the team’s original logo before the change in the late 1990s. Check out the logo launched in 1997/98 on the left below vs. the new logo launched in 2009 on the right.
And now, take a look at the pre-1997/98 logo below. Can you spot the differences between the original logo and the newest version?
Whether or not using the past as a security blanket message was the reasoning behind the Philadelphia 76ers’ logo change, I don’t know, but the timing is certainly great to take advantage of those messages of security and longing for better days when the team performed better and consumers’ lives were better.
Take a look at your brand. Can you incorporate messages of longevity and security for the future into your marketing? Or can you incorporate messages that refer to the nostalgia of the past? Either is a good brand message choice in 2009.
Your thoughts?
By the way, The Brand New has a great overlay graphic of the new logo on top of the old one where you can see just how minimal the changes between the pre 1997/98 logo and the 2009 logo are.
Bad Logos
June 14, 2009
I have to give a hat tip to ArtistMike.com for putting together a great list of bad logos.
It’s an amusing and unfortunate display of logo design gone terribly wrong, and the lessons to learn are these — hire a professional logo designer to create your logo and be sure to show it to many people before launching it to make sure there’s nothing you haven’t missed in terms of interpretation.
Check out the list of bad logos.
New Dollar General Logo – Why Bother?
April 24, 2009
I stopped by the Brand New blog today and learned that Dollar General has a new logo. This one can be added to the why bother category. Unless someone can help me understand. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Based on this post from BrandlandUSA, I think that perhaps Dollar General should have focused on updating other parts of its business before investing in a logo redesign.
New Kraft Logo – A Yoplait Ripoff?
March 18, 2009
Last month, I wrote about the new Kraft logo on the Corporate Eye blog. You can check out the old and new Kraft logos below:
This month, it turns out that Kraft has more problems with this new logo than I originally thought. Word is out that the logo, which took seven months to design and who knows how much money, is a bit too close in appearance to the logo for Yoplait in Europe. Check the similarity out below:
What do you think? Too close for comfort? Yes or no?
2009 Rebrand 100 Global Award Winners Announced
March 15, 2009
The 2009 Rebrand 100 Global Award Winners have been announced. If you want some inspiration on your own branding efforts and rebranding creative, take a look at the winners by following the link above. There are 100 companies listed with links to see the before and after of each company’s rebranding efforts — and not just logos. You can see websites, collateral, signage, logo guidelines, and more. It’s a great collection.
One of my favorites is the rebranding of Australia Post, the mail service in Australia. Take a look at the before and after photos from Rebrand.com showing the outside of the Australia Post retail stores. What a difference! The new look is less “airport news stand” and more modern. The creative was done by Interbrand, and it shows.
Australia Post Before
Australia Post After (concept)
Which rebranding efforts do you like the most from the 2009 Rebrand 100 Global Award Winners?
Hat tip to the Brand New for this post.
Blimpie Logo Redesign – Why Bother?
February 11, 2009
Seriously, why bother? When I first saw the new Blimpie logo, I wondered if it was a joke. Alas, it’s real and it’s not impressive. In fact, it’s hard to even call it a logo design at all. Your thoughts?
Hat tip to Brand New for this logo redesign.
5 Elements of Logo Design to Build a Powerful Brand Icon
February 3, 2009
Creating a logo to represent your business and brand image can be an important aspect of your overall business plan, and as such, a great deal of consideration should go into selecting the best graphical interpretation of your brand’s value and promise. Following are five of the most important factors to consider when choosing your brand’s logo.
1. Image
If you develop your brand effectively, over time, your logo will become the most recognizable icon of your business and product. It’s important to choose a graphic that appropriately demonstrates your brand’s image and values. Make sure no part of your logo could be considered offensive, and if your company is global or could become global in the future, make sure it’s not offensive in other countries. Try not to be too trendy. Select a design that can be timeless. Creating a new logo in a few years can be expensive and requires a rebranding investment that you may not be able to take on in the near future.
2. Color
The colors used in your logo are important not only in terms of production (see “Printability” below), but also in terms of how logos are perceived psychologically. Do some research about the meanings behind colors, and take a close look at your competitors’ logos. You want your logo to be appealing aesthetically, and you want it to help differentiate you from the competition. [Read more]
Jimmy Fallon’s New Logo
January 15, 2009
With Jay Leno moving out of his late night talk show spot on NBC, Conan O’Brien is moving up one hour and Jimmy Fallon is taking Conan’s old time slot with Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. To honor the move, Jimmy Fallon let visitors to his show’s website pick his show’s new logo. Number Seventeen was brought in to design the new logo. They have also designed for Saturday Night Live, and you can definitely tell based on the three design choices for Fallon’s show.
Unfortunately, these logo choices offer little differentiation from brands like Late Night with David Letterman. I would have liked to see bolder logo choices that move further away from the expected branding of late night talk shows. These logos seem very safe, and it appears Late Night with Jimmy Fallon will end up being more of the same late night TV that people are used to.
The three logo choices are below. What do you think about them? [Read more]
The History of the Fuji Logo – Example of Well-Executed Logo Evolution
January 14, 2009
I often write about companies that recently revamped their logos, but today, I’m going to do something a bit different and track the evolution of a logo to see if the changes made to the corporate icon over the decades seems logical and well-executed. I chose Fuji for the first logo history review, because the company provides a good example of doing things right.
Check out the evolution of the Fuji logo in pictures below:
The Fuji logo started in 1936 just as you’d expect. Many logos in the first half of the twentieth century had a very simple, one-color design, and Fuji’s logo was not an exception to the norm. In 1960, the company added a burst of much needed color, but kept the design simple.
Things changed in 1980 when the logo icon many consumers still associate with Fuji today was created. The iconic symbol stayed as an element of the logo for 26 years until the company left the dated, yet well-known, symbol behind and exchanged it with a more modern logo and typeface.
I have to admit, I like the current logo. It’s always hard for consumers to let go of a well-known logo that’s been around for a long time. A strong logo is inherently connected with the brand, and consumers develop a sense of security with that logo. However, Fuji made the bold decision to delete the archaic symbol. In this case, the decision worked.
What do you think of the Fuji logo evolution? Thumbs up or thumbs down?
Images: Fujifilm.com
