Whether you are trying to promote your blog or your business, the concept of branding is of paramount importance. You need to separate yourself from your competition and be recognized as a distinct brand. When you see the stylized blue globe, you automatically think of AT&T. When you see the swoosh, you automatically think of Nike. This is the result of effective branding and a great logo. This is why people are willing to pay so much money to get a great logo.
The trouble is that many people don’t consider the ramifications of their logos. They may like the appearance of a logo and think that it suits their business, company, or organization perfectly, but you have to assess your logo from every which angle and look for input from several different sources to ensure that you are not missing out on something. Just as some slogans translate poorly into other languages, different logos can represent a variety of things in different cultures.
When the Office of Government Commerce (British Government) commissioned the creation of a logo, they came up with this seemingly benign logo that is just a stylized version of OGC melded together. However, when you rotate the logo 90 degrees, it takes on the appearance of a stick figure masturbating. Naturally, this is not the association that the OGC was trying to get.
And it cost them £14,000 too! Be careful with your company logos, because you could end up with a horrible PR blunder like the OGC.
Rebecca
May 1, 2008 1:03 pm
Haha nice! I’m almost getting sick of the “reflective” web 2.0 logos too, which reminds me of something I read on the PhotoshopDisasters site:
“You know how when you see pictures of people in the 70s or 80s you wonder why they had such awful clothes and haircuts? That’s how people in 2020 are going to see this decade. It’s the decade of inept reflections.”