Looking back at our logo design project, I was reminded of two interesting articles on branding I stumbled upon last semester.
The first comes from thedieline.com and looks at brand distillation. We talked a lot about simplification during logo design, that good logos need not and often should not be overly complicated or contain a lot of fluff. Simple logos cut production costs and ease application across a variety of mediums. But what this article looks at is how far can you simplify a logo and still maintain the emotion, connection, and message it was designed to convey. This is like an extreme version of what we do when we check readability in B&W and diminished sizes. It is also interesting to note the role that iconic packaging (which is a form of design) plays in this experiment and the recognition of name brand products. What do you think: what about these logos makes them so recognizable even in butchered, piecemeal form? Is something lost when these logos are reduced? At what level does the logo serve its purpose best?
The second article comes from awwwards.com and is an experiment called “Brandversations” which looks at logo and brand durability by morphing two competitors’ logos together. What do you think: does one logo overpower the other? Is the essential and basic form of each logo strong enough to preserve the message and identity of the company when a close competitor’s image is heavily impressed?
I adore the Brandversations. Each of them is an ingenious creation that left me smirking. Despite the alterations to these well-known logos, I can still easily recognize them. I also enjoy the grunge effects on the posters. It really adds interest to the design.
ReplyDeleteI spent some time evaluating the logo simplifications and it really is hard to decide which work best. For the Tabasco and Guinness I think any of the first three designs would work pretty well. Tabasco loses a lot from one to two just because the dominant shape goes from a diamond to a circle. The reason I think these two brands are better off with the more complicated logos is that i think they are probably loaded with a lot of history and give a kind of classic feel. When you simplify them you lose a lot of the identity. The Evian and Nutella logos I think work very simplified because they already have a more simple modern feel. I think both of these could probably work at the most simple levels.
ReplyDeleteBoth of these are so cool. I thought the Brandversations were so creative! I love how these logos are still very distinguishable, yet the competitors' logo infused in makes my smile because it is so funny that they are even competitors. As we learned in Graphic Design 1 there really isn't a taste difference between types or brands of pop so infusing the two is just funny. :)
ReplyDeleteI have seen those projects before, and I think they are interesting, the first one show us how simply we can design, and simple look better sometimes. The second project, is amazing, it's clever, and well designed, also if you think they have a social cause meaning behind.
ReplyDeleteI thought the logo simplification project was really interesting and worked about half of the time. I liked it best for evian and guinness, but I really didn't like the simplified versions of the tabasco and nutella. I agree with what Stephen said about the tabasco, but on the nutella, the simplified version just looks really boring to me, like it was some sort of off-brand knock off...
ReplyDeleteThe Brandverstaions project was also very interesting. All of them definitely retain their meaning and the end result is a quirky, entertaining piece : )
This is very thought provoking. The logo simplification made me realize how a logo really works with its produce and not always on its own. I think the hot sauce really looses its identification when everything is stripped away. The Guinness and Nutella still work but its a challenge. The Brandversation posters are awesome. It took me a second to get what they were about, but I think thats the point.
ReplyDeleteThese are all really unique and fun! I had never seen anything like these before. I really like how the logos were simplified to something so basic. I had a lot of fun looking at the Brandverstaions project pieces... I love how they sorta have a witty feel to them. They are humorous, but defiantly keep their meaning and show who each brand is.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed branding logo clutter has definitely simplified since we were first born. Packaging pretty much looks like crap from the nineties, and that isn't because of age. Nowadays you see all these darn good looking packages with practically nothing on them and the first thought you typically get is 'oh that looks trendy,' and there never really seems to be a negative backlash to this, unless of course there brand message, or whatever the heck the product is supposed to be, fails to be conveyed. Maybe that's because were all apple lovers and reflect that minimalist style with our perception of other products and the images that accompany them.
ReplyDeleteI really like how the posters used there logo to make there logo. Very creative, and innovated! I feel inspired to go see what other logos could be made up with there logo alone. And if it would work well.
ReplyDeleteIts so interesting how you can still recognize those bottle products even with out its normal label. But i think a big factor of that is because those products are already out there. They are already well own. If it were of products not as well known, I dont think it would work. Our minds fill blanks as a reaction to things that are similar.