The Logo Factory

Design contest for human rights logo

Steve Douglas — Tue, 24 May 2011 04:20:04 +0000

A group of politicians, human rights activists and graphic designers launch a new global initiative – a design contest to develop a universal logo for human rights.

“The power of logos is immense – just ask the folks at Nike, Apple or Coca-Cola. Now, a search is underway for a universal logo for human rights. But just how easy is it to find a concept that clicks?

Some symbols seem to have been around forever: think peace signs, the skull and crossbones on a pirate flag, or the ubiquitous McDonald’s Golden Arches. Others, like Nike’s “swoosh” or the bitten-fruit silhouette on Apple products, may be more recent, but they enjoy near-universal recognition nonetheless.

Now, a group of politicians, activists and graphic designers has started the Human Rights Logo Initiative, a project that aims to create a symbol representing human rights. For a competition that is running through July 31, 2011, they have invited people around the world to submit their suggestions for a design to the website humanrightslogo.net. The process is called “crowdsourcing,” and submissions will be judged by a star-studded jury that includes the likes of Burmese human rights icon Aung Sang Suu Kyi, ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, as well as top names in the design world.”

Corporate logos can help and harm

Steve Douglas — Tue, 24 May 2011 04:13:25 +0000

An interesting read about the pros and cons, upsides and downsides of corporate logos

“WASHINGTON: A corporate logo symbolizing the visual power of a brand cuts both ways — good and bad, a study suggests. These stylized monograms can backfire for firms and have a double-edged effect on consumer perceptions, according to a Boston College researcher. Consumers may perceive companies with incomplete typeface logos – such as the horizontal baby blue stripes that form the letters IBM – as innovative. However, they also run the risk of being viewed as untrustworthy, according to a forthcoming report in the Journal of Marketing.”

TLF on The Globe and Mail

Steve Douglas — Sun, 22 May 2011 04:20:08 +0000

Nice little write up on The Logo Factory on The Globe and Mail website as part of a logo design feature. The piece, written by Marlene Habib, quotes yours truly extensively and discusses why you should keep your logo design simple.

“Think it’s a fluke that an apple is an iconic symbol of technology greatness for Apple Inc., a check-mark like “swoosh” represents athletic prowess for Nike, and some people get hungry when they see the golden arches of McDonald’s? These and other company logos share important qualities: They’re simple and distinctive, but far from being no-brain designs.”

Read the rest