As if it hadn’t received enough criticism already, the 2012 London Olympics logo design is now being accused of being racist by the national Olympic committee of the Islamic republic.

Quotes from the letter to the International Olympic Committee by the national Olympic committee of the Islamic republic representative Mohammad Aliabadi include:

Unfortunately, we all are witnessing that the upcoming Olympics … faces a serious challenge, definitely spawned out of some people’s racist spirit

The use of the word Zion by the designer of the Olympics logo … in the emblem of the Olympics Games 2012 is a very revolting act

Zion refers to the Old City of Jerusalem in the Bible. In addition to this, the secretary general of Iran’s Olympic committee, Bahram Afsharzadeh has said:

Certainly other countries, including Islamic nations, will react to this racist logo and this would jeopardise the goals of the Olympic games in the world

He goes on to warn the IOC that:

negligence of the issue from your side might affect the presence of some countries, especially Iran

All this comes 3 years after the 2012 Olympics logo design was initially made public.

What do you think?

Obviously the logo design says “2012″, I don’t know if I’d have ever interpreted it as saying “Zion” and certainly I don’t see any undercurrent of racism. How about you?

• The 2012 Olympics logo is ‘insert expletive here’ (2)
• Does unpopular branding grow on you? (2)
• 2016 Olympics candidate city logo designs (8)
• How much is that logo in the window? (4)

2012 Olympics logo accused of racism

That’s better, now I can actually read the brand name. Now, what about that swoosh. What does a swoosh say about a business… 99.9% chance its got nothing to do with it. Lets get rid of it.

The first thing I notice now is the brand name, not the swoosh that looks like a million other logo designs. Now that I think about it, that tag line is pretty generic too. Lets see what it looks like without it.

It looks better. That underline is nearly as thick as the letters though, that has got to be distracting.

A nice clean wordmark, I like where this is heading. While we’re going crazy lets get rid of that drop shadow as well.

So crisp and clean! Without all those other distractions I can see that the spacing between a few of the letters isn’t quite right though, lets do a little kerning.

Nice. The difference is subtle, but it only takes a few minutes so why not?

The final test, the before and after comparison.

The above pictures are only a quick example obviously, I’m not saying that every logo should to be a plain wordmark, but they can definitely do without generic slapped on elements like the ‘swoosh’.

What do you think?

For me the simple, strong new logo is instantly readable while I have to spend a few seconds puzzling out the original.

In comparison, it almost looks like the first logo was just thrown together in Photoshop in five or ten minutes. But that never happens, right?

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• The benefits of sketching logo ideas (0)
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Things your logo design would be better off without

As 2010 draws to an end, here is a look back at 60 refreshed and redesigned logos and brand identity designs from the year gone by. For better or worse here they are, and as always there’s…

The good… The Black Star Co-Op Pub and Brewery.

The bad… MTV.

And the ugly… Yellow Pages.

Aecom.

Ageas, formerly Fortis Insurances.

Argos.

Astral Media.

Brand Australia.

The Bank of Taipei.

Bausch & Lomb.

Brock University.

Caribou Coffee.

The Government of Chile.

Cielo. Formerly VisaNet, Brasil.

Coates Hire.

Cousins Subs.

Dodge.

Esurance.

Expedia.

The short-lived Gap logo. In the space of just 6 days Gap announced it’s new brand identity, launched a design contest to redesign it, cancelled said content, and finally reverted to their original logo design. Time well spent…

Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

Google. Still a little drop shadow there, perhaps next year they’ll remove it completely. Fingers crossed.

Griffin Technology.

Hebrew National.

Hodges Real Estate.

Brand Hong Kong.

Interclick.

The Lending Club.

The Library of Congress.

Mapquest.

I believe this is for the Spalding Groups online store, McCainStore, not an updated campaign logo for Senator John McCain himself. The site was unfortunately down at the time of writing.

The controversial Missile Defence Agency logo design. Conspiracy or coincidence, what do you think?

Another brand gone full circle. The new MOCA logo is in fact their original design from the 1980′s.

Molson Canadian.

Mount Royal University, Canada.

Microsoft’s software suite, Office.

Brazilian cable provider, Net.

Norwegian telecommunications provider Netcom.

Organic Farming, on behalf of the European Commission for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Premier Global Services, now known as… ebi? e6i? p6i? Oh, it’s PGi. Apparently legibility wasn’t high on the list of criteria for their new logo.

Radiotelevisione Italian.

Rare.

The City of Regina.

Rhapsody.

Roosevelt University, Illinois.

The online repository, Scribd.

Seattles Best Coffee.

Skittles.

Sorbonne Nouvelle, University of Paris.

Technicolor.

The popular Linux distribution, Ubuntu. On a related note, I’ve been experimenting with Ubuntu for a while now and if you’re looking to make the switch from Windows, Ubuntu comes highly recommended. It’s effortless to install and fairly painless when it comes to learning the UI ( in my experience ).

One caveat for fellow designers however, while all the Windows programs I’ve attempted to run on Ubuntu work, the Adobe Creative Suite definitely does not, and there are apparently no plans to resolve this in the foreseeable future. Consider this my petition to Adobe to get busy on the issue.

The UK Space Agency.

The State University of New York.

The University of Waterloo.

Water for People.

Wikipedia.

Workopolis.

After a little fine tuning of their logo a few years back, Comcast have rebranded completed at Xfinity.

Yodel, formerly the Home Delivery Network.

What do you think?

A few good and bad as always. Black Start is definitely my favourite, while the Yellow Page pebble just leaves me confused. How about you?

P.S. You can also check out rebrands of 2009, and designs from 2008.

• What colours suit your brand identity design? (4)
• AOL’s new brand identity, 60 logo designs and counting (1)
• How much is that logo in the window? (4)
• Statoil brand identity design (9)

60 brand identity redesigns of 2010

I realise that people sometimes undervalue or don’t understand the importance and value of their brand identity, and that’s one thing, but then there are the emails like the one I received today. It read in full:

Hi

I need a logo design for my new sporting company. Please email it to sparkle5232@hotmail.com ASAP.

Thanks.

No company name, no information on the products or services provided, a generic email address without even the name of who I’m speaking to, and since the subject of cost hasn’t even been broached Sparkle is no doubt expecting it for peanuts, or more likely free.

Obviously Sparkle isn’t serious about his/her branding at the moment, how serious could they be about the business if they don’t think it even warrants telling me the name? I’m not sure what the expectation is for designs like this, that a graphic designer will just grab a logo out of the box labelled “sporting companies” perhaps? That one size fits all? It doesn’t.

If you are serious about a logo design and brand identity for your business, do yourself a favour. Find a designer with a portfolio you like, submit a detailed design brief and openly discuss your requirements, budget and what you can expect for your money.

A logo design is on the way, Sparkle.*

The last thing your new business needs is for you to waste time with some half-cocked misadventure into branding. Image credit.

*It’s not on the way.

• Google logo designs for 2008 (0)
• Logos convey meaning (0)
• Does your logo work in… pastry? (3)
• A collection of monogram favourites (0)

Don’t settle for off the shelf logos

Charles Caleb Colton once said “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, if this is true then the I Love New York logo design is a clear favourite. Designed in 1975 by Milton Glaser, the logo has since been adopted for everything from shirts to foreign cities.

Amandine Allessandra loves Bodoni. She’s got good taste.

The city of Frankston, south of my home town of Melbourne.

This logo was previously created for an environmental campaign for Brisbane City. There was however a lot of huffing and puffing from New Yorks legal representatives over the use of the logo, I’m not sure if it was ever used.

I believe this is for a North Carolina t-shirt company.

Who doesn’t?

I Love NY in Arabic, as worn my Robin Williams at the 2003 USO show.

One for advocates of Americas east coast, San Francisco.

Now I know this is awful but I thought I’d include it for thoroughness. See more Web 2.0 logo designs compared to there originals, here.

The following are all official logos of the 2003 I Love New York campaign run by The Empire State Development Corporation. The logos design by Saatchi and Saatchi each various elements of New York City. Culture, the seasons, shopping etc.



















Last but not least, the original.

What do you think?

The original I love NY logo is great, obviously a popular design. I can’t say that I’d ever use the design for anything myself, but it’s interesting to see the adaptations.

• Pretty in pink; Logo designs (8)
• Logo mashups (2)
• Sydney vs Melbourne – New brand identities (7)
• The new look of Melbourne City (3)

Everyone loves New York’s logo design

Originally sold as decorative objects by London business Marcus Samuel & Co, oriental seashells quickly became the foundation of the business, before the word shell first appeared in 1891 as their trademark for kerosene shipments destined for overseas.

The Shell transport and trading company was formed 1897 and shortly afterwards adopted the original mussel shell as its icon. Things have come a long way since then.

1901, the original mussel shell.

1904, the mussel shell is replace by that of a scallop, paving the way for the logo as we know it today. Things slowly evolved until 1971 when the current icon by designer Raymond Loewy was introduced.

On a side note, Raymond was also responsible for the earlier BP and Exxon mobile logo designs, shown above. But, I digress…

1909.

1930.

1948.

1955.

1961.

1971.

1995.

1999.

What do you think?

Other than tweak to the colour in 1995, and the eventual removal of the company name for many applications, the shell logo has remained unchanged and is undoubtedly one of the worlds most iconic designs.

• Logo designs that lasted (0)
• Key features of a good logo design (2)
• Logo design for Figbird Design (2)
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Shell Oil logo design history

The weekends here and what better way to celebrate than with a collection of great logo designs seen throughout the week.

Denshu Sushi, not quite sure about the colour but love the icon.

Griffen Electric.

Mike Rock.

Innovations For Successful Societies.

Reforger Films. I love this kind of artwork, If only it suited more things in this day and age.

Schneider Custom Stitching, obviously the last line is too small, but kudos for the rest.

Serenity Resorts.

Gaucho Wine.

Sevda Jewelery.

See you next Friday.

Have fun until then.

• Logo design for Figbird Design (2)
• Open to interpretation – Logo designs (16)
• Pretty in pink; Logo designs (8)
• 28 logo designs in 28 minutes (0)

Friday favourites logo designs

What do a bucket, a bowling ball, and a horror movie antagonist have in common? Ask 3 different people and the answer is this logo design.

We all interpret logos differently, after taking a glance at the sync logo design with a pair of friends, it’s interesting to see how wildly impressions vary.

Person one: A bucket & handle.

Person two: A strange bowling ball.

Person three: The iconic Detroit Red Wings hockey mask worn by Jason Voorhees from the horror movie series Friday the 13th.

What was your first impression?

Oh, and there’s probably someone wearing headphones to be seen in there too…

• AOL’s new brand identity, 60 logo designs and counting (1)
• Burnley logo design – A pile of “stuff” (2)
• The Obama 08 logo design development (0)
• 10 favourite logo marks (5)

Three first impressions of a logo design

To celebrate Penguin Books 75th anniversary, New York based graphic designer Amy Fleisher has re-vamped their logo design in a series of dedications to Penguins most popular classic books, such as Frankenstein and Dracula, to be more “Penguin-Centric” as she puts it.

More to see…

There are plush toys and USB keys of the logos too, over at Amy’s site.

• 10 logo designs with hidden symbols (5)
• Open to interpretation – Logo designs (16)
• The many faces of Virgin (2)
• Paul Rand logos (3)

75th anniversary Penguin Books logo designs

With a career spanning over 60 years Paul Rand is best known for his corporate identity design, including the logos for Westinghouse, IBM, UPS, ABC, and many more, as well as his contributions to the International Typographic Style.

Showcased here are 60+ logos from his extensive portfolio.

The American Broadcasting Company.

Accent Software.

Adstar.

AIGA.

Atlas Crankshaft.

Benjamin Franklin 200th Anniversary Celebration.

Borzoi Books.

Cabbages and Kings catering.

The Consolidated Cigar Corporation.

The El Producto Cigar Company.

Colorforms.

Columbus Indiana Visitors’ Center.

Computer Impressions.

Connecticut Art Director’s Club.

Coronet Brandy (original design).

Coronet Brandy.

Creative Media.

Cresta Blanca Wine Company.

Cummins.

Doug Evans & Partners.

Dunhill Clothiers.

English First.

Eliot Noyes & Associates.

Eliot Noyes & Associates.

Enron.

Esquire Magazine.

An unused Ford logo concept.

Gentry Living Colour.

The Gibson Diamond Company.

Harcourt Brace and Company.

Helbros Watch Company.

Hub TV.

The 1956, 1967 and 1972 IBM logo designs, respectively.

IBM’s OS/2 software.

IBM’s XGA display technology.

Country Club Ice Cream.

IDEO Design.

IIT Research Institute.

The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Irwin Financial Corporation.

John David Stores.

Kaiser-Frazer Service Station.

An unused logo concept for The Limited.

USSB.

Monell Chemical Senses Center.

Morningstar.

Mossberg & Company.

NeXT Computers.

Norwalk Cancer Centre.

Okansan Securities.

Pastore DePamphilis Rampone.

Portfolio Magazine.

Robeson Cutlery.

Servador.

Smith, Kline and French Laboratories.

Stafford Fabrics.

Theatrical Architectural Television.

Tipton Lakes.

A Twenty-Four Page Book Logotype for the Type Directors Club.

United Postal Service.

Wallace Puppets.

Westinghouse.

Yale University Press.

Zebra Press.

And more…

Plenty more to see including identity presentations, corporate standards manuals and philosophies on design at Paul-Rand.com.

• Sell your graphic design skills, not your tools (8)
• Don’t settle for off the shelf logos (5)
• Shell Oil logo design history (2)
• Renault logo design evolution (1)

Paul Rand logos

Founded in 1899 by a group of investors, most noticeably Giovanni Agnelli, Fiat manufactures automobile and railroad vehicles and also made tanks and aircraft during WWII.

With factories in Italy, Brazil, Argentina and Poland, as well as joint ventures in half a dozen other countries Fiat is currently the 6th largest car maker in the world.

Having sported more than a dozen distinct logo designs over the last century, the only consistent feature throughout has been their signature “A”. Show here is a brief history of the Fiat logo evolution.

1899.

1901.

1904.

1921.

1925.

1929.

1931.

1932.

1938.

1959.

1968.

1999.

2001.

2006.

What do you think?

I’ve never been a fan of the Fiat typography, I know the “A” is a key characteristic of the logo, but when viewed at a distance ( like while driving for instance… ) it always struck me as FIRT.

Thanks to Wikipedia for the Fiat company history.

• Renault logo design evolution (1)
• Pantone colour of the year (3)
• Shell Oil logo design history (2)
• Everyone loves New York’s logo design (5)

Fiat logo design evolution

Something always struck me as familiar about the LG logo design, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Until today…

The Pacman logo!

I new it all along, Waka waka waka.

• Designing the smiley face (1)
• Fiat logo design evolution (3)
• Burnley logo design – A pile of “stuff” (2)
• Logos not for the colour blind (0)

The secret inspiration behind the LG logo

Producing cars since late 1897, the Renault corporation was founded in 1899 as Société Renault Frères by Louis Renault and his brothers Marcel and Fernand.

The first Renault car, the Renault Voiturette 1CV was sold to a friend of Louis’ father after giving him a test ride on 24 December 1898. The client was so impressed with the way the tiny car ran and how it climbed the streets that he bought it.

Over the next 100+ years the Renault logo design underwent nearly a dozen changes as well as the creation of the Renault MN typeface, and its successor Renault Identitéi to become the logo it is today.

1900: The first logo featured the initials of the 3 founding brothers engraved on a medallion.

1906: After getting their first major contract the logo was changed to feature a car enclosed in a cog.

1919: During World War 1 Renault manufactured tanks, and as before updated its logo to reflect its product.

1923: With the war having been over for 5 years, Renault dropped the tank image in favor of a grill and its first use of the company name.

1925: The founding of the diamond brand.

1946: Now becoming the national brand “Regie Nationale des Usines Renault”, the diamond is refined while the new brand name and colour is added.

1959: Additional refinement to the diamond while the extended brand name is removed.

1972: The logo is modernized to become a 3-dimensional diamond, paving the way for it’s current design.

1992: The foundation of the current logo design is created, as well as an increased focus on the wordmark element of the design.

2004: A more detailed logo is rendered with a new typeface along and returned to a yellow background.

What do you think?

I’m still liking the 1992 mark myself.

Thanks to Wikipedia for the Renault company history.

• Mitsubishi logo design, a winning combination (0)
• Fiat logo design evolution (3)
• Does unpopular branding grow on you? (2)
• Some logo designs are not for you (4)

Renault logo design evolution

In recent days you may have read some of the brewing controversy over the United States Missile Defence Agency. The recent budget cut of 1.2 billion dollars may warrant some conversation if you’re interested in such things, though strangely, the growing controversy revolves around the MDA’s “new” logo design.

In addition to the Trajan wordmark, the logo features a planetary silhouette, a stylized missile and America’s trusty red, white and blue. Hardly surprising, but apparently its all about how you look at it.

The uproar comes from the above amalgamation, an apparently obvious merger between the Obama 08 campaign logo and the crescent moon symbol of Islam.

I must be missing something, but apparently between the logo design is a blatant announcement of Obamas intent to convert America to an Islamic nation and with the combined budget cut open the country to missile attack to facilitate the change.

And here I was thinking it’s just a logo…

Forgetting for a minute that the logo was actually designed back in 2007, before Obama was head honcho, here’s what a glimpse of what people have had to say;

What an outrage. Enough is enough. Why are we letting this man do this to America? It is time for all the people to arise and put a quick stop to all this.

Dear MDA:
Your new logo is wholly offensive and must be removed for these reasons:

First, it is Obama-esque, reminiscent of his campaign artwork. This is unseemly and smacks of a cult of personality.

Second, the play on the Islamic Crescent is sinister, disturbing and outrageous.

I am requesting a reply to this comment and will seek redress at every level possible. This should be removed and never reconstituted for this or any other government program.
Concerned citizen

I am shocked that Americans are standing still for this. Nixon was impeached–but obummers crimes seem to be a lot more damaging in the long run.

It’s over. That’s all I can say. I tried to tell people. What’s next? Simple:

1. Get guns out of the hands of law-abiding Americans.
2. Martial law.
3. Saddam Hussein O…

Better start learning Arabic people.

Given the particulars of the Missile Defence Agency, I couldn’t think of anything more obvious than the elements used in the logo design.

What do you think?

Had it not been brought up, I doubt I would have ever made the connection.

• The Obama 08 logo design development (0)
• Google logo designs for 2008 (0)
• Three first impressions of a logo design (0)
• 20 logo designs from around the world (6)

Missile Defence Agency ( MDA ) logo design controversy

Everyone has their favourite colours, I have this… friend, who despite much ridicule is a big fan of pink. Posted on behalf of my friend, here’s a collection of pink logos to bring everyone around.

Love Factory Inc.

My Pink City.

Matthew Brian Brands.

Art 4 Time.

Safe.

Blushberry.

Pozzitiva.

Mermlets cleaning service.

Pink Unicorn Publishing.

What do you think?

Admit it, you secretly like it. Just like my, friend…

• Branding with colour (3)
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• Logo designs that raise the bar (0)
• The many faces of Virgin (2)

Pretty in pink; Logo designs