CROWDSOURCE UPDATE: Well, my fellow blogarinos, we’re past the halfway mark in the 2010 WordCount Blogathon! And I figured out why no one was commenting on my blog—my goofy sleep-deprived behind left [intlink id="2467" type="post"]my maintenance page[/intlink] up for two days without realizing it (Thanks @bikelady and @michellerafter for alerting me of my ineptitude). C’est la vie, and all that jazz. The results of my [intlink id="2472" type="post"]Comments poll[/intlink] have been quite interesting, and the commentary has been far more intelligent than my post—I highly recommend taking a look.
Alright folks, I’ve been stalling on this post, but it’s time—Logo Time!
Why have I been stalling? Logos are hard. Don’t believe me? Head over to my portfolio site for a second and take a peek at the header, specifically the four colored squares on the right. Wait, wait, come back! Are you back? Jeez, can a guy finish his graf before you click? Alright, here’s what I want you to do: think Microsoft Windows, then take a look at the header on my site.
Yes, you really can go this time. Go!
Funny, isn’t it?
Okay, I’ll give myself a little break—it’s not the Windows logo exactly, at least not close enough that I’ll be seeing Bill Gates in a courtroom anytime soon. But there’s not a doubt in my mind that the little Microsoft Windows sticker on the computer that designed that site had some subconscious effect on me.
But that also proves why logos are so important—they stick inside our brains like honey-covered cacti wearing velcro sweaters. Yes, now you’re trying to imagine a cactus wearing a sweater at all. Just stop. If you can’t, tell yourself that it gets cold in the desert at night. Let’s move on.
We don’t have cable television in my household and we are not a brand-saturated family by any means, but my three-year-old daughter can readily identify McDonald’s, the Nike swoosh, Apple, and Disneyland, the happiest place she’s never been. And here’s what’s most fascinating about all of those logos: none of them directly illustrate the product they are selling.
It’s a common trap—I’m opening a pizza joint, so a pizza must be in the logo; I’m a writer, there should be a pen or a computer in my logo; I’m a French Canadian bugle player, there should be a bugle in my logo. There’s nothing wrong with it, and doing so does not guarantee your failure, but think about the most famous logos in the world—none of them function this way. Furthermore, if your logo is merely a symbol of your occupation or your business function and there’s more than one company that does the same thing, you’re mixing yourself up with them instead of setting yourself apart.
And believe me, this is more common than you’d realize. Even South Africa, which is hosting this year’s World Cup, is confusing people:
"Do you smell an intern getting fired?"
Yes, that’s South America, and yes, the current temperature during that broadcast was one degree lower than the meteorologist’s forecast. WGN9 TV was having a bad night. But, South America’s “logo” has been erroneously overshadowing Africa for a while:
"So where did my $30 donation for this t-shirt go, exactly?"
That’s wrong on so many levels.
So are poorly conceived logos. When working with clients, I often tell them that a good font and a clear brand name are better than some awful love-child of conceptual polygamy, a melding of bad ideas and good intentions. Unless, of course, you’re two continents that keep getting mixed up. In that case, combining forces is a recipe for awesome:
From a design standpoint, a blog does not necessarily even need its own logo, but the person or business behind the blog probably do. But, admittedly, logos can be fun and powerful tools for making your blog memorable.
Best of all, Blog Salad has the distinct advantage of carrying a name that makes for an easy symbol without being overt about the product. And besides, what the heck is the symbol for a blog, anyway?
With that in mind, here’s today’s poll:
No votes for you? Tell me about your blog logo or header. Do you love it? Hate it? Have you run into logo/brand confusion with other blogs in the past?
NOTE: A big thank you to Tommy Craggs at Deadspin.com, whose original posting of the WGN9 TV error precipitated comments that included the images you see in this post. Please visit the original post here.
Good logos are great. Mediocre logos are forgettable. Bad logos are memorable in the worst way. But I love type.
I love type too—especially since I’m not really a graphic designer. I have my moments, but that’s not my strongest suit.
Loved this: “honey-covered cacti wearing velcro sweaters.”
Don’t have a logo, but a brand, ie. the idea was for readers to remember the name of my B&B, which was the name of my blog.
I love that you recognize the difference between a brand and its logo, because so many people confuse the two. A brand can exist without a logo, but a logo without a brand is like a sweater-wearing cactus without, um, honey. You know what I mean.
I never remember logos because I don’t think in images that much. But I know logos are important for most people and we shouldn’t ignore them.
I have no stats to back me up, but I think most people are visual-minded. A great logo helps, no doubt. But I think you can go without the logo, if you have a memorable blog name and/or have a fantastic type look to the name.
I’m so glad you’re back. I was bereft without something to vote on.
And darn it if I’m not learning stuff, too. Was that on purpose?
Oh, maybe. All those years of high school teaching left scars on my neurons; I can’t help myself. My wife calls it “giving unsolicited advice” and apparently it’s one of my favorite pastimes.
What did you learn? That geography education in the U.S. is terrible?