OTOH, GE has used the same logo since 1899. There have been slight variations; the most recent redesign was in the 1980s – and you have to look very closely to see the difference.
You are correct.
Well, Procter and Gamble would still be using the same logo if their Satanic roots hadn’t been exposed.
Years ago I watched a movie that I learned about on the dope called Helvetica. I can sum up the movie thusly: a bunch of people get worked up over a font. Most of us probably agree that when it comes to papers and reports, content is more important than presentation. Helvetica, on the other hand, makes the case that fonts, page layout, color schemes, and design are the most critical part of whatever a person produces. The package affects how people perceive the content. And you know, the more I pay attention to what gets attention, the more I think that the film has a point.
Outdated designs feel old. They’re dull, and they don’t inspire any degree of confidence in the company or its products. After all, why do they look so much older than their competitors? Is it because they’re out of touch? Are they catering to an older set of customers than what you are? Are they doing so poorly financially that they just can’t afford to modernize and update their look? Do they just not pay attention to those details? Out of style businesses quickly lose market share and if you’re in an industry where style matters and market share is king then you have to keep your brand fresh.
Change doesn’t just come in logos. Colors play a big role in perception. If I show you something painted in harvest gold or lime green you’d probably guess that that was made in the 70’s. If I showed you stainless steel you’d guess 90’s or, um, 2000’s (really, are we ever going to figure out what to call that decade?). Store layouts matter as well. I guarantee that the grocery store, or pharmacy, that you shop in today isn’t laid out even close to how they were laid out in the 80’s. People are naturally drawn to new things and if a customer wants innovation or new and stylish products then they will choose a company that can demonstrate that it’s savvy enough to keep up with the times.
This is why companies farm this work out to design firms - they are the creative talent behind multiple campaigns and they’re the ones who are up to date on the new colors, styles, design, and whatever else is important for the next 10 years. It takes away the guess work and ensures that the new logo will match upcoming styles and keep customers from flocking to a competitor because they are perceived to be more hip.
Content is king.
But if he’s naked, everyone will just point and laugh.
I assume Yahoo changed its logo to remind people, “We exist! We’re a company! We do … something.”
Sherwin-Williams: bathing the world in an unending torrent of blood since 1866.
Seriously, it’s like the logo for the fake business front of an international terrorist organization. Has anyone checked to see if their corporate headquarters is inside a volcano?
Are we sure it’s not because people in the advertising industry specialize in talking the rest of us out of our money?
That’s pretty much the whole point of the game
Well, what I mean is, a company doesn’t actually hire the advertiser because the advertiser will talk the company’s customers into giving the company money. That’s what the advertiser wants the company to think what they’re doing. That’s what the company thinks is the whole point of the game. But what the company is actually doing is giving the advertiser money because the company itself got talked out of their own money.
In other words, if you hire a con man, what should you expect to happen? Is he going to help you con other people, or…?
First thing, don’t assume that you’re part of the target audience. There is a constant crop of new consumers coming into the world who might not be familiar with the original logo. Also, the new crop may “get” the new logo whereas you don’t because of your predispositions. The company doesn’t need to remain hip and relevant to “you,” it needs to remain hip and relevant to the millions of future consumers who will keep it in business.
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This discussion is largely a confirmation bias toward egregious logo/brand redesigns.
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Just because you don’t value design, doesn’t mean others don’t, or that you’re feelings are even in the majority.
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An amazing amount of research and psychology has gone into brands and the effect they have on their demographics. It’s a fascinatingly effective practice, science and art actually.
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When marketing/good design works, it’s mostly an invisible and unconscious effect, so your cynicism is probably invalidated on that alone, as you, yes you, have fallen victim to its effects already.
How about the arrow in the FedEx logo? Really. It’s there.
Children, and adults who do not or cannot read English, spot it right away. People who can read generally do not until it’s been pointed out to them.
It’s between the E and the X.
Producing a quality product would probably help more than a snazzy new logo that you have to “get”.
If you don’t have a quality product then you’re dead on arrival. But even with a quality product you have competitors with quality products as well. What sets you apart from them?
A business needs to 1) attract customers; 2) have the customers buy your product; 3) Leave the customers happy enough that they generate positive buzz and are willing to return; and 4) maintain a competitive edge so the customer will keep coming back in the future along with new ones.
A business has direct control over steps 2 and 3. Steps 1 and 4 are the realm of marketing. When a person needs, or wants, a product then your name needs to be the first thing they think of. If a company doesn’t spend the money it takes to keep their brand active, then rest assured, their competitors will. Customers like new and shiny and it’s the job of marketing to make you look new and shiny so you keep attracting customers. Without it, they die.
Shoot - I apologize for the terrible grammar in my previous post. I apparently couldn’t settle on 2nd or 3rd person, even in the same sentence! I’m watching a movie at the same time as posting - serves me right I suppose
This is the core of the misunderstanding. Many businesses - far too many - assume that (1) being fabulous and (2) opening their doors is all it takes. While the occasional inventrepreur or equivalent hits the jackpot by doing nothing more than selling their wares from a garage, that’s the one in ten thousand exception.
“Marketing” a business and a product is just as essential as having inherent quality and value. I put the word in quotes because it’s so often badly misused and misunderstood - but letting your market know the product exists and why they should buy it is as important as making the product perfect in the first place. Using a coherent image and “branding” is the most efficient way to project that presence.
Which is not to say that many companies and would-be 'preneurs don’t get it backwards. All the logoing, branding, marketing and pufflicity in the world won’t do any good - at least, not for long - if there’s no product worth having behind it. But don’t confuse the necessary and useful end of “marketing” with what the word commonly means these days (pointless puffery and cover-up for uselessness and shlock). It’s a spectrum, with good and bad ends, and Gresham’s Law applies as much to it as it does elsewhere.