Logomania!

Continuing my logo inspired posting, today I want to discuss negative space logos. Their elegance is their simplicity. Their effectiveness is in the hidden messages you will find within my favorite ones. I love logos that you have to look at and understand what they are for before you see the real message behind it. In that, the most simplistic logos are often the most complex. Hidden messages also work on another level - when you "get" the secret message they convey, you feel smart, you feel special, and you feel like you were included in this inside joke. They go a long way to making the consumer feel great about your product or company, and more likely to consume whatever product or service you are selling. I've done a few negative space logos in my time, and several more that were rejected, because the company wanted a migh resolution raster graphic - something like you'd see on a webpage, or they themeselves didn't "get" the message. Those customers frustrate me. When creating my logos, I generally make sure the logo can simply put into a one, two or three color version, full color - making sure there's enough "play" in the logo to ensure that it COULD be put into a dynamic full color, fully animated version for television or internet as well as a black and white and greyscale version. Yes dear readers, a LOT of planning and thought goes into even the simplest logo. Ever wonder why even the most wealthy companies only do a two color logo? Too many colors is too confusing, too expensive to reproduce offset, and too busy. Think Telus, any sports teams, FedEx, Amazon, UPS, 7-Eleven... the list goes on. Simple logos, simple color schemes. It's done for a reason, folks. There are a few exceptions to the rule. Like Google for example. Since they are a mainly online company, they can get away with having a very multi-colored logo as their main logo. But note - it can easily go into a fully animated vector, a black and white or greyscale version easily. Another reason companies may opt for a full color logo is easy. They're rich, and want you to know it.

So what exactly IS a negative space logo? Just in case I didn't explain it very well - I have a tendancy to do that, so why exactly do I have a blog? They say those who can't do - teach. Well, I can't teach, so what does that say about me?

I digress. I thought I should give an example (a very famous one) of a negative space image.
It's a vase. Or is it two faces looking at each other? It's both! And an example of negative space. The negative space around the vase forms the faces. The negative space around the faces form the vase. I've loved these images since I was a child, which may explain some of my fascination with logos that use this technique.


Now for some of my favorites:
FedEx
A very simple logo. Two colors, big, block lettering. What's hidden? Those of you who know about the "hidden" image are nodding your heads already. To some people, it's not even hidden at all, and some people will always have a hard time seeing it. Look between the E and the X. It's a forward moving arrow! Telling us all very easily and simply they are about moving forward. Moving their cargo, their service, their technology... Very well done, FedEx. And the nice thing about it is they use "Ex" for all their different services and offshoots of the company - always, always indicating to us that they are always moving forward. Nice.

This next logo I have never had the pleasure of seeing in person. I'd love to have the chance, but I love the logo the same. It's the Taiwan recycle logo. At first glance, I see a box that is made up of arrows showing movement inside the box. And look again, the entire image's negative space, you see arrows pointing out of the box. Showing the complex idea of recycling - taking something old or used and turning it into something useful. Almost every recycling logo has the use of arrows - usually pointing around in a circle, showing how you can endlessly recycle, but I especially love this one. The only thing I don't really like about it is how it looks vaguely like a swastika. Glad they didn't turn the logo 45 degrees...


Via Rail. Notice how the negative space between the letters suggests train tracks.




I love this one because it is whimsical. I have never had the pleasure of hearing the London Symphony Orchestra play, but I love their logo. At first glance it looks simply like brushstrokes spelling out the letters LSO for London Symphony Orchestra. Look again, and you see a very whimsical conductor wielding his baton. Very clever.

Honorable mentions:

Ireland's Unifil logo. They use the color scheme of their flag and the images of doves to make a negative space dove to illustrate their message of peace.

Hartford Whalers. When I was a kid, I had no idea what a whaler was, but I loved how the whale's tail completed the W, but it wasn't until I was older that I realized the negative space showed the H for Hartford.




Girl Scouts of America. The shape is a four leaf clover, inset with images and negative images of girls' faces.



I could go on for ever. There are so many examples of this, it would take me forever to show my favorites, but instead, I'll direct you to a favorite website of mine that shows many more examples: http://www.logodesignlove.com/negative-space-logo-design
And for the same examples shown here as there, no, I did not steal any ideas, just showing you my favorites from ones I have seen and loved. There are some very, very clever ones on his website, but many of the ones on his website I personally have not spotted in nature. See if you can spot all of the hidden messages, letters or symbols. Then, leave comments telling me about your favorite negative space logos - or just your favorite logos in general.

Next week: my least favorite logos and why. Ooooh! Isn't the suspense killing you?

Logos ... they're a craft, right?

Unbeknownst to some, I used to own an online logo company. The now-defunct www.offtheracklogos.com sold pre-designed company logos for an off the rack price. For a design fee, we custom designed the logos to fit your company name, colors, etc. It was cool. And our logo was a drag queen. Awesome. We merely took the logos we designed for clients that were scrapped before they got farther than the drawing board. After two of us doing designs for many years, we amassed so many, we wondered what to do with them, and voila - off the rack logos was born! Due to lack of funds, and online theft of ideas and logos (other companies cropped up overnight with a larger marketing budget than us, that stole the idea, stole some of our logos, and even stole our drag queen!) It was a fun idea that sold some logos and gave us experience.

Nevertheless, I've always been fascinated with logos. From the time I realized The Bay's logo was a "B" and not an animorphous blob, or the time I made the connection that the Calgary Flames logo was a flaming C and the Pittsburg Penguins logo was also a P. (My brother had a hockey team logo banner, in case you were wondering about the amount of hockey references) I imagined an intelligent, mysterious presence behind their mystical shape. The art of creating an entire identity, wrapped up in a neat package has always caught my imagination. If you really get into it, logos - now mostly symbols of companies, products, organizations, countries... have been around forever. Their origins come from ancient history. They are used to associate a complex idea easily.

I'd love to share some of my most favorite ones with you.


Toblerone. The delicious triangular Swiss chocolate synonymous with Christmas and duty-free shops in airports is known by their logo - a distinct line art of the Matterhorn. It was created in 1908 by Theodor Tobler and Emil Baumann in Bern, Switzerland. To this day, it is manufactured solely in this I imagine magical town. (Actually, it's not a town at all, it's a huge, thriving metropolis - the fourth largest in all of Switzerland) It is allegedly named after a bear that the duke who founded the town had killed, and is known as the city of bears. Which is the reason for the hidden image in their logo. I hadn't noticed it for years, but it's been there since 1908, when Tobler and Baumann trademarked the logo. Did they mean for it to be a hidden image, or did they hope everyone would see and understand? It's like an inside joke - you don't get it at first, but when you do, you suddenly feel clever.
Can you see it? Look closely - "hidden" in the Matterhorn is the city's namesake.
Whether it was intentional or not, logos that work on different levels like this make me happy.

This next one was definitely thought up by nerds! Eighty20 is a marketing firm in South Africa. The fact that they are a marketing firm means that for sure they have to have a clever logo. I was pondering one day why they have the different colored squares in their logo - what possible meaning that might have. Did they like the colors? Is it code for how many people founded the company? Is it mimicking an office building? As I was pondering this logo, our computer tech was walking by and remarked how clever - and simple their logo was. I turned around inquisitively and asked for an explanation. What he said has given me new respect for the amount of thought that goes into many of these logos. "dark squares are “1’s” and light squares are “0’s”. It’s binary code. Top squares= 1010000= 80 Bottom squares= 001010 = 20"

I'm not going to make an impassioned plea for simplistic logos, or black and white only, or ones with hidden pictures and meanings. I like what I like, and all clever logos are clever in their own way. Share some of your favorites with me - I'd love to know what you think.

Next week, I'll share my most favorite negative space logos. They are the most simplistic, complex and surprising logos out there.
Have fun logo-ing!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! This is the day set aside by the Roman Catholics to honor martyred priests named Valentine. Which somehow became this over-commercialized flower and chocolate and diamond whore-fest we know and love today! Aw, doesn't that give you warm tinglies?

We don't take V-Day too seriously around our house. Like I've mentioned in previous posts, if I get chocolate, I'm a happy bunny, and yesterday my sweet baboo did just that. AND flowers! Tulips and peanut butter cups. Aw! The kiddo made us a treasure hunt for her Valentine's gift for us. Follow the clue type stuff. The clues were very cute: "Go to the place you spend most of your time weekday mornings after you're awake". The bathroom! "Go to the place you spend most of your time weekday evenings" the couch! I'm so predictible. And I'm okay with that. But the tranquility of today is the exact opposite of what happened 3 nights ago, when my daughter (past bed-time, and past the closing time of any stores here) announced "oh, I forgot - we have a Valentine's Day party at school tomorrow and I need 33 valentines for class-mates". Argh! So, I began kamikaze craft #1 of the new year. 33 hand-made valentines. Yay. I often love being "forced" to craft, because lately it hasn't been happening organically, but after a very long day, and on my favorite TV night, with my back screaming at me, I wasn't really too excited. A hasty survey of my craft area revealed a few exciting things: 40 already cut and scored black sheets of card stock - perfect size for cards, 20 already stamped and already cut out cute kid themed pictures. From there, I vowed to make quick-and-easy personalized valentines for the whole class. Here we go.

I took the black card stock, and stamped a cute heart background stamp in white. Very school-chalk board sort of thing. Do they still use chalk boards in schools?
Then I took the class list and typed the entire thing out in a word processor, cut out each name and attached the name to the card with a heart shaped brad. While I was doing this, Kathleen was finishing the other 15 stamped images, and cutting them out. Some for boys, some for girls. I glued these to the outside of the valentine, and my daughter began signing 33 gold stickers. I knew we wouldn't be finished before she dropped from exhaustion, so I figured if she signed stickers, I could finish each invitation as she slept, but all would be personally signed by her. Having each invitation personalized meant no envelopes for time savings! The final step was to use the signature stickers to hold candy in place on the inside of the valentine. Ta dah! 33 personalized, candy holding valentines in under 2 hours! I documented as much of the process as I could, but then got tired and totally forgot, so no finished pictures of the cards. Oops. But they were gorgeous, and very appreciated by the kids. I think it was the candy.

So today, we are all spending the day exactly how we would want: Hubby is on the couch with chips and dip watching Daytona, kiddo is going to her gramma's house, and I am getting together with a couple of friends for some much needed personal time. Yay for Valentine's day! So you all enjoy your happy heart and love day, and know that I love you all!
alana

I'm Twitterpated!

I remember that word from years ago, as a child watching Bambi and Thumber in animated harmony grow up together and find love. Twitterpated. Love. Ah! www.urbandictionary.com defines it as "the flighty, excited feeling you get when you see the object of your affection". Never before has Urban Dictionary been so poetic. Seriously, you usually get hormonal teenagers trying to describe bizarre and impossible sex acts. Sheesh.

What an appropriate time to be twitterpated - St. Valentine's Day is just around the corner - and while I don't really celebrate it at my house - it's usually an excuse to buy everyone the chocolate that you know they love and wouldn't otherwise buy for themselves. If I'm exceptionally lucky, I will get no sugar added Purdy's hedgehogs. But I digress. Even though Valentine's Day is just not celebrated with much pomp and circumstance around here, the idea behind the day gives me warm fuzzies. Ahhh. So why am I so twitterpated, besides the warm fuzzies and prospect of chocolate a few days away? Minuteman Press has finally come into the new millennium. Yes, that's correct - we are now on Twitter. I'm starting to feel old, and new technology is starting to scare me, and Twitter with it's own language and often banal postings from attention whores, and such instant connection wasn't something I thought I wanted, let alone needed. I had never even ventured onto a twitter page for any reason at all until one of our employees got it in her head that Minuteman Press Leduc needed one. "Just one more form of media" and "another way to inform customers and potential customers" were phrases that were discussed as I sat - half distracted by the mountains of work I had yet to work on. How am I going to have the time to Twitter? I wondered as I absent mindedly scrolled down my FaceBook page. I agreed it was a good idea, and completely forgot the conversation. The next day, my wonderful employee broached the subject - "you know what I mentioned yesterday that I would do...?" was her tentative question. I flicked my wrist and shrugged a shoulder. "Meh" was my response. I was expecting her to explain why it wasn't done yet, and I wasn't overly concerned about it. I was about to say "it'll be done when you get to it". I don't really expect my employees to work on work after work. I may be a slave driver, but I'm not mean! And as I lifted up my head to reassure her that all was well, I came face to face with our Minuteman Press Leduc Twitter page. Whaaa..?! I spent half a day confused, another half a day decyphering its bizarre language. Retweet? Sounds like "retreat" as spoken by Elmer Fudd. But retreat I did not (unless you consider the word to mean "to treat yourself again"). I twittered, tweeted and conquered - hooray! Okay, I've tweeted twice, and I still don't know the lingo, or who's following and who's a follower, and it's mostly confusing, but I must admit, it does seem like an efficient way to get news out fast about products, services and promotions at the shop. And once our employee links several organizations to us too, I'm beginning to understand why this is such a good tool. But it still makes me feel old. Now get off my lawn!

So now I can twitter about being twitterpated this valentine's day on my blog, my facebook and on my website. With all this connectivity, where's the privacy? Where are the days of multiple accounts and false profiles? Is internet stalking even a thing anymore? Or is it just that everyone in the world is guilty of it? Maybe I'll spend valentine's day at home with the curtains drawn. But I won't forget to twitter about it later. :)

Whine!

I totally forgot the existance of my blog for many reasons. I thought it was a self-centered act that I was midly (okay, not so mildly) obsessing over. And then I decided to leap head and heart first (brain to follow later) into buying my own business. Since owning the business, I've had too much to do actually RUNNING the business to worry about silly blogs among other things (other things such as actually having a life, for example). And lastly, this is a craft blog, and I just didn't have time to craft - let alone blog about it. I could have blogged about crafts I want to do, crafty people I love, but hell, I had a business to run, and a life to ignore!

But I'm back now, business (mostly) under control thanks to awesome employees and awesome customers, and I just need a place to rant. Be prepared for less crafty things to blog about, more art and graphic design type stuff I'll be putting here because really, it's all related.

Welcome back, me!