"When the Logo Police aren't enough, call in... THE LOGO INSPECTOR!!"
Hello and welcome! We live in a visual world, surrounded by name brands and powerful icons play very powerful roles in the relationship between the things we want and the things that are available. Logos aren't just pretty little things that represent a business, or a restaurant, or an idea-- they are reminders of our own thoughts and feelings and loyalty (or sometimes hate) of these entities. This ever-evolving relationship between consumer and product, user and supplier, us and them is what's known as brand equity, and it's a different and ongoing relationship for every brand and the people who do business with them. No matter how loyal you consider yourself to your favorite soft drink or car company, you're only one negative experience from changing or shifting your feelings of that brand. But that instant sum of all of your experiences is instantly triggered... when you see their logo. And that's branding plays such a prominent role in our society.
I look forward to having some fun looking at the brands we come into contact with, sharing my thoughts on them, and communicating what I like about some and what I would change with others. The LOGO INSPECTOR is not meant as an authority on the branding world, but is more one person's opinion, and I hope that we build plenty of interesting dialogues about what makes some brands more successful than others and why.
In the days to come, I look forward to providing:
• PASSING GLANCES: Knee-jerk reactions to sports and corporate logo reveals. These may reside more on my corresponding Twitter account but they may spill over or relocate to here. These should be on a random basis as new brands drop or as things simply catch my eye.
• CASE STUDIES: Mid-length features of logos and the stories behind them. Look for an average of at least one of these per week.
• FEATURE REVIEWS: Long form historical reviews of popular brands and their visual evolution over the ongoing life cycle of their products. I hope to put one of these together about once a month.
• REQUESTED TAKES: Hey, I take requests! Reach out to me here or on Twitter and ask me for my thoughts on a specific brand's identity. Chances are I may not see it the same way as the rest of you.
• BRANDING AUDITS: Interested in learning more about your own brand from a professional? I do branding audits, written assessments of an identity system and how successful it is performing or how it might be improved. Because of the time requirements, these will be considered on a case by case basis.
I think this should be fun-- let me know what you think of the concept and what else you might like to see included here, or what works best or is least interesting. I'll probably be creating something in the next few days focusing on the vocabulary and terminology of visual identity and design, which might help us all speak the same language a bit more fluently. Thanks and enjoy!