Learning to love black jelly beans

Bowl of black jelly beans.

I don’t know what it was like at your house, but by a week past Easter, the only thing left in our baskets were the black jelly beans. My brother and I wouldn’t touch them with a ten foot pole, favoring the chocolate treats first, then the marshmallows, then any other color jelly bean besides […]

If you want a good logo you have to crack a few eggs

Cracked egg on table.

I have heard that the test of a good chef can be based on how well they can cook an egg. In the design world, the test of a good graphic designer is in their ability to create a great logo. If you’ve worked with a professional graphic designer to develop a logo, you may […]

Which came first – the logo or the marketing?

Donkey held aloft by an overly heavy wagon load.

I have had a number of clients over the years approach me asking for an estimate to create a website or a brochure, or a business card design – and my first question to them is always – “do you have a logo”? It still surprises me when the response is “No.” No? You mean […]

Starbucks new logo in action

Starbucks unveils a new streamlined logo.

The unveiling Starbucks is celebrating their 40th anniversary this month and they’ve begun by unveiling new signage at stores in Beijing, London, Paris, New York and Seattle, and also by starting to use their new logo on packaging and cups in coffee shops around the country. (I hear they are giving away free snacks with […]

NBC Universal’s new logo – nothing to quack about

NBC Universal logo on purple background.

In honor of their recent merge with Comcast, NBC Universal has unveiled a new logo, and from this designer’s opinion, it’s a flap… I mean a flop. The new logo is just for internal uses so we average folk probably won’t be seeing it in use too much, but I have to say, pretty boring! […]

6 essential points to a good logo

Good vibes only written into sand at beach.

Most business owners these days recognize the need for a company logo. Your business card, your shop signage, your website, your packaging – all of this is your company branding and good branding starts with a good logo. Many times it’s your first impression and we all know how important that is these days. You […]

The history of a brand: Starbucks new logo

The original logo for Starbucks.

Ok – now this is what a redesign is all about. Starbucks recently announced their new logo in celebration of their 40th anniversary. In the last 40 years they’ve built themselves into an international powerhouse and now they are showcasing the 4th iteration of their iconic mermaid logo. First draft Their first logo was created […]

Crowdsourcing and why we hate it

Garden gnome holding sign that says "Go Away".

Down with crowdsourcing If you’re not familiar with the term, crowdsourcing is a much debated social media technique where a company sends out an open call to the internet requesting, for an example, a logo design for their new brand. Then, once hundreds of designs have rolled in they choose from these designs and pay […]

Final word on the Gap and their new logo

Do Something Great written out in neon.

There are still articles coming out about the Gap and how they handled – or mishandled – their rebranding campaign. I just read the following item and while I was bothered by their take on the following issue: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it I very much disagreed with the concept of “if it […]

The Gap logo – spoke too soon?

Woman with megaphone.

They pulled it! One day after I posted my take on the Gap’s new logo, they pulled it from all their publications. It seems they’d gotten such a backlash, and had so many people clamoring for the old logo, that they gave in. The newly introduced logo is no more. Lost opportunity I think this […]