Coke has a fun, liquid logo that is classic, familiar and friendly. It gives you comfort and although it appears in a thousand different languages around the world, it is always recognizable and trusted.<\/em><\/p>\n Apple has the logo that speaks of a very different product from years of battling PCs. Who in the world would use a piece of fruit for a computer company? Some young visionaries who chose to be different and challenge the status quo, and did it extremely well.<\/em><\/p>\n Some argue that upper management has changed the brand<\/a> via their personal quirks and business decisions. That is the trap of the brand. The brand is almost a personality and when it changes, it can destroy the trust people have built upon it. To some people, it’s like losing your true love.<\/p>\n Sure, a fun brand isn\u2019t for everyone. Pentagram, for instance, is a design firm that describes itself as, \u201cthe world\u2019s largest independent design consultancy.” The firm is owned and run by 16 partners, a group of friends who are all leaders in their individual creative fields, that works in London, New York, Berlin and Austin. Their name, “Pentagram,\u201d hasn\u2019t seemed to hurt their reputation as some might see it as a symbol of witchcraft or followers of the devil.<\/p>\n Proctor and Gamble has had problems with their logo portraying the same thing with accusations that the image is \u201cSatanic.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Alfa Romeo has the same problem with the \u201cserpent devouring a man\u201d logo. Sometimes an ancient symbol just doesn\u2019t translate well to modern times with no serfdoms or fiefdoms. Go figure!<\/em><\/p>\n Really horrible logos<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0click here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n One savvy friend admits to his first badly thought-out brand. \u201cI was briefly \u2018HollowPoint Design \u2014\u00a0Graphics with Stopping Power<\/em>.\u2019 My teacher told me not to.\u201d<\/p>\n By the same token, logos and brands with mutilated animals, like \u201cDead Dog Design,\u201d \u201cOne-Eyed Kitty\u201d or \u201cMutilated Cattle Studio\u201d (yes, they are or were real names) just doesn\u2019t say \u201cfun,\u201d \u201ccute\u201d or \u201creliable\u201d to a prospective client. Too many animal lovers out there and your chances of landing the PeTA or Humane Society account is fairly slim unless a relative is the executive director.<\/p>\n Just using your own name; \u201cJ. Person Co.,\u201d is safe but is it memorable?\u00a0You might have a common name, which won\u2019t help people find you when they say, \u201cI remember meeting someone but lost their card. I guess I can Google \u201cJ. Person\u201d and find them. The same can be said of a brand name. I have a friend who called his firm \u201cCreativille.\u201d A very cool concept and he billed himself as the “Mayor.” If you Google it, you will find at least 14 other firms with the same name.<\/p>\n At one large corporation, the head of creative would only use freelancers who had a company name that \u201cwasn\u2019t their name.\u201d He felt that it gave the corporation more prestige to use freelance sources that sounded like \u201cbig studios.\u201d He was also a crazy as the day was long and the pay was low. It\u2019s not something you will or should run up against. I only mention it because there are opinionated people out there and names do matter to them.<\/p>\n As with any business, you must research your company name, brand, logo and then legally protect the entire thing. I don\u2019t know if my friend had the first \u201cCreativille\u201d but he surely hasn\u2019t had the last. A registered trademark, although expensive, would have helped. The costs, can be cut back with some search work on your own and filing paperwork without an attorney. There are also services that do the work for less than an attorney will charge but down the line, if you have a large company, you won\u2019t want to rename and rebrand yourself because little Timmy has a lemonade stand his father registered as a birthday present.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t ask your family or other creatives what they think of your branding and logo ideas. Your family will say “very nice” and your art school friends will think the pile of skulls with a computer mouse tying them together is \u201cthe coolest thing ever!\u201d Just because you like fast cars and scantily clad women doesn\u2019t mean a professional business will, unless you want to do Manga Anime work. If it is, your logo IS \u201cthe coolest!\u201d<\/p>\n There are always exceptions to the rules with branding. Designer, Craig Yoe, has turned his name and love of products for kids into a fun brand. He creates \u201cYo-gos\u201d and other things into which his name can be twisted. He has a definite love of what he prefers to do and runs his brand accordingly.<\/p>\n With the growing medical (and now growing legal) marijuana industry in the United States, I suppose someone could include a marijuana leaf in their logo and brand themselves as \u201cHigh Standards, Inc.\u201d Part of their brand, I suppose, is not getting paid in money.<\/p>\n Sometimes, people change. Circumstances change. It was a near-death motorcycle accident that changed my ability to use my hands to draw and made me seek the comfort of a computer mouse. A famous composer who lost an arm in combat specialized in writing piano pieces for one hand. Many famous painters didn\u2019t pick up a brush until much later in life. Winston Churchill was in his sixties when he became Prime Minister of England. Sometimes we change for necessity and sometimes out of pure desire. Recreating your brand is not unforgiving. Reinventing yourself happens to people every day.<\/p>\n The Volkswagen logo, first designed during the Nazi rule of Germany had to work quickly to distance themselves from their distasteful roots. Today, their vehicles are seen as safe family and sporty cars with no inclination to drive into Poland and take over.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"wiyb-01\"](\"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/wiyb-01.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nWho Are YOU? Only You Know<\/h2>\n