Sometimes I just shake my head in dismay. Today, I was watching the Australia Open on television. In the back of the court is a giant logo that looks like this.
My son and I looked at it and said, “What company is that? KN? Maybe the n is backwards. KVI? Maybe the V and I are connected? Hmm, wait, maybe it’s VAA? That looks like an A slanted in the middle” Eventually, I said, “Could it be Kia??”
After googling that it was in fact an “upgrade” to the Kia logo, I then began to shake my head in dismay. Here is the original.
It’s not the most inspiring logo, but I could at lead read it.
See? It’s supposed to AID identification and recognition. To AID! To HELP! This logo does the exact opposite. Yes, of course one could make the claim that I am writing about it and therefore it is good publicity. However, this is a car company we are talking about. I don’t think many people focus on the logo or my blog for that matter.
Why do so many companies screw up on logo design? I have a feeling it is because the CEO is the one making the decision and they have a terrible sense of design. I wish more CEOs understood design more, but here is a few simple rules for logos.
- Make sure it can’t be interpreted to have a penis or any other sexual innuendo. Google “bad logos” for examples.
- Make sure you can read it
- Don’t expect logo recognition without spending a billion dollars promoting it
- Don’t use gradients, keep it simple
That’s all I got. Feel free to contact me and ask if your logo looks good. I’m happy to help. 🙂
Side note: I am writing this on the WordPress IPad app. WordPress has done a masterful job in so many ways. Upgrades take about 5 seconds. It’s fast, easy. God bless WordPress.
Whatya think?