4 September 2007
Carsonified rebranding process: part 07
The other day, I mentioned we’re going to go down a different route with the new logo. That’s not to say we don’t like the one that was developing so far; we just feel it would be sensible to explore as many avenues as possible before going with one idea. Basically, we’re going to return to the insignia idea, which I toyed with briefly before dismissing it as “too authoritative” (see the video in this post). I think I dismissed it too easily, and Ryan had some great reasons for pursuing the idea:
- An insignia represents quality and the hand-drawn style will reitterate this sense of ‘craftmanship’.
- Adaptability: We can choose interesting elements to include in the insignia that demonstrate a lot of our core values. We could even change these elements every year or so, just to freshen up the logo. We really like the idea of an ‘evolving’ logo to tie in with the nature of the medium in which we work: the web.
- An insignia is classic and shows that we’re not going away. We take pride in our work and stand by it.
- Fun: The various elements in the insignia could be witty or very slightly humorous. This should dispell any ’seriousness’ usually associated with an insignia.
- We’re also going to experiment with the idea of a ‘full’ insigina for things like print pieces and a cutdown version that works well in a small size.
So with that in mind, I began a new line of research. Ryan and Gill, on holiday in Greece, had already been inspired by insignias they had seen on a restaurant wall. I found a few in Barceona too, but my main source of inspiration came from one of my all-time favourite books: Tres Logos (published by Die Gestalten Verlag), which I’ve enthused about before. In order to get everyone in the team talking about what they liked and disliked about insignias, I photographed about 90 logos of that ilk in the book and then made a basic web page with all of the photos and spaces for the team’s comments under each image.
The findings – now complete with the comments from our meeting – can be found here: carsonified.com/misc/insignia
What do you think?
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Stijn De Lathouwer
# September 4, 2007 - 12:12 pm
Hmm, I really think insignia/badge are so ‘already done’.
In your insignia overview, however, you take a direction that I think might be worth pursuing: taking the concept of an insignia (one central element, flanked by bits and pieces – or text – that enhance or alter the conotation of your central element). I think that if you keep pusching that a bit you might get really interesting results.
Matt Munsey
# September 4, 2007 - 5:10 pm
Insignias can be a great way to express what you are all about in a very impacting way. They hold with them a sense of, honor, power, elegance, and permanence.
Add to that the hand-drawn style, and I think it will go a long way to communicate your core values.
DMC
# September 4, 2007 - 5:37 pm
Makes you look like a cheap tattoo artist.
cjagers
# September 5, 2007 - 5:29 am
Hmm… I like the new name/font from your previous posts – but the “handdrawn” and “tatoo” look are not helping. You are overthinking this….You are new and cutting edge – these things looks old. IMHO
Elliot Jay Stocks
# September 5, 2007 - 8:50 am
Thanks for your comments, guys.
I’d like to stress that we’re not going after anything that resembles a ‘tattoo’. Some of those insignia examples I cited were like tattoos, but many of them weren’t, and we understand the connotations that could be drawn from something like that.
I think Matt hit the nail on the head with his comment – those qualities (honor, elegance, and permanence in particular) are exactly what we’re going for (although at the same time it’s going to be more informal than traditional insignia).
We also feel that the hand-drawn feel – even if it only ends up being part of the final logo – is vitally important to emphasising our grassroots / lovingly crafted / down-to-earth / friendly values.
G.
# September 5, 2007 - 1:31 pm
Verry 2004-ish. Keep it simple guys, make shure the logo the logo will stand a few years.
Jonathan Sutherland
# September 6, 2007 - 4:55 pm
Elliot,
I think you are on the right track with the insignia motif.
However, I envision an insignia as representing an established institution, a university or designer label. An insignia embodying a verb (“Carsonified”) just doesn’t hit me the right way.
What I do envision when I hear “Carsonified”, is something more like a stamp of approval. Much like “Certified Organic”, “Fair Trade”, or “CLAD”, it is a guarantee of esteemed quality, process or material, and it can always be expected. Of course, you can market “Carsonified” to mean what you want it to mean.
Now, a stamp of approval may not be too different from a crest. But, by embodying the logo as a verb, it may add a little extra meaning that people can identify with more easily.
A crest-ish looking “stamp” would be interesting…
Of course, this may have been touched upon already.
Thanks for sharing your progress!
Cheers.