Brand Logos

Moving the Edges of Logo Design

By Delphine Hirasuna | June 2, 2011September 4, 2014

Current TV, the media company started by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt, has launched a new logo designed by Wolff Olins and animation house GHAVA. Replacing the static pixelated identity created by Meta Design and Peter Saville in 2005 (contemporary for its time), the waving Current logo is meant to be viewed in motion, or at least to imply that it is in motion. Unlike traditional logos, the Current identity takes advantage of the technological capabilities of the broadcast medium. Dropped out of whatever background is behind it, the name undulates like a flag, leaving the borders and proportions loosely defined. The logo itself uses a familiar compressed modern gothic font and foregoes any use of proprietary colors. As flat graphics, it’s pretty simple. What makes it special is that movement isn’t used as an afterthought, but as the essence of its uniqueness.

Design Quizzes

Quiz: The Tail End of the Brand Story

By Delphine Hirasuna | April 7, 2011September 4, 2014

When it comes to branding commercial aircraft, the tail comes before the nose. The tailfin is the tallest part of the plane. It’s the last thing people on the ground see as the plane lifts off. And pretty much the only part they see when the plane is parked buy adobe acrobat nose first at the gate. It is a flying billboard, which is why airline branding experts focus most of their attention on designing memorable graphics for the tail. See if you can match the airline with these tails. Answers on next page.

Brand Logos

MIT Media Lab Introduces Algorithmic Logo

By Delphine Hirasuna | March 23, 2011September 4, 2014

For decades MIT Media Lab didn’t have a logo; now it has the potential for 40,000 of them. Brooklyn-based designers E. Roon Kang and Richard The came up with a fitting symbol to represent the preeminent research center dedicated to the convergence of design, multimedia and technology. Using three colors plus black, the algorithmic design features three intersecting spotlights that can be arranged into 40,000 unique shapes and 12 colors. Researchers can individualize the logo for their business stationery yet still link themselves to the Media Lab. The concept is geeky, serendipitous, and a melding of math and design to arrive at a different way of looking at things.

Brand Logos

Peru Brands Itself

By Delphine Hirasuna | March 11, 2011September 4, 2014

On Friday, Peru officially launched a brand for the country, by stringing its new logo across the front entrance of the New York Stock Exchange. Gone are the old logo and slogan, “Land of the Incas.” In its place is a new identity developed by the British firm, FutureBrand, which also created Australia’s country brand in 2003.

The adoption of the spiral letter “P” wordmark represents the country’s bold move toward raising its identity internationally, not just as a tourist destination, but as the source of a broad line of export goods.

Brand Logos

Canada Rebrands Walk of Fame Maple Leaf

By Delphine Hirasuna | March 6, 2011September 4, 2014

Canada’s Walk of Fame maple leaf logo has sprouted new leaves, thanks to Taxi, the creative agency that got its start in Montreal. Less stylized than the original maple leaf star logo, the rebrand looks more dynamic and less generic. This makeover extended to the stationery system and award trophy too.

A knock-off of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Canadian version is a plug for home-grown talent. Since Canada’s Walk of Fame was introduced in 1998, about 130 world-renowned Canadians, mostly in the entertainment industry, have earned a maple leaf star on the sidewalk in front of Toronto’s Metro Square, next to Roy Thomson Hall, including William Shatner, Michael J. Fox, Martin Short, Kiefer Sutherland, John Candy and Catherine O’Hara. The list of Canadian stars is quite surprising and impressive. As the civic leaders had hoped, the Wall of Fame has become a tourist attraction, provided a lot of media buzz through the inductee nomination process, and fostered national pride by reminding Canadians of all the world-class talent that come from these parts. That’s not too shabby, eh?

by Corporate Design Foundation

Category: Brand Logos

Moving the Edges of Logo Design

Quiz: The Tail End of the Brand Story

MIT Media Lab Introduces Algorithmic Logo

Peru Brands Itself

Canada Rebrands Walk of Fame Maple Leaf