Wednesday 20 October 2010

The Evolution of the Logo...

Ever wondered how well known brands created such effective logos? 
Or wondered how they've been so effective for so long?
...Well the answer to the last question is that minor changes to brand logos have taken place to keep the logo up to date..

 
... for example: Apple.
Apple is one of the most popular and most successful electronics/software companies, and its logo is well known in most households. Its main success comes from its coloured graphics and simple design, qualities that are mirrored in Apples most famous logo used in 1976-1998. However this was then simplified when Apple launched the new iMac in 1998, it is now the same shape but in simple monochrome colours. Meaning that Apple is one of few brands that can be recognized on shape alone, regardless of colour. Effectively meaning that Apple have the freedom the incorporate colours depending on the current trends.




Another logo that developed with its success is Pepsi. Originally consisting of just a signature style logo reading "Pepsi-Cola", the brand than evolved into a bottle cap, then evolving further into a globe.

However it is clear that the biggest logo change culprits  are car companies, with Ford, Peugot, Alfa Romero, and Fiat, all hosting multiple changes to there current logo.




Saturday 16 October 2010

It's a colourful world..

After recently visiting Manchester to pick up on current trends, I found myself drawn to this seasons colour palette. With colour trends changing so often it made me wonder how brands designed logos that would never go out of fashion!

After a bit of research I found that brands seem to base there colour schemes on the psychological effect on its audience, rather than what's "in fashion" at the time of design..
..And the psychology of colours seems to go a lot deeper than I first thought. 
It's not just a simple case of Pink is for girls, and Blue is for boys, there seems to be a deeper meaning for every single colour:

Red
- evokes aggressiveness, passion, strength, Hunger and vitality.
Pink 
- evokes femininity, innocence, softness and health.
Orange
- evokes friendliness, fun, cheeriness and warm exuberance.
Yellow 
- evokes positivity, sunshine and cowardice.
Green 
- evokes tranquillity, health and freshness.
Blue
- evokes authority, dignity, security and faithfulness.
Purple
- evokes sophistication, spirituality, costliness, royalty and mystery.
- Brown
evokes utility, earthiness, woodsy-ness and subtle richness.
- White 
evokes purity, truthfulness, being contemporary and refined.
- Gray 
evokes somberness, authority, practicality and a corporate mentality.
- Black 
evokes seriousness, distinctiveness, boldness and being classic.



Which makes it obvious why its no coincidence that so many restaurants like McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and Subway all use red, orange, yellow or green but not purple or blue. And recent studies have also shown that people eat more in a room painted warm colours (e.g. red, yellow, orange), rather than cold colours (e.g. blue, grey, purple).




It seems that we know these rules as an audience already though.
For example, ask your self:

What colours are Social Networks? 
Blue...?
What colours are Supermarkets own brand? 
White and...?
What colours are environmentally friendly products? 
Green...?


You may notice from the diagram above that a large amount of logos seem to go into the blue sector, and with further research I then found out that blue is the colour that most people trust.




So with this in mind, it seems that choosing a colour for your brand logo is not as simple as first thought. Not only is aesthetic appeal important, but now it seems that psychology and trust all seem to factor in to create the perfect logo.


Friday 1 October 2010

"Tipp Experience"

Having completed just one week as an Advertising student, I've already been immersed in the world of branding and advertising campaigns. Not only during class time, but also out in the real world, interesting adverts seem to be jumping out where ever I look.

However, it was in the comfort of my new student digs that I found TipExs latest online viral ad campaign after seeing it posted all over social network sites Twitter and Facebook.

Being the latest to jump on the interactive advertising bandwagon TipExs latest campaign features a clever combination of a hunter, a bear and YouTube.

Click Here to view video footage.

There are up to 40 different commands you can enter for the hunter, for example hug, tickle, kiss and even dance like Micheal Jackson. Branded as the “Tipp Experience”, the YouTube Video uses clever interaction to engage and excite its audience using nothing but the Internet and word of mouth. The content may be completely irrelevant - but so is Cadburys gorilla advert. The entertaining footage is enough to make a big enough impact on the audience to ensure that the brand will stick in the mind. 

The only criticism I could make about this campaign is that it doesn't make any sense to create such a visually effective advert and then not direct its audience towards the brand. Some could argue that this is because TipEx are purely trying to stir up more brand recognition for the product, rather than trying to increase sales of the product. Especially seeing as this product is becoming more and more outdated thanks to the growth of work being done on Laptops etc that means correcting mistakes is easier than ever.

However, it's refreshing to see a relatively small brand such as TipEx create a stir in the advertising world, rather than the usual brand giants such as Coke and Nike. The innovative idea could go on to be edited into numerous different scenarios in order to continue the campaign, and the basic idea has already been used in numerous other campaigns for Samsung, Tostitos Salsa and WarioLand.