Archive for the ‘Logo Design Tips’ Category
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08September
- Logo Blog has Swine Flu! Swine Flu Logos
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The Swine flu or H1N1 virus has created quite a stir in the past few months. The media has made sure that we are so aware of it, that it has been the basis of paranoia among those who have even the slightest germ fear. Supposedly, this winter season is when it will hit the hardest, but who really knows? The precautions that we’ve been encouraged to take are a bit ridiculous. Basically school students are encouraged not to have any physical contact with each other whatsoever and colleges are considering having a quarantined area for those who feel sick. Is this flu stain really a good reason to stir such a fear in people? It could very easily be something created by the drug companies to sell more vaccines.
Whatever the case may be, the Swine flu is still the biggest health threat that is creeping up on us right now and it seems that we hear more and more about it every waking hour. It’s almost impossible not to think about it all the time, therefore designers express their own interpretation and create logos that represent or mock the virus.
Although we have been encouraged not to fear pigs themselves, the swine flu still got its name from a pig, therefore there are a lot of opportunities to use the pig image in a Swine flu logo creation. The bio hazard symbol along with the pig seems to be a common image. There is also a lot of creativity, in which the pig’s snout is replaced with a skull. This image is a bit morbid, especially since the media is referring to Swine flu as “deadly,” although it’s just as deadly as the regular flu, which also claims many lives every year, but we don’t get upset over that. Much like SARS, it’s nothing that can’t be cured with a little chicken soup and sprite, or maybe a dose of Tamiflu.
So it seems we are in for a long winter of encouraged fear, in which every cough or sneeze will be an excuse to stay home, but maybe a little relaxing time isn’t a bad thing. Just make sure to drink a little extra OJ in the morning and your dose of vitamin C should be covered, but I still wouldn’t recommend going around kissing any pigs.
-Nora Reed
Tags: epidemic, H1N1 Virus, swine flu, tamiflu
Posted in Graphic Design, Logo Design Tips, Logo Inspiration, LogoBlog | 2 Comments »
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04September
- Creative Packaging Designs
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Creativity comes in many forms and packaging is one way that a company can use creativity to help sell a product. Packaging makes a big difference when an item is waiting to be sold on a store shelf. Interesting packaging can draw customers to a product and can help it compete with similar products that may be in close vicinity. Take a look at some of these unusual, but great packaging designs. Do they take away from the products they are advertising or help? Would you be more interested in making a purchase if your options were more like these? Is eye candy really all that we look for? I’d like to know what you think.
-Nora Reed
Tags: creative packaging, packages, product packaging, selling products
Posted in Logo Design Tips | 8 Comments »
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27August
- Criticism Over Obama’s Health Care Logo
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Logos have proved time and time again that they are an important part of creating an identity. It seems President Obama and his administration have realized that, therefore, they have created quite a buzz with their recent logo use.
We were first introduced to Obama’s campaign logo during his run for President. The logo is the “O” with the American flag strips that was a big conversation starter, since it resembled the newly designed Pepsi logo, which is also a circle “O” shape containing a stripe of white across a mass of red and blue.
It seems that the buzz has begun once again with the administration’s new attempt at Obama’s health care logo.
The logo contains the original Obama Hope Logo with an added caduceus integrated at the top. The caduceus is traditionally known to represent the medical profession. The light blue, mono toned background shows the United States covered with hopeful people in front of a rising sun. The overall design looks very hopeful and promising. The people look happy and are looking forward to a bright future, but is it all a lie?
The big argument that the new logo brought up is not about how legitimate the hope that the logo offers is, but the debate is over the way the logo seems to resemble a specific Nazi symbol. It seems that the government logo designers do not think with much originality considering it is so easy to find symbols that compare closely to them, or are people simply looking for flaws?
I personally think that the comparison is reaching a bit. Yes, there is a bird with outstretched wings, which could look like the wings of the caduceus and a circular Nazi symbol at its feet, which could look similar to the round design of the Obama Hope Logo, but the only thing that looks similar is the outward shape. If you stare at both designs and blur your eyes, then I would agree that the outward shapes look pretty similar. The symbol in the Obama Heath Care Logo does have wings, but it’s not a bird. The caduceus is a traditional symbol that has existed since the time of ancient Greeks and has been used to represent medicine for decades in North America. Is the American public so desperate to criticize that they will go to any measure?
-Nora Reed
Tags: healthcare logo, hope logo, Logo Design, Obama, political logo
Posted in Logo Design Tips | 8 Comments »
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25August
- Amazing Photoshopped Images!
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Real or Photoshopped? Sometimes it’s hard to tell. With a little knowledge of the program and some creative ideas, you can do just about anything in Adobe Photoshop and there are many who have. The images below are quite obviously tampered with, but they look so well done that they are as close to real as you can get. Take a look for yourself and enjoy and please, let me know what you think!
-Nora Reed
Tags: altered photos, amazing, entertainment, funny, Photoshop, photoshopped photos, visual
Posted in Logo Design Tips | 7 Comments »
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14August
- Get in the Game: Game Logos Part I
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Video Game Logos
Over the past 30 years or so, video games have come a long way. Those of us who remember the days of Atari and old school Nintendo can really appreciate the way games have advanced, but we learn to take the good with the bad. There have been a lot of terrible attempts at games, but then there are others that are created well and pave the way. What helps sell a game? Whether it’s a video game, board game, computer game, card game, DVD game, or whatever else might be out there, games are there for entertainment value, so as long as they are fun and well thought out, they will sell. What makes the the public interested enough to buy a game and start that word of mouth that helps them sell? Well, it seems that is where the marketing aspect comes in and packaging and logos are the best way to get a game started and selling off the shelves.
Creating any game is a challenging concept and some are great, while others fail. Where does the inspiration come from to make a game let alone a logo to sell it? I suppose it can come from anywhere, but usually popular events like sports or skiing or the Olympics inspire most games. As long as there is a collection of quirky characters thrown in, a great game is born. Games have always been the greatest form of interactive entertainment and as technology progressed, so did the nature of the games. With motion sensor and wireless technology, we have Nintendo’s Wii, which opened up a whole world of possibilities for gaming. It’s just a shame that Nintendo failed in almost every way in making successful games for their fantastic system. The best game is still the one that the system came with. Most of their games have great potential but are lacking in many areas. Video games rely more on word of mouth to get sales, but great logos always makes a major difference. Here are a few examples of game system logos.
Game systems themselves have creative logos and they should, since the gaming companies have to sell you on the console before they can sell you the games themselves, so the system logos are just as important. The console logo is also usually displayed on all the games that go with that system as well.
I love how a simple idea became such a popular and addicting game. Guitar Hero is a great interactive game that really is a lot of fun and great for groups. The logo works well because it has a cutting edge font and a great feel for the rocker style. The typography is very linear and the thick, black edges make it appear tough and foreboding.
Here is a classic symbol for a classic game. This is one of those that stirs up arcade memories in dedicated gamers.
I really like the Kingdom Heart’s logo. It is fun and adventurous and really draws you in. The font is very medieval and Gothic in appearance and something like that attached to a video game just screams mythical journey or adventure, which everyone has a natural attraction to. The background heart and crown design just brings it all together and creates a well established overall look.
I like how the DDR logo has that great arcade look to it. Since it is an original arcade game that was later modified to play at home, the logo works very well. It’s bold and colorful and full of energy. The circle of color behind the letters looks like a form of disco ball. It seems to be exactly how a logo should look for a game that represents dancing.
Video games probably still have a long road ahead of them. We still haven’t explored all the virtual reality options that are most likely approaching in the near future. It’s only a matter of time before we feel we can jump right into the TV screen when involved in a game. These future prospects are always good news for logo designers, since future games mean a need for new or updated logos!
-Nora Reed
Tags: classic, entertainment, game logos, Logo Design, video games
Posted in Logo Design Tips | 3 Comments »