Marmite, that Great British institution which we either love or hate – or love to hate, in some cases – has been given a temporary makeover by makers Unilever. And if I ever meet the person who rebranded it Ma’amite in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this year, then I will go all Wayne’s World on him and start shouting, “We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!” while doing the arm-wavy thing at their feet. For that, ladies and gentlemen of the creative world, is a stroke of genius.
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Archive for the ‘logos’ Category
The yolk’s on us – the Creme Egg story.
Thursday, April 5th, 2012
Easter’s a bit confusing, isn’t it? I’ve managed to get my head around the crucifixion being on ‘Good’ Friday and Easter weekend falling on different dates every year – but now I find myself befuddled by the whole egg thing. Try as I might, I simply can’t find a reference to breakfasty ovoids in the Easter bit of The Bible. As it turns out, I’ve been looking at the wrong book and the wrong religion. The eggy stuff comes from the pagan tradition, representing new life and the emerging Spring.
Quietly Redundant – the future for the QR code?
Tuesday, March 27th, 2012
I’m not a classic early adopter. I don’t queue outside Apple stores every time a plastic cover for the iPad is released, but I latch onto technology fairly quickly. I was online in the late nineties, had one of the first phase of free Spotify accounts and even owned a mini-disc player when portable CD machines were the norm.
So why have I never used a QR code?
Do familiar brands make the world less exotic?
Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
Remember the scene in Pulp Fiction when Sam Jackson and John Travolta are discussing Big Macs? Travolta (as hitman Vincent) is amazed to learn the burger is called a Royale in Parisian outlets, assuming McDonalds restaurants to be identical the world over.
In reality, of course, nobody dropping in for a Big Mac in any territory, from Red Square to Rangoon, would be too surprised. Allowing for slights tweaks in the recipe (halal in Muslim countries, kosher in Israel) and, as in France, some creativity with the menu, Vincent would always find his dining experience reassuringly familiar. Indeed, this is the food chain’s whole market position: wherever you are, whatever you’re doing you only need to look for the golden arches to be sure of a reliable burger experience.
Madrid 20020. And you thought London’s Olympic logo was bad.
Friday, March 2nd, 2012
Remember the furore behind London’s 2012 London Olympics? Not wanting to be outdone, the Spanish have also dropped a clanger with a logo that, well, manages to get the year wrong.
A Brit brief
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012
As you might have noticed, it was the Brit Awards last night. It’s the nation’s favourite awards ceremony which never passes us by without some drama unfolding, last night proved no exception with Adele flipping the bird at the music suits after her acceptance speech was cut short by a reluctantly interruptive James Corden.
Those of you who weren’t completely distracted by Rhianna’s pants and George Michael’s slurring might have noticed that the infamous Brit trophy has had a makeover.
Ursa majors – the ten best known bears in advertising.
Tuesday, February 21st, 2012
Jeremy
You know the Honey Monster? Big, funny, cuddly, kooky old rug? Cold-blooded, careerist vampire more like. Because those of us in our forties know he usurped Jeremy Bear, casting him out of his proud role as the face of Sugar Puffs; condemning him to life of miserable obscurity. Apparently, he can now be seen dancing for pennies at Salford Quays tram stop. But, Jeremy, we remember.
Cash From Chaos – how a fashion label stole a logo
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
The connection between punk’s pop cultural movement and the political ideology of ‘anarchy’ stems from the 1976 debut single from Sex Pistols: ‘Anarchy In The UK’. The Pistols weren’t actually a political or anarchist band, more of an art statement, and their reference to ‘anarchy’ was a statement of provocation and disgust rather than a manifesto. They did, after all, sign to three major record labels and fought tooth and nail for the money they earned.
Keep Calm, it’s another Keep Calm novelty item.
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ was the third in a series of Government-approved World War II posters to keep up morale amongst the people. The message was said to be directly from King George VI, the posters were white text on a red background with the only image being King George’s crown. The poster was created by an anonymous civil servant and he used his own font, an exact match still does not exist.
99 problems. Should Jay Z really be designing logos?
Thursday, May 3rd, 2012(more…)
Tags: basketball, Beyonce, blog, branding, Brooklyn Nets, celebrity, Design, hip-hop, Humphrey Bogart, Jay Z, Jordan, logos, Magnus Shaw, New York, Sport, Timothy P Morris, USA
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