Vancouver is the first city in Canada to have a Vodka named after it. I personally would have liked to see Absolut Burlington with an illustration of an incomplete pier (gotta live here to get it). Or Absolut Hamilton, with a… um… never mind.
I think it's a nice design. Congratulations Vancouver.
Let's go drink to celebrate!
Ciao,
Robert Scozzari RGD
Here is an article I found that I think you will find informative.
If you want your brand to be relevant, you must offer your clients, customers and prospects useful information. You must give, give and give.
If you want your brand to be less relevant and forgettable, hire a celebrity.
Just check out these stats…
If you want to convince people to trust your brand, convince their family members, friends and associates first so that they will refer you.
If you want to have the least amount of trust for your brand, again, hire a celebrity. Sorry Brad Pitt.
That's very interesting. It seems, those high paid celebrities, hawking wares, are actually not helping the products they have been hired to sell. It seems, the big companies will be better off hiring me or you.
Ciao,
Robert Scozzari RGD
So Apple, who you may be familiar with their products, (iPhone, iPod, Macintosh Computers etc.) is suing The Australian Woolworths (Large retail chain). Why? Because their logo has an "apple" in it.
What? An "apple"? Well, it must look allot like Apple's "apple", the one in their logo right?
Well, no. It's actually quite different. It's actually quite a creative representation of an "apple". It even slightly looks like a "W", for Woolworths.
Well, it must be the same colour as their logo right?
Well, no. It's green.
Perhaps it has a bite out of it, like the Apple logo?
Uh… no to that too. No bite. It has not been bitten. Ixnay on the itebay.
So why are they suing Woolworths? Well, because it's an "apple". Apparently they hold the rights to "apples" in logos. This is not the first time that apple has sued over the image of an "apple" in a logo.
Here are the logo's in question…
Now look very closely. It's not easy to see the very subtle differences. Take a look. See… they are practically identical.
Well, don't have a logo with an apple in it. But besides that, there is a lesson to learn here. I think Apple is at risk of tarnishing their very precious brand if they keep on this vigilant pursuit of all apples. I believe Woolworths has successfully branded themselves to NOT look like Apple.
One does not make me think they are the other. But just the same. When designing a new logo identity, it's always important to ensure the designer has done everything in their power to check the logo against other logos to confirm there are not resemblances that may result in court. That said, there are hundreds of thousands of logos out there already. How do you make sure that your logo does not resemble other logos? Well, that's where a good creative designer comes into place. A designer that does not simply rely on their first instinct in creating imagery for your company. A good designer should know when to continue with ideas until they have created something truly unique.
That doesn't mean that your logo will not resemble any other logo in the world, it should just greatly reduce the chances. Which will make you stand out from your competitors.
Ciao,
Robert Scozzari RGD
Here are some free guides and workbooks to help you brand your business right now.
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5 Points you need to know about branding to increase sales
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They shoulda’ called me first: Williams Fresh Cafe
I recently was driving past my local Williams Coffee Pub and noticed something. It was no longer a Williams Coffee Pub, but a Williams Fresh Cafe. They actually have rebranded, good for you Williams! Congratulations on your rebranding.
Old Williams Coffee Pub
New Williams Fresh Cafe
For those of you that are not familiar, Williams is a local cafe and eatery. I think their greatest asset is the free internet that they offer. This has allowed them to become the local meeting place for business folk all around. If you were to go into any Williams during work hours, you are always going to find countless laptops opened and numerous meetings taking place. The old branding and positioning was focussed around the cafe experience. It was important and a good strategy ten years ago, but that time has passed.
Lately, I've noticed that the food selections have been getting better, and healthier. Just the other day, I had a lunch meeting at Williams and enjoyed an excellent Minestrone Soup and California Salad. They were both excellent and I would eat there again anytime.
Focused on being a coffee pub, they were fighting with Starbucks and Tim Hortons, with coffee which was mediocre at best, that wasn't a battle that they could win.
With the rebranding and repositioning, it looks like they want to be known as a healthy food choice as well as a great place to sit and meet friends. Overall, I think the new repositioning is fantastic and believe it will help them to grow.
They should have called me first
Overall, I like the new look and the new positioning. I think it's clean and refreshing, which serves them very well if they want to now be know for fresh and healthy food. I have one critique however. That leaf that blends into the word "Fresh". Its too… too clip art. It does not serve well as an icon that only Williams can use. If you were to separate the leaf and put it beside the millions of other green leaves that are in logos all over the world, would it stand out as being Williams' leaf? I don't think so. Unfortunately, I think that leaves them with an icon that is totally dependent on being a part of the entire logo to be identified as Williams.
Had they created an icon that was theirs and theirs only, it would have been better for them. Look at other food chains, McDonalds' golden arches or East Side Mario's Statue of Liberty with the Tomato. When you see those icons, there is no disputing where they belong. Williams could have benefited with something a bit more unique. But they didn't call me, so all I can do is blog about it.
What do you think?
Do you like the new rebranding and positioning ? Do you like the new logo? Let me know.
Ciao