Hey friends…today I have another big and high-budget logo redesign to share with you all. However, this time it is not any soft drink or Software company logos which is redesigned. The city of Melbourne, Australia revealed their new corporate identity last week. The identity design was developed by the Sydney office of Landor, who were paid $A91, 000 (US$74,000) in “preliminary research for the new brand” and $A148, 000 (US$120,000) for the design itself.

Last week when Melbourne’s new logo was announced, the fat block of “M” costing for $240,000 was highly criticized.
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle unveiled the new logo for the city, saying:

“Old logo was "a bit daggy" and Melbourne needed a new design to reflect its cool sophistication on the world stage.”

To defend the claim of extra cost, he explains that the new logo would save the council money in the long run by gradually replacing about 50 different logos the city now uses for its various services. Furthermore, on the Melbourne’s website, Dr Kathy Alexander lists the benefits the City will be earning from this redesign.

• Consolidation of multiple logos into a single, strong, cutting-edge design
• Better identification of services City of Melbourne is delivering
• Greater brand impact and flexibility
• More cost and time-effective in-house design and brand management

Where, majority people find the new logo to be a disaster, some design experts find it quiet sensible, saying:

"It’s certainly not a disaster and considering the amounts some companies spend on rebranding, it might even turn out to be a bargain,”

says the managing director of  Brand Behavior, Karl Treacher.

Further, Mr Treacher quotes:

"Of course, when you’re a government or public body people will say the money could have been spent elsewhere or possibly better. But in the scale of logos $240,000 isn’t over the odds.”

The main grounds, government is using to avoid facing criticism is that of “London Olympic Logo 2012” They think it is less of a disaster than London’s logo for the 2012 Olympic Games as within hours of its launch in 2007,  30,000 Britons signed a petition calling for it to be scrapped.

Here, I will drop my opinion and would like to know yours…don’t you think, it is utterly unethical of government to support their wrong decision by referring to any old blunder. If they have ended up with something foolish, at least they should have the guts to accept it.

So guys, how do you see this redesigned logo of Melbourne city…. a waste of money or a step towards progress?

        While dreaming of owning a successful business we forget that business is not only a matter of selling and buying. Achieving corporate identity is not an easy job as consumers tend to trust and buy products only from companies which are well-recognized. Thereby, it is important for every company to have a strong corporate identity and branding, which helps them earn a reputation in market. And here is the key to your success – a good logo design.

I am sure, all my last posts have been guiding you well, explaining how important logos are in conveying the aim of your start-up business. With the increasing logo design awareness, people are getting more confused to depict which type of logos will help them stand out.

Let me start with the basics….usually there are 3 types of logos but it is not important that any logo design works out successfully for everyone. Here are the basic types of logos: text, symbol, and combination logos.

1) A Text Logo:

A text logo (also sometimes called a logotype or word mark) is a logo largely made up of the text of the company’s name. These logos do have graphical elements but very few e.g. lines, boxes which usually blend with the letters. Here are few suggestions

2) A Symbolic Logo:

A symbol logo can be explained as an exact opposite of a “text Logo” which displays neither words nor letters – only symbols, images and shapes. In today’s world we see so many logos which don’t show a letter but still we recognize them. What better examples then “Nike” and “Apple” can I give to explain the unusual significance of symbolic logos.

• If your company already has a well-known brand recognition and people are well-aware of your product/services, then you can use a symbol as sign of recognition.
• If your product or service can be well presented by an image then letters, have a symbolic logo.
• You have a global presence and can develop a universal, graphic symbol that speaks to you and audiences. Additionally, a symbol can have meanings on many levels, and can also have different meanings in different cultures

3) Combination of Symbolic and Text logo:

Combination logos come into existence when the designers blend text and symbol, to deliver a clear message of the company. For such logos, text and symbol are integrated in such a way that they appear as a single logo. Here are few reasons to opt for combination logos:

• A combination logo is easily understood, offering a memorable logo graphic telling your business purpose while the symbol brings in easy identification.
• A combination logo is an excellent choice for a small- or medium-sized company or a company just starting out, to begin to build brand recognition, because a combination logo is both visually strong and explanatory.
• When you want to make your logo more stylish, you can show a creative blend of text and symbol

If we want to see our business at top, there are few elements which can’t be ignored in any case and “Brochure Designs” are among them. We all know the marketing mantra: “The more effectively a business is marketed, more profitable are the results.”

Business brochures play an exclusive important role to convey your business message to your targeted audience and converting them into productive clients.

Therefore, today I list few important features which will help you come up with a successful brochure design. To hone your creative skills, I have added a collection of inspiring and unique brochure ideas from all over the internet.

• Plan: Before you start designing your brochure, know exact purpose of having it… Is it for marketing purposes or for personal use? You need to be clear about certain issues like- will the brochure be used alone or be paired with ads or catalogues.

• Product Information: The brochure should always be about the product or service that you want to market. Try not to add irrelevant information about the product in your brochures or your customer might think your services to be useless. 

• Shape: Standard brochures are generally tri-fold or A4 but to appear exclusive try having an unusual shape for your brochure. This way your customers won’t be able to ignore your brochure thinking of it as an ordinary piece of paper.

• Brochure Cover: The brochure cover cannot be ignored in any case. It has to be too good to be ignored. If the first look of your brochure is appealing then only you will be able to attract customers.

• Price List: The brochure should list the exact prices of your product or service. You should avoid misleading your potential customers by giving false or uncalculated prices of your products.

• Visual Effects: If short paragraphs of information are supported with some visual treats, it keeps the customer to browse the complete brochure.

• Call to Action: The purpose of a having a brochure remains unachieved if it fails to evoke the reader to “Call to action” So add such an encouraging sentences which inspire the customers to call for more information.

• Promotional offers and Discounts: Promotional pitches such as discounts and special offers will generate interest among prospective clients. Always keep in mind the best interest of your customers so as to gain their trust and loyalty.
• Target audience: It must provide useful information that calls your targeted customers and helps them understand your product and services better.

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On 24 th June, 2009, Vistaprint Limited (Hamilton, Bermuda) the small business marketing company, unveiled its global brand strategy with some noticeable changes including a new logo, tagline and a complete Website redesign. The main aim behind this new look and feel is to highlight the wide range of products and services available for small and home businesses.

The company offers small businesses personalized printed products such as business checks, business letterheads, rubber stamps, promotional apparel including hats and T-shirts; and marketing services, websites, design and postcard mailing. It is believed to be catering more than 19 million small businesses and consumers by offering them the easiest ways to promote their business at the most affordable prices.

However, we are here to talk about the redesigned logo of VistaPrint. The logo has been highly criticised with its idea of showcasing arches of CMY(no K) gushing out of their name. Although the earlier version was also not much impressive but this time sophistication lacks badly and the symbols says nothing about the company’s high targets.

Well, I want to appreciate their attempt to replace the thin lines and lowercase of their old logo but they failed bringing up any progressive change. A blog well-known for announcing redesigns has highly criticised the logo: “The typography looks like the bastard child of Tobias Frere-Jones’ Interstate and Avenir.”

However, the old and the new logo do not have much difference and both are claimed to be equally unappealing. Many people balme VistPrint.com for providing  cheap, fast and mediocre quality. So they think their redesign well-explain their services…do you think so?

Do write in to give your honest comments…Do you think VistaPrint New Logo is the worst logo redesign of year 2009?

              I have always seen that a collection of Business Cards on internet sells like hot cakes. Countless people regularly browse net in search of fresh, catchy, professional, vibrant Business Cards. We all are well aware of the miracles this small piece of paper can do for any business.

With every passing day we are getting advance with technology and invent new ways of promoting our business. However, nothing could challenge the impact a well designed and printed business card leaves on a customer. To earn a stable corporate identity, it is important to have a professional business card which would appeal to your target market.

Although there are countless sites showcasing amazingly imaginative business cards but still I have tried to bring a unique assortment for you all. Here is a collection of 32 simple but creative business cards which can outshine your company.

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