Bad font choices ruining America’s brand

America Is F*cked…….(Graphically at least) from Jess Gibson on Vimeo.

A Magazine Named Sue

Introducing a brand new publication designed specifically for women professionals in the litigation practice specialty. “The legal community has been dominated by men since the establishment of the United States and Sue will be a valuable asset in helping women in litigation to equalize that dominance and further develop their position in the legal community,” says Christie LaBarca in a review of the new magazine named Sue.

Syrah Palin

According to Fox News, an organic wine from Chile has oenophiles (their word) in San Francisco turning up their noses. But there’s nothing wrong with the wine. It’s the name that bothers them: Palin Syrah.

To be fair and balanced, shop owner Scott Pactor said he’s looking to give Democratic Party supporters an option, too.

"We're also in the process of looking for an Obama wine or a Biden wine, just to be balanced, obviously, just to be balanced. We want to make sure customers have options, but so far we haven't been successful," he said.

How 'bout That One for a wine label?

Design Defect

Which is funnier? This parody (?) of a brand identity firm like Landor / Interbrand designing a traffic “Stop” sign: Or the case study from Landor’s own website, which details the naming and logo work they did for the merger of Fedex and Kinkos. The name Landor landed on, was of course Fedex Kinkos. The rationale:

Guided by brand strategy and research insights, Landor developed a creative name and identity solution that leverages the equity of both brands. The new brand identity, informed by the historical strengths of both companies, powerfully redefines the future of the business services marketplace.

But the funinest bit is when Landor explains the very specifc meanings they believe common colors communicate:

The identity contains a colorful brand icon that represents the collection of FedEx services available at the new retail locations – orange for the time-definite global express shipping services, green for the day-definite ground shipping services, and blue for the retail business service centers. At the heart of the icon, where the three colors converge, is purple, which symbolizes the can-do spirit shared by all FedEx companies.

Interestingly, design firms differ on what each color means.

Igor’s latest naming work, Whoop, launches.

Formally called “Xosphere”, they came to us for a re-name. From the Whoop site:

Whoop makes it easy for every company, agency or individual to create, publish and share rich mobile content to almost every mobile device. Not just text, but pictures, videos and, well, everything imaginable for mobile entertainment, marketing, communications, commerce and social networking. With Whoop, you can share your stuff with more than 3.5 billion phones in every country on the planet.

Whoop. Everything mobile.

Did we mention we named Whoop? O.K., we are done here.

Landor: The Art of the Steal

Sometimes imitation is flattery, sometimes it demonstrates a complete lack of originality and / or corporate ethics.

Naming and branding parody site Landor has posted an article which they claim authorship of called “How not to name“, accompanied by a photo of Anthony Shore, head of global naming at Landor. It is posted on a section of their website that they ironically named “Thinking”.

Here is an except (from point 2, paragraph 3):

This “positivity principle” explains why a scandalous name (Virgin), a slur (Banana Republic), and a small, hairy larva (Caterpillar) are perceived positively.

And here is how this thought was written five years earlier, both on the Igor website and in the Igor Naming Guide:

Unless everyone understands the positioning and the correlation between it and an evocative name, this is the type of feedback that evocative names will generate:

Virgin Airlines

• Says “we’re new at this”
• Public wants airlines to be experienced, safe and professional
• Investors won’t take us seriously
• Religious people will be offended

Caterpillar

• Tiny, creepy-crawly bug
• Not macho enough – easy to squash
• Why not “bull” or “workhorse”?
• Destroys trees, crops, responsible for famine

Banana Republic

• Derogatory cultural slur
• You’ll be picketed by people from small, hot countries

The Landor article “How Not to Name” is written in a format that states popular misconceptions and the debunks them. Here they attack the mistaken idea that focus groups are helpful in choosing company or product names (from point 6, paragraph 1):

As a rule, it’s smart to entrust strategic business decisions to someone who trades an hour of their time for $25 and a few handfuls of M&Ms.

And here is how Steve Manning, co-founder of Igor, expressed the same idea 5 years earlier in an article in Elsevier Food International :

“If you’re trusting the future of your brand to a bunch of people who are willing to give up their time for $45 and a stale sandwich, you’re in trouble.”

Was Mr. Shore of Landor aware of Mr. Maninng’s quote? Of course he was, Mr. Shore was quoted in the very same article as Mr. Manning.

The final insult comes at the end of this “Landor authored” naming article:

© 2007 Landor Associates. All rights reserved.

Reached for comment, Anthony Shore, head of global naming at Landor had this to say.

Related 1 | Related 2

Read more: naming companies, naming consultants

Bad Company’s Swan Song

According to the Hollywood Reporter, ’70s rock group Bad Company plans to reunite with Paul Rodgers (now touring as lead singer with Queen) for a one-off show on Aug. 8 at the Seminole Hard Rock & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., the band’s first performance since a 1999 reunion tour.

And though frontman Paul Rodgers said that “it’ll be great to see the guys and play and go back down that road again just for one night,” there’s also a business component to the gig.

“What I’m doing is protecting the legacy that we have built … cementing the rights to the trademark Bad Company for touring,” said Rodgers, acknowledging that the group has learned of plans for at least one bogus Bad Company planning to hit the road. “I can’t really go into that because it’s kind of in the hands of our lawyers at the moment. But there are a lot of things that make it necessary to reinforce our rights here.

He continued, “By doing this one-night stand with Bad Company, we will be cementing our right to the trademark ‘Bad Company’ for touring, and anyone who attempts to challenge us and tour misuing our trademark and mislead the fans will be liable to legal action.”

Sounds like the reunion was the brainchild of a trademark lawyer…oh, wait.

The show will be dedicated to the memory of Steve Weiss, the longtime attorney for Bad Company, Led Zeppelin and Swan Song Records, who passed away last week in Florida.

Swan Song Records was a record label launched by English rock group Led Zeppelin on May 10, 1974. It was managed by Led Zeppelin’s manager Peter Grant and was a vehicle for the band to promote its own products as well as sign artists who found it difficult to win contracts with other major labels.

Wikipedia also notes that the phrase “swan song” is a reference to an ancient belief that the Mute Swan is completely mute during its lifetime until the moment just before it dies, when it sings one beautiful song. Although it has been known since antiquity that this belief is false, the legend has persisted in literature and, apparently, in naming and branding of record labels and cover bands. Swan song has become an idiom referring to a final theatrical or dramatic appearance.

The Audacity of Hype

Is Obama pandering to Latin voters or possum eaters?

Just above the eagle’s head are the words “Vero Possumus,” roughly translated “Yes we can.” Not exactly E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One), the motto on the presidential seal and the dollar bill. Then again, Mr. Obama is not the president.

The ad agency flack who dreamed up this great seal logo and tagline for Obama really should be sent back to his cubicle on Madison Avenue.

Happy Corporate July

In 2002, a symbol-spangled banner gallantly rippled across the skies as anti-conformists did a little advertising for some of the nation’s big wigs. Advertising to kill advertising. Representing what fuels the US economy, logos for companies like Exxon, McDonalds, and Warner Bros. replace the stars in the American flag as an effort to “declare independence from corporate rule” (Adbuster’s). Being that American patriotism has significantly risen since 2002, we can expect to see a few more U.S. Corporate Flags in the upcoming July celebration. Adbuster’s Corporate U.S. flags are available for $30. Air out your corporate frustrations, rather, exploit them and still remain loyal to your country. All proceeds go to somewhere, not corporate. (note: made with polyester)

83 articles about naming and branding companies and products

83 articles about naming and branding companies and products.