Is it just me, or is far too much time, money and attention spent on an organisation’s logo?
I couldn’t believe the hoo-ha last week when the new logo for the 2012 London Olympic Games was unveiled.
The organisers apparently spent 14 months and £400,000 to come up with what, to me, looks like a child’s zig-zag puzzle. And that logo is meant to bring in £2bn of investment? It certainly kept commentators debating for days.
My own organisation has also recently introduced a new logo. It spent nowhere near that amount of money, but it certainly took plenty of time and attention.
The design and marketing teams beavered away for months to get it right. They tried out a new font, got creative with colour, and then agonised over whether to set the wording at more of an angle.
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Important for the employer brand, they said, when they bothered to consult with the HR department to find out what we thought of it. Frankly, we weren’t particularly impressed, and thought the money would have been better spent elsewhere.
But all this talk of logos being ‘vibrant’ or ‘dynamic’ or ‘modern’ is a load of tosh. Branding experts may shoot me down, but I wonder if prospective employees actually give a damn about the angle or colour of a logo. More importantly, does it have it any influence on whether they apply for a job with you or not?
