Can You Make A Splash Like Google?

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Apple, branding, business, Coca-cola, company, culture, design, elements, Google, icons, image, logo, logos, marketing, Nike

The Google logo has certainly earned its place as one of the most iconic logos of all time. It rates up there with Coca-Cola, Nike and Apple. This week, the company revised its logo and launched it to the masses. A lot of
people are talking about it – good and bad – but it’s generating talk, which is always good for business.

Having been through many logo redesigns as well as the development of others, I can both appreciate and cringe at what was most likely a long, detailed and well-discussed process to arrive at this current iteration.

There is a lot of work that goes into the development or redesign of a logo. First there’s the development/creative brief. Discovering all information, gathering knowledge, and understanding the company and product before any design work begins is critical. After all, for what is perhaps the most visual component of a company, how do you want to be perceived through your branding? It should be well-thought out and developed.

Next, you move on the concept. Logos don’t always have to portray exactly what the company does, instead it might focus on a particular value or message. This is where all that initial research about the business really comes into play, as you can develop something that’s unique and relative to the company.

Once you have the initial work done, then you begin to work on the image. A sign of a great logo is its versatility. The logo should be available in both color and mono (black and white) version, but of course color is important. Think psychology – what does the color mean? Or how does the color fit within the industry?

It’s not an easy or fast process, and most likely everyone will have an opinion. Sometimes just when you think you have the new logo right, it gets shot down and the work restarts.

Curious to read what others think of the Google logo? Click here for a solid review:  http://thinkprogress.org/culture/2015/09/02/3698025/lovehate-design-experts-debate-the-new-google-logo/

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My Brain Feels Mushy

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Ad Age, athletes, brain, brain mush, Business Communications, communications, company culture, humble, hungry, Kevin Plank, Marketer of the Year, marketing, Marketing to women, Misty Copeland, Nike, perseverance, success, Under Armour, women, writing

It’s been one of those weeks – a lot to do without enough hours. Finalizing a strategic marketing plan. Prepping class sessions. Teaching students how to summarize. Writing blog posts. Writing articles. Editing my book. Attending meetings. Fitting in the laundry, cooking, errands, etc. On and on, blah blah blah.

My brain feels like mush. It’s telling me to pull out a blanket, settle on the couch, turn on the TV and watch mindless hours of programming so it can shut down and decompress. It’s tempting, believe me it’s so tempting, but …

Nay, nay, I tell my brain. Now is not the time to shut down but push through, riding on the energy of good work already completed.

Kevin Plank, the founder of Under Armour, knows what it means to push through to success. In 1995, he started a small company introducing a new category of clothing apparel – because as a player on the University of Maryland’s football team, he was tired of changing his sweat-soaked t-shirt. Today, he runs a $3 billion (yes that’s billion with a B) company that is the second largest sports company in the world, after Nike.

Achieving success requires a certain mindset, and it seems Plank and his team know how to bring it to the company culture. The cafeteria at Under Armour HQ is named the Humble & Hunger Café so team members don’t forget to be proud of what they’ve achieved but continually look to do better work. This type of motivation, along with the innovative products and community goodwill the company creates, helps customers and athletes achieve success, while propelling the company on to global success. In 2014, Ad Age named Under Armour its Marketer of the Year — a significant award due mostly to the company’s smart marketing efforts targeted to women (finally!).

It’s good to learn a thing or two from Kevin Plank who started Under Armour in his grandmother’s basement and now reports sales in the billions. I’m going to put on one of my Under Armour shirts, push through my projects through to success, and with a firm tone say Nay Nay to brain mush.

https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/misty-copeland