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ON YOUR MARKS, GET READY, GO! |
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From a design perspective, it is interesting to
note that through the centuries logos have progressed relatively little.
Even today in our multimedia environment, logos, by and large, display the
same static, template-like characteristics they began with. Advertising, of
course, has made it possible for companies to communicate to customers in a
wide variety of ways, but logos themselves have tended to function rather
like postage stamps: stuck on as a kind of afterthought as inconspicuously
as possible so as to avoid interfering with the advertising message.
This cookie-cutter approach to logos has been dominant up until
now. Today, the door to innovation seems literally wide open, as the
Internet puts us in touch with a treasure chest of tools for expanding the
sphere of our activities. Through the use of sound, full motion, animation,
and morphing, logos can be transformed from lifeless and static appendages,
into dynamic and vital communication tools. And although brand identities
must continue to be governed by rules and standards, they can transcend all
previously accepted boundaries.
In order to harness the full
potential of the new media at our disposal, it is important for us to
consider an old but forgotten truism: our senses reinforce each other, as
when a movie soundtrack conjures up images, and scenes from the movie bring
to mind the music. Together, sound and sight act as a powerful stimulus to
memory. Note the ingenuity of Steven Spielberg in the movie Schindler's
List. By introducing an element of color into an otherwise black-and- white
film, the director succeeded in leaving his audience with a haunting memory
of a little girl in a red dress. Sight and sound devices are not new, of
course. But they need to be explored once again in the rapidly evolving
world of branding. The introduction of an auditory component into the world
of branding represents an exciting new field of possibilities. And the
coupling of sound and image can have a dramatic impact on brand recognition
(Intel inside).
As logos are increasingly freed from the
template-like structures that traditionally constrained them, the
possibilities for design and positioning seem endless. For example, although
logos need to preserve a consistent and recognizable shape, they could be
broken down into small, recognizable elements, allowing customers to make a
mental link with a company with a minimum of concentration. The Reuters
company Instinet has done just this by identifying itself with a specific
color, shape and theme. Through a variety of techniques, the flowing red
matador's cape that appears in its print ads has been transformed, on the
Web, into a dynamic and ingenious communication tool.
Presented
on stock tickers, banners and in new media, brands and corporate identities
can flourish in a way never before possible.
What is unfolding
in the world of logo creation is nothing short of a paradigm shift.
Ground-breaking technological opportunities are giving rise to a new
reality-one in which shapes, forms, textures, images and sounds will all
have a vital role to play in strengthening and enhancing a company's brand
and identity, one that allows us to explore the full range of communicative
possibilities unleashed by the Internet environment.
Of course,
this shift has to be carefully orchestrated if it is to be optimally
effective. That's why design management and corporate identity firms need
to take the lead, developing rules about how each element in the new
multimedia world can be used to best effect.
The time is ripe
for channeling our energies along bold and innovative paths. A new
millennium is opening, and with it a new perspective on branding.
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