I want to preface this blog, rant - whatever you want to call it, by saying I am not out to defame anyone's work here. This is purely my observation on design matters. I maybe completely off so forgive me if I am.
Logos and brand identities can be very similar in many respects. I get influenced by other people's work all the time, I get that - however there are some instances where this resemblance and especially the naming may become an issue that can jeopardize the integrity of a firm's work or perception.
Here is my story and I am sticking to it -
I am driving down my usual route on Robertson Blvd and I notice a sign that looks eerily familiar to something that I have seen before. That happens to me quite often, but what stuck with me was the name of this company - Authentic. That and the fact that the sign itself was done nicely.
As you can see the design is clean with nice typography with a nice mark - I love the orange and brown overlapping. Now if I was not a graphic designer sensitive to brand identities, I would just admire it and say a job well done and move on. However...
The definition of the word authentic according to dictionary.com is as follows: "of undisputed origin, original, not false or copied"
If you are providing services and you name your company Authentic, shouldn't your identity or logo be as original as possible? If your logo is not original how "original" are the services you provide?
Now this could be blamed upon using a graphic designer who chose to present an option to a client which, he or she knew had a resemblance to some other work, so invariably a client cannot be blamed for unknowingly accepting an option that looked "authentic" to them.
Enter Lippincott - one of the most prolific branding agencies in the United States whose volume of work amongst many others, includes the new Starbucks logo, the brand identity for Exxon Mobil, The Bank of New York and the Meredith Corporation. Let's stick with the latter.
The Meredith Corporation is a 100+ year media marketing company that is involved in magazine publishing, books, media and TV broadcasting. They approached Lippincott to design their identity and design they did. If you look closely at the logo you will notice 4 interlacing "m's"that represent Meredith's various platforms and capabilities. Clean, fresh, appropriate and still relevant after 10+ years I think the solution is very well done. Inspiring for sure!
What do you think?
Is it inspiration, imitation or just pure coincidence?
hmm
