Last year when I received email notification of the Creativity Annual Awards, the first thing I noticed was the new swoosh-o-licious identity that seemed to read as the "Reativity Annual Awards." I certainly wasn't the only one who noticed, as comments soon appeared on Internet design forums and blogs around the creative world. Introducing such a public logo with major readability issues (and I'm not even addressing the swoosh issue here), especially with target market of design professionals, seemed like a silly thing for such accomplished creative people to do.
I felt kind of bad picking on the annual awards competition last year - but there was that misstep of conducting a speculative "contest" to create the book cover. However, other designers did a good job of picking on them as well. To the credit of the Creativity Awards, the book cover "contest" was canceled with a very public apology to the design community and all was right with the world.
Still, in the back of my mind, there was the issue of that "Reativity" logo.
This morning I received an email announcing the 2007 Creativity Annual Awards. Yes, you did read that correctly - the logo now says "Creativity" Annual Awards. I guess the powers-that-be did realize there might be a readability issue. The simple addition of a "C" makes the logo much easier to read. The swoosh, which is now almost a background element almost isn't noticed as much any longer. Almost. And then I clicked on the email link and was taken once again to the Reativity Awards.
OK, admittedly that may be a cheap shot. The roll-out of a new, or revised, identity is a process and that complete evolution does take time in some situations. I did get a bit of a giggle out of the find.
By the way, entering the Creativity Awards may result in design work being honored and published in the best-selling annual - an often needed "pat on the back" for a designer and an excellent self-promotion opportunity. Good luck to those who participate.
© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives
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