UniWatch: More Research Leads to Incredibly Comprehensive St. Louis Cardinals Uni/Logo Database. “Oliver has now created an incredible online database (similar to the Gridiron Uniform Database or Dressed to the Nines), in which Oliver ‘redrew all our uniform models and reincorporated all of our new research,’ to create the most comprehensive collection of the logos and uniforms of the Cards!”
Several resources mentioned here, all but one new-to-me. It’s Nice That: Five fascinating archives for learning about design history. “Whether it’s stamps, logos or rave membership cards, here are the best design archives to bookmark for research or late night scrolling session.”
CNET: Google Chrome logo gets simpler and brighter, the first change in 8 years. “For the first time in eight years, Google is changing its Chrome browser logo, adopting a simpler look intended to better match Google’s current brand, a company designer said Friday. But you might not even notice.”
New York Times: When a Logo Doesn’t Risk It All: Meta’s Brand Is Designed for Unknown Worlds. “To design experts, the change by a scandal-plagued company was the latest example of efforts by corporate America to create brands that are less unique and ultimately less offensive. It was also a reflection of the growing challenge for corporate identities to exist in many different sizes and digital settings at once, from V.R. headsets to smartwatches — a challenge that is magnified for Meta as it tries to establish an identity for something that largely doesn’t exist yet.”
It’s Nice That: Climate activism has a branding problem and this logo generator is here to help. “Austrian design studio Process has created the AI project Tokens for Climate Care, which creates original (and free-to-use) graphic symbols based on an organisation’s core mission.”
Digital Trends: We used an A.I. design tool to come up with a new logo. Here’s what happened. “No matter what industry you work in, you’ve probably heard that artificial intelligence is coming for your job. Factory workers, news reporters, even stock brokers have all seen A.I. move into their fields, automating some of their roles. Proponents of automation point out that it tackles the menial, repetitive tasks, freeing workers to focus on more creative aspects. Now, gig economy marketplace Fiverr recently announced a new A.I.-powered tool that helps businesses create a logo.”
The Guardian: Facebook rebrands as FACEBOOK: can capital letters save a toxic brand?. I swear that looks like the font for the Lucky 32 restaurant. “Amid antitrust investigations, Capitol Hill hearings, and a generally poor reputation, the company announced on Monday it is rebranding itself. In the coming weeks, a new multicolored, all-caps logo will begin appearing across its services. Instagram and Whatsapp, owned by the company, will proudly tell users that they are services ‘from FACEBOOK’.” And I will feel yelled at.
The Verge, and I freely admit I’m posting this mostly for the snark: Yahoo redesigns its logo to remind you that Yahoo exists. “Yahoo isn’t exactly a popular company these days. But while it’s been down for a long time, it’s not out of the game yet, and today the company is here to remind everyone of that with a new logo that practically screams out (in a newly selected hue of purple): ‘We still exist and have somehow not imploded like a decayed, hollowed-out husk of a dying oak tree!’”
CNET: Facebook accused of stealing Calibra logo from online bank Current. “Current, an online banking company, has accused Facebook of borrowing its logo for the social network’s newly unveiled cryptocurrency play. The Calibra logo bears a resemblance to Current’s logo, the company tweeted Thursday, as reported earlier by CNBC.” I recommend this article if you haven’t done your daily eyeroll exercises yet.
Dezeen: US midterm elections logos compiled into searchable database. “Just in time for the midterms, 6 November 2018, a team of designers has set up The Center For American Politics And Design to bring together all the graphics used to promote those seeking election to the House and the Senate – the two chambers that make up Congress.”
The Verge: Firefox is getting a new logo, and Mozilla wants to hear what users think. “Mozilla is redesigning the Firefox logo, with a little help from the rest of us. This time around, though, the plan isn’t just to create one new icon for the flagship browser, but to design an entire series of icons to fit the brand’s different ventures — from mobile and VR browsers, to screenshot and file sharing tools. Mozilla’s already uploaded some possible takes, and now wants users to comment on its blog for feedback about what the icons should look like.”
Boing Boing: This AI trained on a million logos will now rate your logo. “If an artificial intelligence reviewed your favorite logo, how would that logo fare? now you can find out with Logo Rank, a nifty tool by the guy behind Brandmark.”
A new Web site aggregates information on logos going back to the 1950s. “Created by a group of Swiss designers, who are now located around the world, Logobook aims to serve as both a resource and an inspiration to design fans. Currently in beta phase, its creators are adding to it all the time.” I kind of love the Z.O.P.P. logo from Poland, 1970.
Now here’s a good smack in the head: Facebook as a painkiller. “Social networking sites (SNSs) are extremely popular for providing users with a convenient platform for acquiring social connections and thereby feeling relatedness. Plenty of literature has shown that mental representations of social support can reduce the perception of physical pain. The current study tested whether thinking about SNS would interfere with users’ perceptions of experimentally induced pain.” Can’t find a copy of the paper itself that isn’t behind a paywall; let me know if you can.
An interesting read and comforting, in a backhanded way, to know that even the International Olympic Committee can’t always keep its archives straight: How two Canadian designers salvaged a century of Olympic logos. “…Hulse & Durrell was hired to compile, digitize and edit all the emblems, pictograms, mascots and colour palettes from past Olympic Games into a catalogue of brand marks that could eventually be licensed and emblazoned on everything from clothing to coffee mugs. The challenge was that the IOC’s digital archive was itself incomplete: it had only a rudimentary collection of historical materials—and some of those materials, especially older, pre-digital samples, contained errors. Roman numerals were cut off at the edge of the frame, fonts were inconsistent and colour gradients had inexplicably crept into the artwork. “
The ResearchBuzz Firehose is regular RB content presented as individual posts.
For digest-type posts a couple of times a day, please visit ResearchBuzz.
Want to know how to best use the Firehose for content discovery?
Check out this handy article.