OGC unveils new logo to red faces – Telegraph — Ooops! Maybe keeping things under wraps for so long is not a good idea.
It cost £14,000 to create, but clearly no-one at the smart London design outfit that came up with the new logo for HM Treasury thought to turn it on its side.
The logo, for the Office of Government Commerce, was intended to signify a bold commitment to the body’s aim of “improving value for money by driving up standards and capability in procurement”.
Instead, it has generated howls of mirth and what is likely to be a barrage of teasing emails from mandarins in other departments.
According to insiders, the graphic was already proudly etched on mousemats and pens before it was unveiled for employees, who spotted the clanger within seconds.
 Oooops! Office of Glandular Control? |
Found by rumblestrip.
I was working for a US firm that was collaborating with a team in Germany. The German org had just developed their Testing and Assessment tool, and wanted to call it the “T & A Tool.” They suggested this in a conference call.
It took several minutes for those of us in the US to stop laughing long enough to explain the alternate meaning of “T & A” in the US. – Tim
I think it’s the perfect logo. It’s the Department of Commerce. Probably full of old men.
Imagine sitting at a bar and handing the local barfly your business card. You know you want to impress…
What better logo says MONEY and VIRILITY!
#8, Chrisbutts, Those are great logos!
I think the “PMS Security” is a winner. Something useful for husbands everywhere!
All I have to say is:
WANG computers
J/P=?
You could replicate that in photoshop in about 20 min???? good for you ace, it would take the rest of us about 30 seconds.
They weren’t paid to “replicate” something you incredible moron.
I applaud the honesty.
I think the BOLD MOVE is towards transparency in government.
Yeah! OGC
I can replicate that, but it take a bit more than 30 seconds…
Well geez now. I was all ready to cleverly enlighten the unwashed masses with some recalled trivia I always thought to be true from a book by Dan Rather until I decided to check in Wikipedia what SHIT was called today.
“Contrary to an underground joke, repeated by alumnus Dan Rather in his 1978 autobiography, The Camera Never Blinks (page 17), (Sam Houston State University) was never known as “Sam Houston Institute of Teaching” or “Sam Houston Institute of Technology”. This joke was expanded in 2006 into an entire feature film, Accepted, which takes place on the campus of the mythical South Harmon Institute of Technology.”
Wonder how many times I told that story? You know, famed journalists have an unfair advantage with practical jokes.
RBG
Would somebody please explain to us
“squares” WHY it is funny. Thanks in advance.
I would pay extra to get a few shirts and towels in various colors with that logo. Ok…I really wouldn’t, but I take them if they were giving them away.
I never seem to lose my amusement at these people that think they could do the same thing. So many logos are so very simple yet cost a bundle to come up with. The companies don’t pay for the logo, they pay for the creativity to originate the logo.
A simple test would be to come up with a new logo for DU. It should be instantly recognized as Dvorak Uncensored, be simple so it is seen in an eye blink, and be distinct. Go ahead. If you are so creative, maybe John Dvorak will thank you personally. He might even send you some of his billions. Or maybe just a thank you.
28. DeBRa You kidding? That makes it all the more funny.
But it’s kinda, sorta like this quote from “Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”
Dobbs
Only a guy that’s a thief at heart would think me likely to do a thing like that!
You need to be a “thief” at heart first.
30. Mr. C: The lady then asks the repairman to itemize the outrageous repair bill. “Ok, $1 for hitting the fridge with the mallet; $359 for knowing where to hit.”
That said, so how difficult can a Dvorak logo be? There needs to be something that represents its primal & superficial testosterone-filled participants (“U”) while expressing this undying love for all things Dvorak.
For Dvorak Uncensored: a simple DU. With the top of the U canted towards & hugging the top of the D.
RBG
#30–Catshit==one definition of marketing is “creating a demand for something you didn’t know you needed” or if you are more antithetical “creating a demand for something you don’t need at all.”
Logos.
Think about it for more than a flash. Do you care at all? Are they helpful at all? Less than 1% of logos have more than 1% impact on anything?????
Here is a most excellent logo for DU===”DU”. or, spell it out in script in Red Letters. Oops, someone beat me to it. (Although I have to admit, I don’t like the “r”)
bobbs: I can’t believe it really works that way… except for the billions spent in the name of democracy.
That’s the whole point about logos: Getting the warm-fuzzies when thinking about it in a flash. Maintaining that brand recognition is bigger than religion because people vote for it with their $.
RBG
#33–RBG==I don’t people do think about logos–even in a flash. Yes–MacDonalds Arches when in a strange city which is why I left a 1% margin for certain types of functionality.
but “any” logo would do, no matter how bad.
Logos indeed are manufactured by the overpaid and overhyped marketing department for- – - – themselves. I’ve never met anyone in marketing that wasn’t a puke==even the ones that actually understood the business better than management, they are still pukes.
Don’t think I’m jealous. I don’t think I’m jealous. I’m really not jealous.
People think of logos because they can quickly find what they are looking for and know what they are getting. It’s a comfort factor. It’s like looking for the men’s washroom sign. What a drag if washroom doors had to list every language. Shell Oil no longer even uses the word “Shell” on their logo.
But any logo?
Not that I’m the argumentative type, but a case could be made that a logo needs to follow certain principles to maximize its success.
For example, it shouldn’t have lines that are too thin so it works on TV. And the examples above perfectly illustrate why you can’t give enough thought to a logo.
But most importantly, logos, like ads, have been (or can be) exhaustively tested in buyer-response scenarios. That is, ads are sent out as split runs with just one change – such as the headline or logo – to see which produces the greatest buyer interest. Like-wise clicking on fake internet products. The jury (buyers) have already rendered their verdict on this one.
Bonafide Marketing Pukes live and die for this kind of “scientifically quantifiable” marketing. (And, of course, still we get products like sleeping pills for kids.)
Certainly you can get lucky with any logo. And businesses can be successful in spite of their logo. But usually a well-designed logo can provide an additional, often quantifiable, measure of success.
For further information, drop in amd say a big hello to the friendly people at your local Ad Agency or visit this helpful site:
“What makes a great logo.”
http://tinyurl.com/y9ojz9
RBG
#35–RBG–nice link. Very seductive.
Try this one…..
The University of Victoria (BC Canada) was looking for names when it first started up. The Strait of Juan De Fuca surround Victoria so they were to name the new Univerisity the Juan De Fuca University. The name chnaged quickly when the first students to be attending started wearing t-shirst with the slogan “Juan De Fuca U”
I think Dan Rather started that one.
F-you-ka
RBG