Eliminated at Group Stage

North Korea

Unsurprisingly, the most controversial country competing in this years World Cup has the most controversial logo, because technically they don’t have one, it’s just the national flag. Anything that distracts the North Korean’s from the power of the glorious leader is frowned upon you see.

Algeria

This logo is a refreshing take on your typical run of the mill football crest, but I’m not sure wether it works. Bright red and neon green are a little too saturated and do not compliment each other very well. The football illustration is a bit too simple and becomes falls into the cliche brakcet but I do love the really simple and bold Arabic typography. What’s more alarming is that their website is under construction – which is fair enough, I can’t really talk – but the placeholder looks like the work of a high school design student. Odd.

Ivory Coast

I seriously cannot believe this logo. You can just imagine what was going through the designers head “How do we portray the Ivory Coast? Okay, let’s draw an outline of the map. That looks a bit empty, hmmmm, well what do we have in the Ivory Coast? I know! Elephants!”.

South Africa

Another logo that implements the map of the country, which I’ve never noticed before but it sort of looks like a wolf. The design as a whole reminds me of Mastercard which is quite apt considering money rules the roost in football these days. I also imagine this doesn’t scale very well due to the multiple horizontal lines.

Honduras

Very simple and clean. I think the type could possibly be Arial italic. As a whole the design looks a little like a piece of MS WordArt or the result of playing a computer game where you can make an emblem for your team. Also, notice how the white space in between the two blue strokes on the shield is inconsistent all the way round?

Portugal

Portugal’s national football association logo looks a little too religious to be associated with sport. You can only just about make out “F.P.F” which is poorly placed and the colour doesn’t offer much help. The strangest elements are the 5 domino shapes in the centre of the enclosure, if anyone knows what these symbolise I would to know.

Argentina

The first time I saw this logo I thought of headbands and then I asked the question ‘is that supposed to be a leg?”. of course I am referring to the ‘F’, but why is it a different weight to the adjacent ‘A’s? I don’t like how they both have a different style, especially as they are part of the same acronym.

Greece

Another map, but at least it’s a little more subtle. I think this design looks more suited for a car company rather than a football team. I can definitely imagine it working well on the front grill of a four door family saloon. However, I do like how the treatment of the football is somewhat unique.

Paraguay

Due to it’s resemblance to a medal, Paraguay’s Football Association’s logo reminds me of the military, almost renegadesque. It may also be due to the fact that the four Paraguay flags look like the crosshair of a gunsight.

Cameroon

Be careful when reading the text on this logo as it may give you a sore neck. I’m beginning to wonder what all the single stars stand for? I always presumed that a country that had won a world cup was allowed to feature a star above their emblem or as part of the design, such as England, Germany & Brazil etc. Cameroon & Paraguay have never won it so maybe it was to fill white space? Or in this example, green red & yellow space.

Italy

The four stars in this logo make sense as Italy has won the competition four times. You would think that a country with such a glorious footballing history would avoid cliches in their logo. The shape surrounding “FIGC” has been done a million and six times.

Nigeria

I’ve never seen a green eagle, until now. The illustration could be improved if some of he fine details were removed. Worryingly, an eagle that size would have to have the balance and skill of Lionel Messi to stand on a ball like that without falling over. I also think Eurostile was a poor choice for the font, as it is very square compared to the circular enclosure.

Uruguay

Why are there 4 stars? Haven’t Uruguay only won twice? Regardless, there is a lot going on here even though all the lines for the elements are very clean. The biggest mistake is the use of the colour red for ‘AUF’, this would look a lot better in white. Red on the gold is too much of a contrast.

Serbia

Whilst being very simple, this logo is uninspired but I do like the colours. I’d like to know if the shapes in the four red quadrants are characters or 4 crowns rotated 90 degrees each time.

Brazil

Brazil have the most stars as they are the most successful having won it 5 times. This logo is probably the most familiar of the 32 featured in this article. The colours are taken from the Brazilian flag which look great, even when placed on a yellow kit. Helvetica is a lazy choice though.

Chile

The design for Chile is almost like two crests within one which creates a rainbow effect. The shield in the centre seems irrelevant and it’s dimensions look squashed which don’t seem to fit within the circle enclosure.

Last 16

Slovenia

This is a clever way of symbolising football without drawing one, which makes the Slovenian Football Federation logo stand out from the other countries. It does however look slightly unbalanced but I think this adds to illusion of the football.

United States

The only reason I included the USA in the last 16 was being of the movement on the soccer ball. It might be the colours also. What I don’t like is that anyone who doesn’t know what the logo is for could possibly read the type as “UOS”, and also the fact that the stars make it look like they have won the competition 3 times. That’s cheating.

Ghana

The standard is finally getting a little better, which is always the case after the group stages. The football here is simple, like most of the other countries but it’s interesting how the coloured bands wrap around which seem to form a scarf shape, showing the associations support for the game.

New Zealand

The great thing about New Zealand’s sports teams logos is that they all feature the fern leaf, each drawn in a slightly differently style, almost like sub brands of the country itself. The sans serif type used here is a good choice so not to distract from the beauty of the memorable icon.

Mexico

I chose Mexico’s logo to make the final sixteen as it is not your typical run of the mill crest as the banners are quite unusual. The central medallion illustration reminds me of ancient Mexico alongside the eagle which is taken from the national flag. I’m not sure the thin outer grey stroke is needed.

Slovakia

The football here is the most unique I have seen of all the countries, the abstract shapes give a modern look. The negative space behind it also gives a sense of movement. The smaller crest, which will get lost at smaller sizes is taken from the Slovak national flag.

Denmark

This is a beautiful crest that definitely looks Danish. The central custom drawn letters are eye-catching and also the treatment of the ‘D’ in ‘BOLDSPIL’ is unexpected. My only worry is that maybe it looks a little too weak for a logo affiliated with sport.

Germany

The German Football Association should be proud of this logo, in particular the DFB mongram in the centre which is timeless. It almost has the same characteristics of the Volkswagen logo due to the sharp lines within the round enclosure.

Quarter-Finalists

South Korea

This tiger looks like he means business, and he’s well drawn too. The type treatment is interesting, though I wonder if it might be beneficial to see some variations of the A.

Japan

A great quirky bird illustration, which makes a nice change from the traditional literal drawings of animals in sports logos. I wish that the type was squarer to match the sharp angles of the bird and also less detail on the football. The colours are very striking.

Australia

This is a very interesting mark that breaks the mould for a sport logo. I like how the stars subtly hint at the Australian flag. It’s interesting to see that there is both a Trademark and Copyright symbol but I think what is more worrying is that the typeface is Copperplace Gothic, which doesn’t match at all.

Spain

Perhaps the most prestigious of the bunch. It’s clean, regal, and typical of an old school crest design. I would have initially eliminated this logo at the group stage as the lion on the crest used to be pink!

Semi-Finalist

England

I just love the little details in the new redesign of the English FA crest. For example how the right back leg of the smallest lion has been adjusted to fit, it’s not just a copy and paste job. I also think that the type treatment matches the clean lines. The second best lion in the tournament.

3rd Place

Netherlands

This is a fantastic illustration which cleverly depicts a sense of royalty without being overly obvious. However, some of the curves look a little unrefined and I wish that the diagonal stroke on the N was the same weight as the rest of the characters. Do you think the lion’s tongue looks a little like the certain sports brand? Maybe it’s subliminal….

Runner-Up

Switzerland

Clean lines are synonymous with Swiss design and this logo fails to disappoint which is refreshing. The typography is inspired and has been carefully integrated into the mark. I think that the figure could be improved slightly, especially the arms.

Winner

France

The team may have fallen to pieces at this years tournament but their logo holds everything together. With well known shapes or images it can be difficult to achieve originality, especially when illustrating animals, but this logo is unique and exudes national pride. The only thing I don’t like is the harsh blue to red gradient at the bottom of the enclosure.

It’s no surprise that a lot of the developing countries use logos that look dated or cheap & it’s no coincidence that the larger & more successful footballing countries have the best logos, it’s down to investment. Having said that a logo that is steeped in tradition and means something to it’s owner rather than a modern fancy illustration just for the sake of it can also be a lot more valuable.

Which logo is your winner?

You may be more than familiar with the above logo, especially if you live in England and are a keen football supporter. If not, you might have heard the song written about it, which is a rare accolade, for a logo at least.

I was recently asked why the crest of the England Football team bares Three Lions, and not knowing the answer, I was curious to find out. There seems to be a cloud of mystery surrounding the history of the logo with various theories banded around.

The ‘Lion’ has been a symbol of ‘England’ since the 11th century during the rule of the Normans, and was featured on early versions of the English Coat of Arms. During this period only one lion was illustrated on a red background (which symbolised a red battlefield – even the Normans were art critics at heart).

A hundred years later a certain King Richard I, known as Richard the Lionheart, ruled the throne and during his reign added a further two golden lions to the crest. The reason for this is unclear as far as I was able to discover.

Fast forward 8 centuries to 1872, at the time of the first ever competitive international football match, an emblem to represent national pride was needed and so the English Football Association made the decision to use the three lions as a symbol of ‘Englishness’.

As the Three Lions are officially a royal emblem, the FA has to seek permission of the Royal Family when they need to use it, meaning that the logo is not the sole propriety of the organisation that it represents.

You will notice that the England crest also features 10 red roses. The red rose is a symbol of the Lancaster-York peace treaty in the 16th Century, but the reason for their number is also unclear. Maybe it represents 10 out field players? Robert Green certainly wouldn’t be getting a rose from most England fans at the moment.

The lion and rose are adorned throughout the emblems and logos of other English sporting organisations such as:

English Premier League

World Cup Willie – the mascot of the world cup held in England in 1966

Rugby Union

English Cricket Board

Team Great Britain

Feel free to use this information to impress your mates down the pub when England take on the mighty Slovenia.

In this article I am going to be talking about logos, brand identity, wedding cakes & doughnuts.

Let’s set a scenario for a moment… A new business owner has a great new product or service that he or she aims to sell. They have a brilliant idea, know exactly who they are going to sell it to and where it is going to be sold. The competition has been analysed and the price has been set. The only task they have left to achieve is to let the target audience know that the product or service is available. This is achieved by creating an appropriate brand identity that is in line with the aims of the business, and of course by marketing the said identity.

Brand Identity
What is it? Well, it’s more than just a name or a logo. A brand identity encompasses everything that you visually associate with a brand. It’s the McDonald’s golden arches, the sleek & sexy packaging of Apple & even the fantastic gorilla TV advertisement by Cadbury’s. If it can help you identify a brand name, then it is part of the brand identity.

Thousands of new start-up businesses every single day face the task of creating a great brand identity that will not only give them a competitive advantage but also show that they are professional. This is achieved through effective visual communication created by designers.

Common practice for each identity project is for a designer or design team to be employed and provided with a design brief. It will outline the strategy of the business, their aims and objectives, what makes them different, the type of perceived image they are trying to create and the characteristics of the target audience. Plus a lot more. It is then the role of the design team to achieve the aims of the brief.

Now that we have that cleared up, I can finally talk about the main point of this article.

Backwards Branding
A new technique, developed mainly through the advancement of the Internet, is to do the whole process backwards. Some websites have appeared that allow start-ups to buy brand names coupled with an identity off the shelf, ready-made, sitting in wait for a potential owner.

A new business owner might see a logo/name and think ‘that’s perfect me, I’ll take it’. They buy the logo. Download the necessary files and go on their way slapping the logo on everything they cast their eyes upon. Essentially a happy ending. Or is it?

The Dangers
Let’s set another scenario…. you are getting married and you need a wedding cake made. You want it to fit into the theme of your wedding and look exactly how you want. Where would you go to get such a fantastic cake? Would you go to the local bakery and pick a cheap doughnut that had been sitting in the shop window for days or would you contact a specialist who can discuss your requirements, suggest the best solution based on your needs and create a custom designed cake that achieves everything that you ever dreamed of? If you are serious about your wedding then the custom-designed route is the likely choice.

What I am trying to say is that the danger of buying a ready-made brand is that there is no communication between the designer and the client BEFORE a solution was created. Communication is key during the branding process and removing the design brief stage is dangerous for the following reasons:

1) What came first the logo or the name?
Most ready made brands are nothing more than a named logo. An image is created and a name is slapped onto it. Eg. ChikenEgg! or BatFish! Would any professional business really use a brand name like that?

2) Plagiarism
There have been numerous cases of ready-made logos being direct copies of existing logos or at the very least heavily inspired. Remember, a successful & effective logo/brand should be unique.

3) Longivity
Is the purchased brand name really right for you? There is a danger of being impressed by an image associated with a name, but does it represent your future values? What about in the future as the business grows?

So there you have it. Logos, brand identity, wedding cakes & doughnuts all in one article. As a disclaimer I respect bakers & doughnut makers worldwide and in no way respect the work that they do.

I am happy to announce that the identity I created for Lions & Lambs Media Group LLC is to be published in WOLDA 09 (Worldwide Logo Design Annual. This is a huge honour. You can see some of the other winners here. Maybe next year we can win one of those awesome trophies they have.

If ever a logo made you think “Oh dear!” then this HAS to be it. What do you think?

Fortunately, not all ads are a mish-mash of bells & whistles packed with slogans, starbursts & offers. Creativity sells, and it is the most creative & clever adverts that get the public talking about the brands they are promoting. The recent drumming gorilla advert did wonders for Cadburys, which is a perfect example of how one unique idea can do wonders for brand recognition. I have compiled a list of great commercials that I have seen recently which offer a great alternative to any political party broadcast. Enjoy.

You may have recently noticed that the Labour party has scored an own goal with a certain poster that pictures the opposing party leading, David Cameron as Gene from the TV programme Ashes to Ashes.

Amazingly, the poster was designed by the winner of a competition (yes a design contest). Within 24 hours the Conservatives had put their own spin on the billboard, which has since painted Cameron to be a cool & down to earth character by the media (if you believe that then you will believe anything).

Regardless of the stupid error to put the identity of the Labour party in the hands of spec designers I find it hard to ignore the bad quality of the Photoshopped images. If I was voting based on anatomical accuracy then it would go to the Conservatives, though it still looks dodgy. Having said that the Labour poster has Cameron’s big head down to a tee.

Also, notice the font, Neo Sans. My prediction that this will be the most over used font of 2010 is looking on point so far.

Anyway, I decided to do a post like this because it seems like logo inspiration websites are breeding with one another. They pretty much have the same content, the same logos and also the same featured designs. I thought it would be nice to throw some good old fashioned new eye candy into the mix in DWD fashion. Feast your eyes on these:

The Impeccable Pig Eatery Oink. designed by Splash Design

Rollersnakes designed by www.rollersnakes.co.uk

The Loose Box designed by Niche Design

Interislander designed by Clemenger Group

Bajaj Auto Limited designed by Elephant Design Limited

Nadezda Milenkovic designed by Aleksandra Prhal

Office Games designed by The Partners

Happy Easter to all my clients, fellow designers & friends worldwide. Enjoy the short break and I will see you on Tuesday for more design madness. I leave you with a carbon copy of the Turin Shroud that I just found in my attic. I think he is listening to Metallica. DWD.

Standfirsts

To accompany a headline and to give a short introduction to the forthcoming content, a designer will often use a standfirst which consists of one or two sentences so to not give too much away but to grab the readers attention and to encourage them to read the whole content. An effective standfirst should be set in type that is larger than the main body of text but smaller than the main headline. Articles are becoming a more prominent feature of web content which is why standifrsts are becoming more recognisable and commonplace.

Creative Examples

37 Signals – a simple method of encouraging the user to continue reading the content.



Andy Rutledge – the contrast in size to the header causes intrigue.



Wilson Miner gives the summary emphasis by placing it into its own column.



The Morning News makes good use a typical magazine styling.



Webstock uses a similar approach but set in italics for added emphasis.

Quotations

Quotations come ina variety of forms, be it pull quotes, citations or block quotes, each are used to highlight important excerpts of content. The rise of the blog article has seen the pull quote make the jump from the world of print on to the digital screen. effective usage and styling of quotations can grab the reader’s attention from the main body of text, which is commonly achieved by being set in a larger typeface in comparison.

Creative Examples

Whooray Records – here the pull-quote is centre-stage.



Quotations Book – multiple quotations unified by colour.



David Ville – a quotation set in a larger point size to the body text.



Valencias Consulting displays a testimonial as the first piece of content.



Kupferwerk – in a style borrowed from the world of print.

Modular Grids

Alternatively known as fields, modules are formed by the horizontal and vertical dividers which form the grid. These individual units of space provide the designer with the possible proportions for images, headlines or other layout elements high in the page hierachy. Modular based grids are seen as rigid and give the content of the page a clear sense of order.

Creative Examples

Burger King – modules employed for a unique method of navigation.



Typeneu uses all of the available grid space.



Work Club – a more familiar use of modular based layout.



Hello Monday uses modules to display image.



Fudge – an interesting layout that draws the eye to the featured content.

Decorated Type

In web design, typography is often overlooked. A new trend to give type added distinction is to add intricate illustration and decoration. This can be achieved by either integrating the typography into the background styling or by giving it a unique characteristic as a design feature

Creative Examples

Hypr illustrate their typographic logo differently for each page.



Comcast Town – type set in a 3D user interface.



Starbucks Coffee At Home – added decoration is made visible via roll-overs.



Skima – type as part of a fantasy landscape.



Art Concept – large decorated type as the main focal point.



Matt Mullenweg uses important information incorporated into in illustration.

The Single-Column Grid

The usage of single-column grids is seen prominently on blogs. Viewed as a means to effectively give emphasis to simplistic content, the single column does not distract the viewer from the main content, which can be a problem with content heavy sites that uses many columns for layout. Naturally, the single column requires that the user has to scroll to read all of the available information.

Creative Examples

Mancub – familiar stacked content in a single column.



Iemai – a single column to represent continuous content.



Teh C Peng – a larger than average column.



Cabana uses a retro, very narrow column.



Clemente – images is used to define the column dimensions.

Drop Capitals

When the first letter of text is set in a much larger size it is referred to as a drop capital. A drop capital is commonly aligned with the top of the column and can be the same height of several lines of text. When aligned to the base of the first line it is referred to as a "Standing Capital". The drop capital doesn’t have to be set in the same typeface or colour as the main copy in order to gain attention. This typographic style first came to light in ancient scriptures where Drop Capitals were heavily illustrated and decorated. Today, more and more designers are using drop capitals in the design of websites to mimic the world of print in a digital environment.

Creative Examples

What Katie Does uses a subtle drop-capital that adds unique detail.



Darren Hoyt – aligned to three lines of body text.



Estate Black – a larger drop-capital aligned to 5 lines.



Rodriguez Velasco uses colour to further enhance the design element.



Great Works – to symbolise the brand image.

Extreme Margins

We are used to seeing the typical layout of a website aligned to the top centre of the page or with very small top margin. Designers are pushing the boundries by using extreme margins or different styles of alignment to give more of a sense of rebellion against the norm. Flash plays a major factor in the usage of this design element due to its capability of maximising the available screen area.

Creative Examples

Orange Label gives the strapline room to breathe.



End Communications – here the content is displayed before the navigation.



OLA Interactive Agnecy content aligned to the bottom of the page.



Vivified – content right-aligned.



Ayaka Ito allows maximum space for illustration as opposed to content.

Extreme Display Type

Any text that is set in a larger size to the body text is deemed to be classed as display type. In some cases designers have taken display type to the extreme, by setting it in an enormous size and in some cases featuring it as the main focal point. An effective usage is for creative straplines or unique messages that can instantly grab a visitors attention.

Creative Examples

Big Cartel use extreme display type for their strapline.



Carsonified – larger type to communicate a unique message.



ESPN Magazine – the type-based logo is given greatest prominence.



dConstruct – essential event details set in a large size.



IAAH – uses larger set type in abundance.

Just Type

Content is said to be king, after all the purpose of a website is to display information. Visitors to websites, especially creative folk, often overlook the content on offer and focus upon the style. The perfect way to marry the two principles is to use creatively typography solely as the design element, which can encourage the user to read the content whilst still forming an aesthetically pleasing solution.

Creative Examples

Quipsologies cleverly uses different typefaces to guide the eye around the page.



YOU – ultra-minimalistic to force the viewer to read.



Joshua Distler arranges typography into given coloured categories.



Sold-Out uses type only to display a wealthy number of links.



The Grid System practices what it preaches.

Breaking The Rules

With the rise of accessibility issues and the increased implementation of standards, particularly in CSS & HTML, you could argue that more restrictions than ever are placed upon todays web designers. However, as web design trends continue to be overlooked and the use of templates seems to be gradually increasing, the challenge to break outside of the structured grid has been laid down for todays creative web designer.

Creative Examples

Basil Gloo gets inside a unique layout.



Davor Vanejik uses a staggered layout as opposed to inline.



Jeremy Levine – navigation that puts complete focus upon the content.



The Horizontal Way surprises the user with an allternative scrolling approach.



BootB – innovative navigation that certainly breaks the grid.