brands designed by their users

it is common knowledge that social media has significantly impacted branding efforts.


in the span of very few years, organizations have developed entire departments that focus on social media efforts that tweet, friend, and like all day long. social media is now a pivotal part of a branding strategy and is responsible for creating crucial bonds between consumers and organizations.


it's entertaining to think about the world before social media, when organizations would pay good money to hear the thoughts of their target market with surveys, focus groups, and market research. now all they have to do is tweet.


social media creates a personal relationship between consumers and organizations. it is a trend that is increasingly apparent today... people want to know what they're supporting or purchasing, where it's from, and who exactly is selling it to them. and they want to give you feedback. the consumer gains a significant share of the marketing and branding cycle because suddenly, they have a say. they have power.


in this feature by fast co design, a group of graphic designers have found a way to incorporate their consumers into a logo via social media. check out the logos, projects, and video below for more.


what effects could this have on branding? which industries or organizations does this branding method complement the most?

photos and video c/o fast co design

twitter

twitter recently turned 5.


i know it's been awhile since my last post... i've been settling into a new apartment that could not be more perfect and more friends have visited than i knew i even had. so moving on to the good stuff...


i'm on fast co design's listserv and the title of this email was "for twitter's fifth birthday, new grown up logos." it wasn't until i read this subject line that i realized, ohmygod. twitter's logo is...not good. as a recent convert to the social media site and as someone who visits it several times a day, i had never given the twitter logo a thought. until this faux rebrand by fast co design's rick barrack. click for the article here.




here are my favorites, from least to most favorite:

photos courtesy of fast co design

2012 olympics

the olympics are a big deal.


the entire world watches, they only occur every four years (winter olympics excluded), and cities pay billions of dollars just preparing to host them. naturally, you'd like your country to have the most bad ass logo to slap on every uniform, banner, jersey, megaphone, commercial, swim cap--you name it. who doesn't love team spirit?


let's take a look at previous olympic logos:

photo courtesy of wikipedia

not bad beijing. the asian text, the drawing-very representative of chinese culture. love the bold red.

photo courtesy of mediabistro.com

personally, nyc is my favorite. madrid's, though classic, leaves something to be desired, moscow's is a bit boring, and i'm not sure what the rainbow is in london's (the tube lines? the thames?). i liked paris' initially, but i'm not sure what a heart has to do with the olympics. we're competing with other countries, not dating them.

and so, london is chosen for the 2012 olympics. and this is what they come up with:

photo courtesy of wikipedia

WHAT.

i actually had to read up (thank you wikipedia) to determine what this logo is supposed to symbolize. if london thinks that their logo obviously signifies "2012," they are mistaken. at first glance, this looks like modern art. i even threw out the idea that it might be a liberal interpretation of a portion of the western european continent. and though i am a huge fan of bright colors, i don't believe that sea foam green has ever been associated with the olympics in any way. and how does this relate to london? will this logo resonate with london's residents? i can't say for sure, but my guess is probably not.

moving on to my favorite country logo so far: canada has recently had a make over...

(all canada photos courtesy of fastcodesign.com)

 this is an olympic logo. canadians capitalized on the maple leaf, a symbol that always inspires great pride in their citizens. in the first logo, they've incorporated the classic colors of the rings to represent the olympics as a whole, and then continued to simplify until only the red maple leaf is left (third example). while the first is almost overwhelming (and let's face it, not very practical) the third is both simple and pragmatic. a modern interpretation of a classic- my favorite.

for more information on the canadian olympic logo and an inspirational interview with the designer, click here.