Going back to my graphic design roots; I once took an instant dislike to a corporate logo, one which was rapidly gaining in popularity, thanks to the advent of the internet. The offending host was one FREESERVE:
The text was encapsulated by a swoosh, resembling a toe-nail clipping. As a designer, this was a cheap, unimaginative attempt at a corporate logo, one which did not impress me. As the years went on, I began to notice more and more companies copying the same formulaic logo, complete with toe-mail style swoosh! Surely, I thought, people must realise that the logos are the same and some design company has simply ripped them off?? But more and more companies insisted on re-branding with the now familliar ‘Toe-nail’… My faith in mankinds’ imagination was severely shaken.
At around the same time I noticed that people were being hoarded out of town at weekends , to buy generically similar clothes and home furnishings from ‘out-of-town’ shopping complexes, leaving the individual independent traders to slide out of public perception and out of business. I looked around me and saw thousands of homes, all the same, with people all wearing the same branded clothing, being told on TV how they should look, where they should live, what they should aspire to!! Not only were the people around me becoming mind-dead sheep, willing to accept any generic formula fed to them, without question, but it seemed that corporations too were metamorphosising into one large corporate brand – THE TOE-NAIL BRAND!
As the credit crunch bites into us, I see large corporations emerging out of the shadows, to swallow up the smaller, failing companies and banks. People waking up to find that they’ve been hypnotised into living beyond their means and falling into the traps set by these large Quangos! I see the sheep being hoarded over cloffs now, in their droves… all rounded up by a fleet of lorries and letter headed foreclosure papers; all branded with the same ill-fated logo – THE TOE-NAIL!!!
Even Capital One have joined the ranks!
Take a look around you, now, before its too late. Join my movement to boycott all companies baring the ‘Toe-nail’ logo. Stop this rot, NOW!!
BP, Asda, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Burger King have all incorporated ‘Toe-nails’ into their logos… A sure sign of lack of imagination and indoctrination into the masses!
LORRIES…
Recent travels have exposed a massive increase in the use of toenail logos on Heavy Freight vehicles and coaches. Its now my favourite motorway game “Count the Toenails”!
another crap logo
….and this one says it all!
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Most perceptive of you… I’m on the lookout for more!
As a logo designer I couldn’t agree more. Swoosh logos are completely played out. I’m currently working on a redesign of my companies logo InterMedia Advertising. I’m trying to get them to break away from the generic swoosh/elipse but in the eyes of corporate folks the swoosh is familiar and safe. Still this doesn’t make it right. Designer’s must continue the good fight against these horrible unimaginative logos!