From the “All’s Well That Ends Well Department”. Back in 2007, the EU (European Union) announced plans to introduce a compulsory organic labeling scheme across all 27 countries, and a couple of years later, revealed the program logo, designed for mandatory use on products that are 95 per cent or more organic and free of genetically modified organisms (GMO).
Not everyone was happy with the design, including Germany-based retailer Aldi, who raised some concerns (and eyebrows) over the similarities between the new green logo and its own trademarked organic brand symbol (left). After a lot of frantic phone calls, a few red faces and probably a few strongly-worded lawyers’ letters, EU officials backed down, the logo was shelved and the launch, originally scheduled for 2009, delayed until this year. The responsible commission decided that they’d try again, this time opting for a Europe-wide logo design contest, open to art and design students. Final voting was available to the public via the contest website, and some 130,000 Europeans chimed in, helping decide the official design.
Tags: Contests, news, rebranding
While even Mac fanboys (and girls) struggled to justify the purchase of Apple’s new iPad, some advertising folks believe that the recently introduced gizmo will help save publishers from the slow death that many have been predicting for years. How so? Glad you asked. Some think that the new tablet will open up an entire new market for online books and e-content. Now, if they can only get that porn thing worked out with Adobe, we should be all set. [Advertising Age]
Speaking about Apple, seems that front-man Steve Jobs isn’t terribly happy with the folks over at Google, especially over their foray into the cell phone market. Jobs referred to Google’s famous corporate mantra “Don’t Be Evil” as “bullshit” (or “crap” according to Wired) at a post iPad release conference for Apple employees. Googlers were not impressed and Paul Buchheit, the dude who coined the phrase was quoted as saying “I don’t know where people get the idea that competition is evil.” Others were quick to point out that Apple has been holding Google iPhone apps “in limbo”, refusing to approve them for iStore distribution. Oh yeah, Jobs then went and called Adobe “lazy“. There goes that kindler and gentler vibe I guess. [Gawker]
Tags: business, news, rebranding, snippets
We lift a pint to the good people at Images Without Borders, a fund raising campaign for one of my favorite relief organizations, Doctors Without Borders, a non-political and non-denominational medical group that usually hits the ground long their more high-profile compatriots. You can now lend financial assistance to Doctors Without Borders through a web-based initiative and get 
yourself a beautiful custom photographic print into the bargain. Images Without Borders provides stunning pictures from world class photographers working around the globe and are offered to the public at a special price. Profits go directly to DWB (less only the cost of printing). The project was originally launched as a response to the earthquake crisis in Haiti, but will remain in operation for the foreseeable future “as crises emerge” and to provide day-to-day support for DWB ongoing work in troubled regions throughout the world. [Images Without Borders]
According to a recent survey at Leeds University, published in the Psychopathology journal, too much web surfing can make you depressed. The study also found that twice as many people are addicted to the internet as there are to gambling. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to drown my sorrows in chocolate milk and gummi bears. [Mirror UK]
Little bit late to the party on this one (this logo was released December 15 and I sorta neglected it courtesy the Christmas and New Year hubbub) but despite my tardiness, the UEFA Euro 2012 scoccer logo is still worth a mention and a looksee. So let’s.
Developed by Portuguese design group Brandia Central, the design will represent the 14th UEFA European Football (soccer) Championship, scheduled to be held in Poland and Ukraine in July 2012. For what it’s worth, this is only the third time that the championship hosted jointly by two countries, a fact that was an integral factor in the creation of the logo. And while the announcement was ignored in North America (we tend to like the other version of football), the championships are an awfully big deal in Europe, with a predicted 1.4 millions fans taking in the matches at the various stadiums and the TV coverage broadcast to 200 markets. From a personal POV, I absolutely love the logo (while many others are decrying its complexity) and think the development video (below) to be brilliant – a must-see for any graphic designer, particularly those interested in the logo design niche. It explains, in exquisite graphic detail, the thought processes behind the logo; concept, execution and color choices. If only more logo design projects were this thought out.
Speaking about Microsoft, the Internet Explorer 6 Must Die meme just got a lot louder, with Google announcing that they’d stop supporting IE6 come March. If you’re not on IE6, good for you. If you are on IE6, you’re probably not reading this, because our site is all hinky and broken. Thanks to IE6. [Mashable]
Victors & Spoils front-man Evan Fry doles out some great advice for designers entering design contests a.k.a. crowdsourcing projects. Runs the gauntlet from forgetting about getting paid, to doing lots of revisions and forgiving hungover contest holders who neglect to give any feedback. In other words, cough up lots of free shit to show Victor & Spoils paying clients while Evan heads off to the pub. Awesome. [Talent Zoo]
Speaking of the “world’s first ad agency based on crowdsourcing principles“, Victors & Spoils got so excited about their Dish Network design contest they forgot about pesky licensing and copyright issues, uploading the Adobe Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk font set to the 99designs server so that grateful participants could “Grab it. Download it. Use it. Be brilliant with it“. Shortly thereafter, they removed the font, due to pesky “licensing and copyright issues“, telling everyone that this was a “bummer“. [99designs]
Logoblog.org, an “independent and unbiased” logo design review site that has absolutely nothing (wink, wink) to do with Logo Design Guru (“reviewed” at number one with 4.73 stars out of five) have fallen positively in love with design contest site Myrcroburst, placing it at number two in their “Top Ten Logo Company Reviews” and awarding the site 4.7 stars out of five. And just like having nothing (wink, wink) to do with online design company Logo Design Guru, the “unbiased” logo review site has nothing (wink, wink) to do with Mycroburst, which happens to be owned by The Guru Corporation, owners of Logo Design Guru. Hooray for transparency and unbiased reviews. [Guru Corporation]
Adobe, like a jilted lover, continues to have a hissy fit over the Apple iPad’s lack of Flash support. Taking the feud public, the makers of every graphic design program in the history of ever, published a blog post calling Flash the Apple iPad’s “broken link.” If that wasn’t enough, Adobe platform evangelist Lee Brimelow published a series of screengrabs to illustrate what this lack of support meant to the average surfer. Alas, one of the screengrabs was from a notorious porn site (right). When tech bloggers guffawed that Adobe had “played the porn card“, Adobe went all passive-agressive, just like a typical ex, claiming the inclusion of the Bang Brothers image was only a joke dammitall. Others pointed out that Adobe was bang on the money, because if you can’t surf for porn on the iPad, what’s the purpose of the bloody thing in the first place? [Wired]
Tags: business, Contests, crowdsourcing, flash, industry, news, snippets
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