Throughout the history of companies, businesses, institutions have branded their work by adding a distinctive label to it. They have applied everything from single-character insignias to shields and crests, all the way to unique store logos that communicate to the public who they are.
A good logo is important to create a connection with consumers. They will see it and in the future, they may remember it and associate it with a good product or service to use again, which may lead to brand loyalty. A good logo separates businesses from the competition during this era when consumer’s eyes are constantly barraged with logos and ads.
Unfortunately, not every product or service is endowed with a well-designed logo. The usual dichotomy is that consumers associate good products with their product branding and will continually buy those products. There is, however, an uncommon circumstance a good product or service will be destined to fail. This can happen when a product’s logo is so poorly designed it discourages consumers from even trying the product. It creates a misguided perception of the company and their service. The designer and the client both have a part in creating a hideous, clumsily researched logo. The following are examples of five scenarios where the designer and the client have failed each other.
Accidental Group Affiliation
The first logo comes from K.K. Kingston LTD, suppliers of industrial materials in New Guinea. When they started making sales in the United States, many customers were put off by the logo’s similarity to racist group the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). The anti-sentiment from the customers inspired the company to change its logo and is currently under construction. Remember when designing a logo to make it appear to be associated with a controversial group.
Unadjusted Spacing
This logo comes from Kids Exchange, a second-hand store specializing in buying, selling, and trading children’s goods. The problem with this logo is that without the proper spacing, it appears to say ‘kid sex change’. Most parents might get the wrong idea and think this is some kind of surgical alteration clinic. Needless to say, the sign has been dealt with; but the website, however, still reads “kidsexchange.net”.
Inappropriate Images
The above logo comes from a small local satellite/cable TV installation and repair company. This logo’s character is obviously quite excited about his job. But the customers for this place might be a little apprehensive to let the technician near their satellite dish. This one is pretty obvious; do not make your logos look like they could be a reference for an anatomy book.
Subliminal Acts
The Catholic Church’s Archdiocesan Youth Commission came up with this logo in the 1970s. It has been resting in peace for years though due to all the allegations the church has received for the treatment of children. Be careful of what message you are sending, conscious and subconscious.
Counterintuitive
The logo for the Hospital for Special Surgery has been in use for a long time and remains in place as seen on their website. But their logo seems to inspire confusion. The character in the logo seems to either have half a body with extra limbs or has tweaked the location of his extremities. Either way, it is probable that they have received surgery requests for extra arms to climb like Spiderman. Make sure your logo has a clear purpose to avoid unpleasant situations.
While having a badly designed logo may tarnish a business’s public image, the damage is not irreversible. In fact, many bad logos do get changed before they cause too much damage. These five logos lacked a complete review process, which every logo, label, or advertisement should go through. They should have been carefully examined by both the designer and the client if they were not self-designed. Now, thanks to the internet, these five examples will be eternally ridiculed as the images are shared on blogs and social networks.
About the author: I’m Linda S. Davis, a business coach. Recently I’ve started working for dissertation writing services as a business adviser. Besides, I conduct lessons for beginners giving them useful advice on different business techniques and methods.