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INVASION OF THE SWIRLY CORPORATE LOGOS! |
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It has practically become a requirement that, along with having a bandwidth-sucking Flash intro to your site, you now must also sport a corporate logo that looks happening and geometric. Now I don't know exactly what the swirl is supposed to symbolize, but I'm guessing the marketing types figure it shows motion, movement, and action. Given what's happened in the dot-com world and the recent shenanigans in corporate America, I'm starting to see the swirl more as a sign of a company that's unstable, unpredictable, and uncertain about what it does. Chaos disguised as cool. I tend to read an even deeper symbolism here: in an age where many companies themselves don't seem to have a clue as to what they do or how their products are supposed to add value to their customers, what better image to present than one of a confusing whirlwind. The perfect example of how "we leverage client initiatives by facilitating best-of-breed synergies". And it's not just cool, young, hip companies that are doing it. While most of the companies employing the swirl are in the high-tech industries, even organizations that have been around for a while are choosing to ditch perfectly workable logos in favor of the new 'do. In fact, one of the first of the old-line companies that decided to update their look and get with the swirl was Bell Canada. Back in the mid-90's, after going 100-plus years with the simple, identifiable text-only "Bell" logo, they added a graphic to their logo (see above). The image depicts what looks like a person's head with swirling currents engulfing it. I'm not sure what it's supposed to mean (probably something to do with convergence or some other buzzword), but every time I look at it, I see a poor Joe under attack from a barrage of invasive, discordant noise. Kind of typifies the Bell Canada marketing strategy over the last several years. In an age where it is becoming increasingly difficult to know what to expect from the companies we buy from, invest in, and work for, we are hungering for clarity and predictability. The companies that understand that will concentrate their efforts in presenting a cohesive image to the world. The ones that don't will add a swirl to their logo. RETURN TO WRITEANGLE.NET HOME PAGE This page and all its contents are copyright © 2002 by Daniel Carpini and may not be reproduced in any form for any reason. |
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Sometimes, they seem to take shape under the cover of night. Other times, you happen to notice them during a harmless daytime search on Google. But regardless of when they first show up, one thing is becoming clear: they have already started infiltrating. And they're probably coming soon to a corporate web site near you. |
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I'm talking about the trend of companies to start incorporating curly, swirly swatches in their logos. The design is becoming very recognizable, as if the shape had been taken from the same basic template. Picture the famous Nike "swoosh" flipped upside down and then rounded a bit. It essentially features a semi-circular swirl together with a shape (spheres are a good choice) and the company name. Take a look at these wonderfully curvy examples: |
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