Scott Hansen aka ISO50 has a diverse collection of Olympic logos (I assume this is all of them). The design gets cleaner and modern around 1952 (with a couple of exceptions) and then drops off into the “ugly” abyss around 1988, although the L.A. 1984 is borderline bad.

If you’ve ever been curious about the origins of a particular car logo, or many, this post from Neatorama should sum it up squarely for you.

Taking us on a historical fact mission of visual evolution from Alfa Romeo to Volkswagen, it showcases clandestine facts and revelations, like that the original Volkswagen symbol echoed the Swastika. Sure, everyone knows it was born of out the Nazi machine (a reason to this day many people of Jewish heritage won’t drive them), but to see that original logo makes it unmistakable.

Also interesting, according to the post, is a point that the Audi rings emerged Phoenix-like from the ashes of four auto makers. Head on over if this piques your curiosity.

Finally, someone, namely Daniel Lewandowski has taken the great care of creating a respectable tribute site to graphic design legend and my personal favorite, Mr. Paul Rand. The site’s aesthetic is pared-down and lovingly crafted in a framework that is understated and modest, yet the perfect compliment to his work and legacy. Mr. Rand would certainly be proud.

According to Mr. Lewandowski, that when he first started the project, he “discovered that there were no “single-source” references to Mr. Rand or his works anywhere on the internet.” He claims that he is “in no way a philosopher or critic of design,” but has a “great respect for the history of our industry and the people who have shaped it.”

A wave of bad design has taken afoot in the branding design sector. Not sure when it started exactly, but its roots definitely trace back to the good work done at Apple, when the Aqua/bubbly/2 point oh/whatever-you-want-to-call-it movement started. With Xerox recently entering the fray of high-profile, substandard creativity, it seems there is little hope but to keep our collective fingers crossed for a time in which we again will take a nod from the Modernist movement, when simplicity ruled and it was more about substance and form than style.

Today, what we see is the march towards peak visibility (read: over-the-top glossiness) and that’s a damn shame, because what serves the brand better? An initial wallop over the head or a lasting impression and long-term consumer resonance. I’d go for the latter if I was signing-off on a million-dollar (or god-knows how much) campaign. It seems the people making the decisions at the top are either clueless or ok, they are just clueless, there is no other option. Taste isn’t a virtue acquired with wealth, unfortunately.

I remember back in the 80’s when I heard that the “new” NBC logo was done for a million plus and how that sat squarely with me for quite some time. What I couldn’t get my arms around was how basic the logo was and how it could command such a figure. Ultimately, it was discovered that it was essentially a rip on a Nebraska broadcasting network’s logo. It was astonishing that after all that, it wasn’t even an original idea. I remember they later hastily slapped a stylized version of the peacock logo on top of the new “N,” but it was short-lived.

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Great post over at Deadprogrammer’s Cafe about the transformation of the Starbucks ID. Fascinating how the end result was derived from a fairly erotic and suggestive piece of 15th century artwork. So, those two mystery objects next to the “siren” in the current-day logo are the remnants of her well, how do I put this….awaiting fins?

Doesn’t make sense to me that such a striking visual image with a strong brand behind it has little or no meaning to it. It should at least evoke a semblance of something other than just a mermaid-ish figure that symbolizes what? A fish and chips chain? A canning company? Where’s the connection to coffee? Must be the merchant vessels that carry it up from South America. Yeah, that’s it. And I guess this siren won’t be seducing and killing sailors like the original, either.