Comments on: Brand by lottery

By: DP

DP — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:26:09 +0000

If either the amateurs or the pros come up with anything like the Melbourne symbol my weetbix are in danger of severe immersion on the day the Herald publishes it!

By: Andy Jaquet

Andy Jaquet — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:03:38 +0000

Many thanks for responding Hamish, and clarifying your position. And John V for your comments. I can certainly see the PR benefit of engaging the people in this competition, but in truth my argument is not about the Super City logo or who does it. My point is do we in New Zealand take design seriously from a business perspective? We have great magazines like Idealog that extol the virtues of design to promote business and institutions like Better by Design that are trying their best to get NZ business on the world map through design. But this logo competition for New Zealand's commercial capital, the gateway for NZ exports, sends out the wrong message. And throw away line or not, Bob's comment about 'scribbles' was very unhelpful. If we are to build New Zealand's export presence, we need to do it with integrity, with design at the very heart of it.

By: Adam Errington

Adam Errington — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:36:03 +0000

I agree that the branding should be commissioned to specialist branding and design companies because it is an important identity for the city council of Auckland.

However, I'm not sure about comparing this project with the branding processes of Coca Cola, Disney, Apple, Vodafone and Melbourne. We are talking about the Auckland regional council here. It virtually doesn't even register next to the size of those brands.

This type of branding should include public submissions to feed into the branding and design process. This is the same method used in the commission of public architecture projects. It is no-brainer.

We have to accept that this council will make some mistakes in its early years.

The very first mistake started with the self-appointed name of "super city". It is not quite honest. It seems to only convey an inflated ego which is slightly embarassing for the people of Auckland and New Zealand.

The last thing the world wants is another city that thinks it is "super". Auckland is better than all of that. It is something more unique. This is why the council desperately needs the input of some specialist branding expertise. But will it listen to it's own experts?

By: Doug Hawkins

Doug Hawkins — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:32:48 +0000

Well Said, Hamish

By: Hamish Keith

Hamish Keith — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:52:25 +0000

The judges receive no fee and while Andy might be right about a degree of discomfort we cant change the process but his profession can change the result – I hope they will stop complaining and do so. John V is quite right this is not a brand – it might be the beginning of a brand or even one step before that. To Coca Cola John could have added the London underground which began with the bright idea of a sign writer in 1908 and never got anywhere near being a brand until decade later. I wouldn't take Bob's plea for scribbles at any more than a throwaway line – we would leave that to Telecom and the New Dowse and their professional designers. Take heart Andy we may come up dry we are not bound to select anything and there will be no lovely list of also rans to feed a public fight – if we find something that does the job and has promise of being inventively extendible we will go for it – if not not

By: John V

John V — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:27:36 +0000

Andy, it's a logo comp for the council for goodness sake, NOT the SuperCity. Get over it!

If you want to get a feel for Hamish Keith's comments I hope he won't mind me suggesting you should read our Blog post http://blog.everythingdesign.co.nz/auckland-council-logo-competition/ (as Hamish said in relation to the post, "I wish I'd said it myself" or words to that effect).

And finally, as I'm sure you know, a logo is not a brand. Do you really think there was a great brand strategy investment in the Coca Cola logo when it was first created by Frank Mason Robinson in 1885 and trademarked shortly after? I don't think so!

My understanding is that Frank Mason Robinson was a pharmacist and not a designer. The logo's cursive script was something he could produce even then as an amateur. And yet it has become one of the most recognised logos and brands in the world. Unlike the much disliked and professionally designed Auckland A.

Don't get me wrong, I would certainly prefer the Council to use a professional design firm. But I see very little to be worried about the Council running a public logo comp.

And who knows, perhaps another pharmacist might just do the business Andy.