Members only

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around does it make a sound?

Well yes, of course it does. But does it affect anyone?

Similarly, if a designer works a clever visual trick into a logo, but hides it so subtly that she needs to point it out to everyone, is there any point to the trick at all?

Passionate designers can spend hours talking about clever use of negative space, added layers and smiles in the mind. And I say that with affection, because I’m one of them.

But sometimes we’re too clever by half, and we’ve all lived through an awkward moment when an excited colleague unveils their brilliant logo idea, waiting for you to discover its hidden genius:

“What do you think?”
“Yeah I like it”
“Do you get it?”
“Ahh, yeah it’s a dog”
“Yeah but what else...(awkward silence)...did you not see the sunset hidden within the tail?”
“Yeah yeah, of course. Sunset. Clever.”

I love a clever logo as much as the next designer. There is such a rush that comes with finding that extra layer, that simple yet elusive trick, that turns a dog into a dog with a sunset.

Almost every time I have a ‘wish I’d done that’ moment it’s to do with a logo. I remember seeing 300million’s Guild of Food Writers logo a few years ago and feeling like no logo I’d ever designed was any good.

I experienced the same jealousy when I saw the Martin Newcombe Property Maintenance logo by Buddy. If design is about stripping away the unnecessary (and I believe it is) then these are surely near perfect examples.

But how clever is too clever?

Every time I have one of those dog and sunset conversations I think of my Mum.

‘Would Mum see that sunset?’ I ask myself. Probably not. Does it matter? Probably not. Would she appreciate Herb Lubalin’s Mother & Child logo? Definitely.

Now I’m not suggesting that as designers we stop chasing the ultimate in logo trickery, I’m simply interested in how often we are just talking to ourselves.

I’m not suggesting we should slap people in the face with obvious visual puns, but there is a fine line between clever and invisible. Smart and obscure.

Great logos are great because their designers walked that delicate tightrope, adding a layer that is relevant, subtle and accessible (maybe not to everyone, but to many).

And, great logos never rely on a single trick to rescue otherwise clunky design. Whether you spot the sunset or not, if that dog isn’t interesting and well executed in it’s own right then it’s a dud.

Which brings me to the FedEx logo.

‘Ahhh yes, very clever logo’ I hear you all say. Yes, it is very clever, no argument there. But how many (average) people get to enjoy it? Not my Mum.

Here’s what my research revealed:
(After Dad finally manages to Google the FedEx logo and I’ve explained to Mum what I am doing)

“Ok so what do you see?”
“What do you mean love?”
“I mean when you look a the logo, what do you see?”
“Well I just see the FedEx logo... It’s purple and orange”
“Do you see anything else, anything...hidden in there?”
“Oh I’m supposed to see a hidden word am I?”
“No Mum. But there is a white arrow hidden between the  E and the X”
“Ahh yes, I see it. That’s clever”

Indeed it is Mum, indeed it is. But was it clever before I told her about it? Well yes, of course it was. Does it affect anyone? Hard to say. Hopefully. Either way, I wish I’d done it.