Opinion categories
Thursday, August 13, 2009



My reviews were becoming too numerous to manage in a simple stream on this website and so I've created the categories above to better manage my opinion.

I've been compelled to demonstrate a language constructed of marks to handle brands. The marks of this language show how different types of marks determine brand experiences. The most numerous reviews using this language are of brand identities with a specific focus on brandmarks. Commonly referred to as logos, I use the term 'brandmark' to denote a brand's primary mark. And as a result I actively discourage the use of the term 'logo'. More on this in Brand marks.

An explosive topic in the design and branding media at the moment is the relentless rise of spec work (speculative work), which is most commonly encountered in the form of crowdsourcing on the internet. The internet has made possible the harnessing of large numbers of amateur and professional designers to compete in project competitions for an awarded fee with no other compensation.

Spec work is tackled as a scourge on the professional design industry and seen to devalue professional design services on the whole. Efforts are being made, especially in the US, to formalise a professional body to discourage designers and clients to engage speculative work. You will find more of my thoughts on this in the Crowdsourcing section.

As I believe brands are best handled as collectvely held opinions it makes sense to expect brand identity professionals to have opinions about prominent brands. I hope you find my reviews entertaining and thought provoking.







Permalink