Generic and Overused Logos

In the world of creative communities a customer launches their project (for logos, corporate identities, banners, websites, etc.) and designers respond with their proposals. The customer has the possibility to get amazing designs from creatives from all over the world and the creatives have the possibility to show their best work to all the community, creating contacts with international clients. But, in the jungle of logo design, there is a tricky trap: the spreading of the generic logos. Most of the time the logo is so generic, the customer isn’t even able to get a trademark for it.

With a generic logo (not creative, nor tailored to a client’s needs) a company gives to the market an anonymous image of itself, devoid of any of the companies identity. Because of their overused logotype, the company is not able to establish their brand in the marketplace. In this way they’re going straight in the opposite direction than to distinguish themselves from others – which is the whole point of having a logo.

There’s a bunch of designers who submit systematically and randomly low-standard logotypes, often made without reading the client’s brief. They are essentially phishing for wins. All too frequently, it happens that these designers and generic logos win contests.

Maybe the customers choose these logos because they feel familiar. What they don’t know is that the web is full of similar, clone logos. We can easily say that they’re going to be cheated. It’s good if all the customers, who launch creative contests, know this.

SOURCE: Giovanni Tondini