[Lnc-business] UPDATED - logo picker

Sat Apr 18 14:35:41 EDT 2015

Hello Dan . . .

>>5. "L-Looping-P" -- I can't make up my mind about this.  On the one hand I appreciate its clean form and simplicity, and the way it could lend itself to good branding.  On the other hand, it seems like it would only be effective if we spent $100 million on a marketing campaign to establish it as the LP symbol, similar to what giant corporations would have to do to re-brand themselves.  Plus it lacks any inherent meaning, which may not bother the general public but would matter to a lot of libertarians.

Branding is exactly the idea.  That’s exactly what we should be trying to establish.  A mark which authenticates anything we produce. Nobody else is permitted to use it.

Branding is exactly why corporations will spend $100 million dollars to promote their logos.  That’s why corporations spend even more money protecting them from unauthorized use.

Spending huge amounts of money is not necessary to establish a brand.  Consistent use in all communications is how this is accomplished. Thus, a logo that works well on business cards, lapel pins, hats, tee-shirts, letterhead, newsletters, banners, yard signs, bumper stickers, web sites, which can be printed, can be embroidered, silkscreened,  etc. etc. etc. is important.  It is not the amount of money used to promote it (although, as always, a substantial amount of money doesn’t hurt).  A logo that works well in all these environments, and especially in any single/multiple color scheme will _save_ a substantial amounts of money for the national, the affiliates, and each activist/candidate legitimately seeking to associate with the Libertarian Party.

The meaning associated with the logo is something that we establish through its effective use.  The meaning of a logo should be something that we control and not dependent upon how an observer chooses to interpret it.  Since we control the meaning of the logo, changing the logo is not likely to be necessary.  It should not be confused with an insurance company, a tax service, a university, an identity protection service, a football game, or an person/entity that is trying to use the image for their own purpose.

An effective logo is one that communicates with the general public.  It is the general public who we are trying to reach with our branding effort.  We don’t need a branding device to communicate with our members.

The “L-Looping-P” (or something similar) is a squiggle which is likely to be trademarkable.  If so, we have legal recourse against unauthorized use (assuming we obtain a trademark on it).  Not so with the Statue of Liberty image; not so with the word “Libertarian”.  This is why many of the truly recognizable logos tend to be simple squiggles of some sort. 

Norm 

--

Norman T Olsen

Regional Representative, Region 1

Libertarian National Committee

7931 South Broadway, PMB 102

Littleton, CO  80122-2710

303-263-4995

From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces at hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Daniel Wiener
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2015 1:13 AM
To: lnc-business at hq.lp.org
Cc: Aaron Starr
Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] UPDATED - logo picker

Thank you, Arvin.  Now that I can see the logo candidates side-by-side, here are my impressions:

1. "Torch Eagle" -- Not bad, and I could live with it.  But I'm not as enthusiastic as I was at the LNC meeting.

2. "Torch Flower" -- Meh.  I could tolerated it, just barely.  There are several better options.

3. "Liberty Bell L" -- No.  I'm not a fan of negative space, and if someone doesn't immediately recognize the bell portion it looks pretty stupid.

4. "1996 (prior) Logo" -- This would be my default choice if we can't agree on anything else.

5. "L-Looping-P" -- I can't make up my mind about this.  On the one hand I appreciate its clean form and simplicity, and the way it could lend itself to good branding.  On the other hand, it seems like it would only be effective if we spent $100 million on a marketing campaign to establish it as the LP symbol, similar to what giant corporations would have to do to re-brand themselves.  Plus it lacks any inherent meaning, which may not bother the general public but would matter to a lot of libertarians.

6. "Crown-in-Torch" -- I like it.  It has a touch of elegance and maintains the LP's torch of liberty theme.  I wouldn't necessarily put it in first place, but I'd classify it as one of the leading contenders.

7. "Stylized Lady Liberty" -- It's okay, but I think it's a bit inferior to #4.

8. "Old Logo" -- Too dark.  Not as good as #4.

9. "Rosie the Riveter" -- This has possibilities.  But this was a conceptual suggestion, and needs to be simplified and stylized a bit to make it more practical.  Aaron Starr had proposed this, and said he was going to follow up with the Texas LP and contact the designer to see if an improved version could be made.  I'm copying Aaron on this email, to see if he's made any progress along those lines.

Dan Wiener

--------------------
From: Arvin Vohra <arvin at arvinvohra.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 16, 2015 at 11:33 PM
Subject: [Lnc-business] UPDATED - logo picker
To: lnc-business at hq.lp.org

Hi guys - here is an updated image showing the logo options.

-Arvin

-- 

"In general, we look for a new law by the following process. First, we guess it (audience laughter), no, don’t laugh, that’s the truth. Then we compute the consequences of the guess, to see what, if this is right, if this law we guess is right, to see what it would imply and then we compare the computation results to nature or we say compare to experiment or experience, compare it directly with observations to see if it works. If it disagrees with experiment, it’s WRONG. In that simple statement is the key to science. It doesn’t make any difference how beautiful your guess is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are, who made the guess, or what his name is. If it disagrees with experiment, it’s wrong. That’s all there is to it.” -- Richard Feynman (https://tinyurl.com/lozjjps)

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