word spacing

Catherine was on the ball, literally, with this one. While I was sleeping away my day at work I totally snoozed on what was going down in “re-branding” world. The design world was crumbling below our little feet and in front of our designer frame glasses.

“Xerox Corp. unveiled a new logo Monday intended to scuttle its old image as a photocopier manufacturer and highlight its software, color printers and other technologically updated products.

“There has been a perception gap in the marketplace,” said Richard Wergan, vice president of worldwide brand marketing and advertising at the Norwalk-based office equipment manufacturer. “Xerox is still perceived incorrectly as a copier company. We do not make copiers.”

MSNBC

Old, Landor

Old old, Chermayeff

New

Pardon my french, but what the FUCK is that bouncy ball thing? Is that supposed to be an “X”, and if so why is it all out of perspective? Why is it wrapping out of perspective the wrong way? And why does it need a drop shadow AND the striated texture? The type isn’t horrific, that isn’t to say it’s great either though. The wavy x’s are all wonky and wacky and completely unrelated to the wonky “X” on the ball. I smell a big branding agency on this one. A big smelly branding agency. It just better not be WO because they’ve already fugged up enough in 07 that they don’t have a leg to stand on in 08.

UPDATE:

It was our good friends at Interbrand that did this. Interbrand, the same people that brought us that lovely dropshadow on the American Cancer Society logo (which by the way the ACS finally wised up and realized that it was impossible to work with and got rid of it by themselves after trying to deal with it for several years, even though Interbrand still promotes it on their site with the shitty dropshadow). These are the same people that bastardized the AT&T logo. Look, Ivan Chermayeff worked wonders on Xerox back in the beginning and it stood as a wonderful symbol for many many many years. Then Landor developed a great symbol that I actually think was a great addition to the Chermayeff logotype. I don’t see how the large X with the distribution of information doesn’t stand as a symbol of what Xerox currently represents. This new symbol will surely die in a few years just like every other web 2.0 logo. But you, branding Gods, don’t care. You’ll rip them off millions and go on your merry way, only to pass the challenge on to another branding giant who will rip them off for another few million in a few years. Great. Spiffy. That’s the way of the new design revolution. Dear Jebus, is there any doubt as to why I question wanting to be a graphic designer anymore? Is everything about ripping something apart, creating it for the moment to look amateur and then shipping it off? In the long run it really doesn’t affect me so I guess I really shouldn’t care. Interbrand has nothing to do with my life more than Xerox, but if they come and change the logo on the fiery at work then I might have to go all design diva on the copier repair man. And there is nothing worse than a design diva waving around an x-acto knife. And with a sharp blade might I add!
In parting here’s some fun brand-speak from those silly kids at Interbrand that was posted in a Business Week article.

“In fact, an internal document circulated between Interbrand and Xerox describes the new graphic font this way: “I am FS Albert. I am a modern and approachable font. My rounded corners make me more human and less technical.”

Business Week

It’s called a typeface!!!!!!!!!!! TYPEFACE!!!!!!!!!! BLOODY HELL, IT’S A TYPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEE FAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! Well, maybe this is a font. A dumb font. And what the hell is a “graphic font”? Is that supposed to be ironic in some way? Is it a bloody font? A font you wouldn’t want your kids to see, one you would shun their eyes from? One silhouetted in a #2 Hard pencil?

Gotta’ love ‘em, they’re obviously special kids there at Intertube. Or something like that. I hope they change their logo to a big bouncy intertube. Isn’t it strange that this looks strangely like the AT&T logo though? Originality, that’s the key when reselling your same work to different clients. Balls are the new swoosh. Jump on the trend while it’s still fresh.