Leave a good logo alone

Posted on 15/11/2010 by Karen

I’m a big fan of the saying ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. Which is why I just had to stop and take a photo of this sign. It’s the only one of its kind I have seen, and despite checking out the Elders website, I have been unable to find out anything about their logo being changed.

While visiting their website, I found out that Elders has been around for over 170 years. Their website mentions their ‘highly regarded brand image’ so it’s clear that they’re very proud that the name and logo has stood the test of time. Until now.

Driving down Brighton Road, (Adelaide) I was astonished to see what looked like tyre-tracks across the new Elders sign at the local real estate agent’s. Not sure who decided that they needed a logo redesign but it’s definitely broken all their style-guide rules for sure.

With the plethora of logos everywhere we look, companies who have been around for many years and have a well-recognised logo have to protect it. Coca-Cola’s logo has been modified quite a couple of times since 1886 and the logo used today is pretty much a slight modernisation of the original.

If you have need of a logo, I encourage you to make the investment and use a graphic designer. If you really don’t have any money, stick to some nice, basic type and don’t get too tricky.

Karen Zaskolny of Copy with Cream is a freelance copywriter who assists businesses with their web copywriting, brochures and has written an e-book called Better Ads in 1 Hour.