An online commonplace book
Pepop and Sons was founded in 1985 by Herman Pepop and….
<INSERT RECORD SCRATCH SOUND HERE>
Ok. Not true.
Pepop and Sons is not a real company. But even imaginary companies need graphic design work done. A blank Hot Wheel service technician van is lifeless. But create a fake company with “little JC” as a spokesperson and suddenly you have a story.
Here’s to all the graphic designers out there creating for fake brands!
Huckberry is a menswear brand founded in the summer of 2010. They’re the rare success story of a set of friends, Andy Forch and Richard Greiner, who quit their jobs, start a company, and live awesomely ever after.
The previous logo was designed by Australian based designer Jimmy Gleeson. But has since been redesigned with the logo above.
Their current typeface logo combination made me ask questions about design choice. They didn’t choose traditional “outdoorsy” colors, brown or green for this iteration. They chose a navy (#293b49)
Why #293b49? A symbol of the the night sky? A representation of cool lake water?
Then there’s the fir (we’ll go with a fir tree for now). Why the small part on the left side of the trunk?
Is it a symbol of making one’s mark in the world? A reminder to keep one’s axe sharp?
Despite all my existential logo questions, what makes this logo-typeface combination a head-turner is its simplicity. Simple shapes. Simple color. Effective.
The Volkswagen logo origin is shrouded in mystery.
Austrian engineer Franz Xaver Reimspiess is said to have received a one time payment of 100 Reichmarks for the logo. Other claims say German artist Martin Freyer designed it for a contest. And in 2005, graphic designer Nikolai Borg went to court for his claims of design ownership.
From what the internet says, the mystery remains unsolved.
This is the 67′ edition of the logo, captured from the hood of a 67’ Beetle.
There’s many Einsteins out there. Einstein Bagels, Salesforce Einstein, IBM Einstein, wait no, that’s Watson.
Ok, either way, these Einstein companies want you to feel smart when you use their products. But how many of these Einsteins look smart?
Hard to top Einstein Moving Co’s logo. Clear black and white shapes against what I call “Texas Orange” is noticeable from anywhere in the street.
The logo certainly lives up to the Einstein Moving Co. tagline: “Smart Move”
Floodlights and Goalposts 