Semester has started and I’m working at the coffee shop on some homework.
Just introduced my children to the Blues Brothers.
Reading over the syllabus for one of the classes I’m taking this semester and I’ll be using R and Python. (And trying to learn Swift on my own…) Hopefully my brain can keep it all straight.
Love the new Lego Galaxy Explorer, but the new Lion Knight’s Castle is the most perfect nostalgia Lego set for me. I loved all the castle sets when I was a kid.
I’ve now done enough academic writing in grad school, that I’m starting to come around to the Oxford comma.
I love writing with fountain pens, but I’m just not using them enough every day. I cleaned out a bunch of pens tonight and mixed up my rotation. I’m down to two fountain pens in my pen case… a TWSBI Eco with green ink and a Lamy AL-Star with black ink. ✒️
Working from a coffee shop this afternoon. Made progress on a project for the class I’m taking this semester, but ended up spending more time sketching and working on a new typeface.
I finally got around to setting up Universal Control on my MacBook Pro and my iPad. I’ve got to say, it’s pretty impressive. I’m not sure how often I will use it, but I can see some situations where it will be helpful.
I helped my high schooler study for her Spanish exam … I took seven years of German and don’t speak Spanish. That was interesting. I hope it helped her. 😜
I took today off for a personal “retreat.” Working on planning for the rest of the year and thinking through what I want to accomplish with my side projects, grad school and more. I need to do this more often.
📷 #9: Bloom: Tiny roses.
📷 #8: Union. Sky+Ocean. Sun+Sand.
I’m glad my kids love lacrosse, but I’m really excited that both Norah’s and Ryan’s seasons are over and our evenings and weekends return to normal for a few months.
📷 #7: Park. At a park today for the last 10U lacrosse game of the season.
📷 #6: Silhouette. Elton’s down there somewhere… from a few weeks ago.
📷 #5: Earth. Dried and cracked mud.
📷 #4: Thorny. A little bit literal with this one. The rose bush in our front yard. 🌹
📷 #3: Experimental. This week, I’ve been experimenting with charcoal grilling. I’ve always had a gas grill, but wanted a different experience so we purchased a Weber grill and a chimney starter. New recipes and grilling techniques. Having fun, but still learning.
Interesting study on sleep finds that for middle aged and older adults, seven hours of sleep is ideal. Confirming that I need to sleep a little more… 😴
Second attempt at using our new charcoal grill. 🔥 Heat issue is resolved. Although now, the temp might be a little too high.
📷 #2: Photo. The cover of a 1970s photo album.
📸 #1: Switch. Keychron K2 with red hot swappable switches.
I’m starting with a clean Micro.Blog slate. Still trying to configure things so I post on my Squarespace blog, it comes to Micro.Blog and then posts to Twitter.
The Curious Case of the Missing Apple Logo
Two notable logo trends from Apple
This post was originally posted on April 22, 2021 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.
Apple has one of the most recognizable logos in the world. Which isn’t surprising because they are the largest company in the world. I’ve been watching a couple of trends over the last few months about how Apple uses their logos and this week, those trends have become even more apparent. For brand managers and designers, I think there is something interesting going on and it’s worth digging into the mystery.
The logo is “missing.”
Apple isn’t afraid to use their logos. All of their computers have prominent logos. They include logo stickers in all of their boxes. Apple’s logo is everywhere. But on their new iMac, which was released this week, Apple’s logo is on the back, but not on the front. The last few generations of iMac’s have featured a prominent logo on the back and a second logo on the “chin,” facing the user. The new iMac has no user facing logo.1
But the iMac isn’t the only recent Apple product with an interesting logo story. I first noticed Apple’s changing logo use with the introduction of the AirPod Max, which has no Apple logos at all on the product. There is plenty of room for a logo on the side of the headphones, but there is none to be found.
I guessed the AirPods Max was the only Apple product without a logo, but I was wrong. For some reason I assumed that my AirPods case had the Apple logo on it, but guess what? It doesn’t. I checked Apple’s website and the AirPods Pro don’t have a logo either. (Although according to Apple’s website and an iFixit teardown, the chip inside the AirPods Pro has a tiny logo printed on it.) My Apple Watch has a tiny Apple logo on the bottom on it, but it’s not visible when it’s being worn. Apple doesn’t include logos on any of their wearable products.2
But that’s not all. I’ve been trying out Apple Fitness+ and there are tons of visible logos. Nike logos. All of the instructors seem to be wearing Nike gear. There are no Apple logos. No special Apple Fitness+ shirts. No little Apple “watermark” in the corner of the screen. An Apple logo isn’t hidden somewhere on the set.
I checked Apple’s competitors. Amazon, Samsung and Microsoft all include their logo on the charging case for their AirPod competitors. Sony and Google even managed to get their logo on the earbud itself. None of the competing smartwatches that I looked at had logos, although Samsung etched “Galaxy Watch” into the crown for some reason.
In the fitness space, Peloton employees sport logo apparel while they lead classes. And the instructors on Nike’s fitness apps obviously sport Nike gear.
So what’s going on? I’m not sure.
My first reaction is it’s just an issue of taste. Placing logos all over a product is tacky — especially for wearables. And Apple is showing their superior taste by acknowledging that consumers don’t always want to be sporting company logos. Maybe? But lots of premium and luxury brands include logos on their products. And Apple isn’t exactly shy about using their logo.
It’s not about the logo size. Even the Apple Pencil has a logo. And as I mentioned, the chips inside the AirPods have logos printed on them. (The chips… inside the case… that the consumer never sees…)
The absence of a logo is even stranger when you realize the original intent of a trademarked logo: to clearly identify the manufacturer. With a company like Apple, whose designs are ripped off more than about any other tech company, their logo is the part of the design that absolutely can’t be legally copied.
My best guess is that Apple thinks that their product designs are unique enough, that they don’t even need a logo. People will know AirPods are an Apple product when they see them. The Apple Fitness+ workouts feel like Apple even if their logo isn’t present. I don’t think any other company can make a desktop computer that looks like the new iMac. Apple’s presence is understood because of the overall production quality and design. A logo isn’t necessary.
The logo is “incognito.”
Typical corporate logo standards are incredibly strict. Apple doesn’t publish their internal brand guidelines, but it’s clear they do allow some more playful uses of their mark. For example, they often use illustrated versions of their logo to promote their media events, like they did for this week’s Spring Forward event. Allowing logo variations in large corporate identity systems isn’t uncommon, but those variations are typically used for structural identifications between organizational divisions or product lines.
But Apple is using logo variants that align with their values.
In 2014, Apple started using a logo with a green leaf in their retail stores on Earth Day. This logo seems to be used mostly in Apple retail, but showed up this week on the Apple home page for Earth Day 2021 and their updated environmental statement.
And in this week’s presentation, they showed their privacy Apple variation, which is often animated and turns the leaf at the top of their logo into a lock. It’s used in ads, videos and sites when Apple is talking about their commitment to privacy. What’s smart about this approach is that Apple is using their logo to not just communicate their identity, but also their corporate values.
(It’s worth noting that there are a couple of other logo variants as well: a gift that is used during the holidays and a version for their Marina Bay Sands retail store in Singapore. And I’m sure there are others as well.)
What lessons can we take from Apple’s approach to logo management?
Apple’s visual branding is clearly effective. Repetition and consistency are the foundation of contemporary brand management, but Apple has decided to not use their logo in some places and change it in others. This ongoing shift in logo usage isn’t accidental or ill-considered. A couple of lessons to think about:
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Everything doesn’t need a logo. In the 1990s, branding meant putting the logo on everything, but is it really necessary? (It isn’t.) Logos are important, but they aren’t the only way you communicate your identity. Apple’s using their logos smartly, and not over using their marks.
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Differentiation happens with the design around the logo. Apple’s products are identified by their look and feel. Yes, the logo is part of that, but Apple’s visual branding extends far beyond just their logo. Their brand is expressed as much through the surrounding elements — type, color, materials — as it is through their logo. Their visual differentiation extends far beyond just their logo and their identity is stronger for it.
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Think about how a visual identity can reflect a company’s values. Most of the time, visual identity reflects an organization’s structure, but connecting your visual brand to your corporate values is potentially more powerful. Apple uses logo variations that support their beliefs, not their hierarchy.
We’ll never hear from their branding team and Apple doesn’t publicly share their logo and branding guidelines. We’ll just have to watch as they rollout ads, events and products. But it’s clear that Apple is diverging from the standard brand playbook here and I think we should pay attention to where they go next.
Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
Podcasts are the new special interest magazines
Detailed, up-to-date and authoritative
This post was originally posted on July 4, 2019 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.
I grew up loving magazines. Any time I’d be interested in something, I’d head to the magazine aisle in the bookstore or grocery store and look for magazines on the topic. Computers, cars, boats, science, model railroads, photography, sports, baseball cards, comics, design and more. It didn’t matter what I was interested in, there was at least one magazine on the topic.
Growing up in the pre-internet days, these magazines provided the info I was looking for. Detailed, up-to-date, authoritative info about whatever geeky habits I was interested in. Even the ads were informative and useful. I subscribed to some of them. Others, I’d buy if the main topics that month interested me.
The internet destroyed these publications. The first blow came from blogs. Authoritative people writing about the things they loved that people could read for free. The second blow was Google, which could route you to exactly what you were looking for. For various reasons — mostly related to monetization — the blog revolution failed to really take hold. Google’s search engine algorithm seemed to reward people with better SEO tactics over more authoritative sources. When I search Google for resources today, it’s hard to tell if what I’ve found is up-to-date or reputable. More often than not, I’m led to dated post of questionable origin that barely answers my question.1
I was excited about the introduction of Apple News+. Access to hundreds of magazines for $10 a month. The service is nothing world-changing. I’ve absolutely gotten my money’s worth and will continue to subscribe. Surprisingly, though, I discovered I’d already filled the need for a detailed, up-to-date, authoritative source for my geeky habits: podcasting.
I use podcasts the same way I used special interest magazines as a kid.
If I’m interested in a topic, I find a podcast. Computers, design, photography, business, pens, science fiction, pop culture, sports, meditation and more. I subscribe to many of these podcasts in Overcast2, while others I only listen to a few episodes. Even the ads are informative and relevant. Podcasts are how I learn about and explore new topics.
Some people think of podcasting as an evolution of talk radio. Others feel it’s more an audio form of blogging. I suppose I don’t have an issue with either of those opinions, but for me, podcasts serve a vital role as a replacement for the special interest magazine.
Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.