11 comments

  • Nelson JoyceNelson Joyce, over 10 years ago

    This is the bread and butter right here:

    "Next she should try the same with Yahoo’s server architecture. Ask everyone about the best server configuration and then put together a brief for the system administrators. Why not? We all use the web, and know how to load and save and stuff."

    The biggest problem isn't the quality of the work produced, but the trivialization of the design process.

    2 points
    • Franta HejlFranta Hejl, over 10 years ago

      Apples an oranges. The whole point of a logo is to create certain feelings in people who look at the logo. So it makes complete sense to ask whether people like it. A logo that professional designers love but other people go "meh :/" is not a good logo. Should chefs only ask other chefs whether they like their meals?

      The biggest problem isn't the quality of the work produced, but the trivialization of the design process.

      In other words, designers hate the Mayer's redesign blogpost because it hurts their egos.

      2 points
      • John FlynnJohn Flynn, over 10 years ago

        Way to miss the point.

        0 points
      • Connor Tomas O'BrienConnor Tomas O'Brien, over 10 years ago

        By that logic, it seems as though you're suggesting that chefs should all cook McDonald's-style hamburgers and designers should all crank out logotypes in Comic Sans.

        Experts shouldn't act by polling non-experts and seeing what the non-experts like. Experts act by drawing on their own deep well of knowledge about their field.

        0 points
        • Franta HejlFranta Hejl, 10 years ago

          If all people actually preferred McDonald's 1) in every situation 2) all the time and 3) other meals would be equally inexpensive, then yes, chefs should only cook McDonald's style hamburgers.

          As a customer, I buy meals that I like, not meals that the chef likes.

          0 points
  • Franta HejlFranta Hejl, over 10 years ago (edited over 10 years ago )

    This is not enough, we need even more hateful articles about how Marissa Mayer completely and totally fucked up with the logo.

    "What do these geniuses really need to achieve in a few days that less talented professionals need months for?"

    Yes, good logo can be made in days, even hours. And an agency can spend months designing a shitty logo costing millions.

    2 points
  • Jason YehJason Yeh, over 10 years ago

    For a company that wants to attract any design talent to work for them at all. Their respect to the design process and final outcome is deadly important.

    She basically just pooped on every designer working at yahoo. Watch people run out and the lesser talent run in.

    1 point
  • David HickoxDavid Hickox, over 10 years ago

    Excellent article.

    Compare Yahoo!'s rebranding with that of AOL's a few years ago. Both were dated companies occupying an increasingly irrelevant position. With AOL's rebranding, they said "We're gonna turn this shit on its head and be committed to becoming a relevant and forward-thinking company." Yahoo! had that chance, and needed to make that statement, and what they did instead was a modest and unimpressive logo refinement.

    1 point
  • Sacha GreifSacha Greif, over 10 years ago

    This was a well-written and thought-provoking post, but overall I'd say it's probably mistaken.

    Oliver tries to infer too much from a single blog post in my opinion, when for all we know that blog post was written specifically to convey the idea that Yahoo is a fun, friendly company where the CEO designs the logo over the week-end.

    And I think the HN thread on this one is worth a look: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6339842

    0 points
  • Peter KangPeter Kang, over 10 years ago

    this was such a beautifully written post... props to oliver reichenstein

    loved this bit: "This post is not about the technical quality of the logo. I am not writing about brand design, but about brand management. This is about a simple rule: Brand design follows brand management, not the other way around."

    0 points