The current Comedy Central logo versus the proposed Comedy Central logo as of January 1, 2011
The unfair thing about printed network logos, like the versions above showing how the Comedy Central logo is expected to change on January 1, 2011, is that motion graphics can give you lots of visually interesting choices that a flat logo can’t.
But in my opinion (and really, isn’t that the only one that matters 😉 a logo needs to hold its own when it is flat, on paper because that will be one of its uses.
This new logo for Comedy Central falls flat alright, it’s bad. It’s one of those logos that make you look at it and say “somebody got paid for that?!” and then ask “I wonder how much somebody got paid to design that?!” In either case, it is not a complimentary question.
Upside down C’s, an inverted word? Really?
Maybe this a joke…a really great joke. That’s GOT to be the reason because this can’t be a real logo for a national cable channel.
Go ahead, tell me how wrong I am in my assessment of this design. Where’s the mirth? Where’s the vibrancy? What about this logo is visually arresting or interesting? Help me here.
My friend John Florian who runs the on-line voice over news center Voice-Over Xtra! sent an email to me (and probably 1,000 of my closest friends) asking for some insight in to our workload for political voiceover projects during the 2010 mid-term elections that just blew through the U.S. like a cyclone.
The purpose of the survey, which I took, is to gauge (among other things) what types of political advertisements most voice talents voiced this season. Positive or negative? Issue or attack ads? Funded by PAC’s or other groups etc.
Nobody is asked to share their personal political beliefs or anything like that.
The most interesting result I want to find out from this survey is whether voice talents on average will or will not voice spots for issues or politicians they do not believe in. Some people will say no and some will say…it’s just a job and as a voice actor, I need to act like I believe in this or that; it’s not an endorsement.
I know for me, I have only one issue that I look at with possible political spots and if the spot or the candidate runs contrary to that belief, then I decline the business. Others might see things differently so I look forward to the survey results.
Usually changing planes at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago is not terribly exciting. Sometimes it is terrible but again not terribly exciting.
Not so today.
I came across two unexpected marketing executions, one expected but not seen (maybe this is a world exclusive?) and the other unexpected and very impressive.
This is MY first look at an actual post merger United Continental Airplane design. I really didn’t think these were going to be ready so soon but what do I know! 🙂 I will say that as of this writing, the United web sitestill has their old branding sans Continental’s blue and gold.
This is an incredibly cool and BIG sale brochure 😉 for Courtyard Marriotthighlighting their newly designed lobbies. That is a FULL video wall along the one side and what I believe is an interactive video screen on the side. Anybody cruising through gates B and EF will see this and it is an impressive sight.
I hope you have NOT seen this commercial before (I’ve just seen it on the web) and the imagery and imagination that when into it I think is just terrific.
Advertising like this works best when the concept is so unexpected, it makes you think/say “what, what was that again?”
Father and son voice actors Donald and Kiefer Sutherland
People ask me alot about how I succeed in my search engine optimization, why I seem to be alot of places on the web and “how do you do that?”
It involves pixie dust and eye of newt, to be sure 😉 but I think a better example would be a recent experience I had that describes it pretty well.
I subscribe to Google Alerts with a bunch of key words – I want to know what those words uncover on the web for me.
One of those terms is voice over talent (because I is one, ya know).
Reading a day’s post headlines in the Google Alerts, I was directed to the blog for the very popular advertising agency, Wieden+Kennedy New York who evidently have the Delta Airlines account. Following its merger with Northwest Airlines, Delta is now the nation’s (or world’s or galaxy’s) biggest airline.
Anyway, the agency has a blog (oooo, is that social media at work? hint) and they did a post about their recent TV spots for Delta. These spots feature the voice over genius of Donald Sutherland.
Damn those Sutherland boys (Donald and Kiefer), I just KNOW that every spot they were picked for, I was the client’s SECOND choice for voice talent. I just know it! You’d think those boys could say no once and a while! 😉
Anyway so I watch the spots and they are magnificent. They are well shot (in black and white no less), well edited, superbly written and the voiceover is as I said genius. You can see them at the end here. I say that not only as a marketing, advertising and voice over professional but also as a frequently flyer and not always on Delta.
So bringing this back to the lesson:
* With a free subscription to Google Alerts to find information that is customized for my likes
* I found a blog post to a major advertising agency’s blog (maybe they could be my client some day – why not?)
* Who produced some amazing TV spots that fill my creative mind with more ideas
* Which also included a wonderful voice over performance that I can also learn from
* And without even any of the parties knowing it (Delta Airlines, Wieden+Kennedy, Donald Sutherland and Kiefer Sutherland) I am telling you (and showing you) about their work which now makes it viral.
* If you share this story with even one more person it makes it more viral
