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We’ll be doing some very minor redecorating of this blog (we’re going to widen it a little bit) but this will require that we change the size of the title banner.

So it occurred to me that maybe I should take this time to freshen the look for the title banner which was designed by me though I’ve never really been happy with all of it (some of it I like).

So I asked Ann Hackett of aHa Designs to craft some alternate versions of a new banner. This is where YOU come in.

Please, in the comment section, pick your favorite choice (numbered 1-4).

If you prefer, you may vote that you do not like ANY of them or that you like the current banner just fine.

I really value your opinion and no feelings will be hurt in the honest assessment of these designs!

If you’re willing, please also RETWEET this poll (see the little green button on the top right of this post above the options picture?) so that I can get as many opinions as possible.

Thank you.

Tags: blogs, commentary, community, logo design, marketing by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Yes, I have proclaimed my fervent interest in Olympic logos before and I shall again here. It’s international design, it’s so incredibly personal for the competing cities and some of the designs are way cool (some in comparison are not way cool). It’s a fun and artistic exercise for me. You may just want to wait for the TV show, that’s your call 🙂

First a brief story about how this post came about and some design blogs that you may want to subscribe to because I know I enjoy their stuff. Brand New is a logo design site that I have spoken of before and it always seems to show me new stuff before it hits mainstream. This proves I am not the only logo nut out there just probably the only one who can’t draw a straight line.

Well today, Brand New was talking about the rebranding of the kids cable channel Nickelodeon. It will include a new logo and I’ll try and address that debate in a future post as there seems to be no official word from the network (though many hints) on the final logo version. The point is that Brand New referenced another logo design site called idsgn, who was also blogging about the Nickelodeon change – but they also blogged about the 2016 Olympic Candidate Cities and their logos.

Their question for you to answer in their comments is: “If the decision (to pick the 2016 Olympic host city) were based solely on design, which candidate would win?”

The four cities are: Chicago, Madrid, Rio and Tokyo. Please go to idsgn.com and leave your vote in the comments

Now if you don’t want to be swayed by my opinion stop reading here because I am going to tell you my choices in order now.

Again, last chance, stop reading if you don’t want to know my votes.

OK, they’re gone so now we can chat.

If I went with my heart rather than my design eyes I would have to pick Chicago. I have walked through O’Hare and seen their huge banner promoting their cause as host city and just thought it would be awesome if they won.

But because I have to pick with my design goggles on: it’s Madrid. Then I would rank them: Tokyo, Chicago and then Rio. When you go to the idsgn site and read the stories behind the logos, I think the spirit of the Madrid logo as well as its design match perfectly with what I feel is the Olympic spirit.

P.S. Here is a great follow up post on Olympic logos and how they’ve changed from bid to final logos over the past few Olympics

Tags: branding, commentary, logo design, marketing by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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It is possible that maybe no one else but me finds fascinating the stories of how some famous logos were born. Further, it is possible that people would disagree with me about what constitutes a famous logo.

Well, it’s my blog and I’ll logo-verse (I call copyright on that and all iterations) if I want to!

Music Television International has deemed sacred the original black and white MTV logo so that’s the only version of the logo they will use in their on-air identity (you know, until they create ANOTHER on-air identity)

But I never knew the story behind the original logo’s creation.

Courtesy of Creative Review via Brand New here’s the scoop:

Working with John Lack, the executive vice president of Warner Satellite Entertainment Company (WASEC), Robert Pittman, a successful radio programmer, helped establish a groundbreaking cable television channel: MTV, the music channel. Fred Seibert, a former jazz record producer and radio station promotion coordinator, was hired by Pittman to oversee the identity of the channel. Seibert turned to his lifelong friend Frank Olinsky, who had just established Manhattan Design with two partners, Pat Gorman and Patty Rogoff, to create the logo. The process was remarkably collaborative: Rogoff first drew the big M and worked with Gorman to determine its perspective; then Gorman suggested a pointy TV to its side, which Olinsky took and spray-painted it. Meanwhile, the M was subjected to productive tomfoolery, with the partners rendering it in bricks, polka dots, and zebra stripes, and suggesting the logo could be all these things.

Seibert presented the mutating logo to Pittman and Lack, and met resistance to both the solution and the firm behind it. Seibert was asked to hire a big-name designer like Push Pin Studios or Lou Dorfsman to do the logo. He did, but as the process extended and time became a problem, Manhattan Design’s was approved. Seibert next focused on the station identifications for broadcast, which Pittman equaled to radio jingles, instantly recognizable and memorable. The first pool of collaborators comprised production houses like Broadcast Arts, Colossal Pictures, and Perpetual Motion Pictures, who created surreal ten-second animations that gave life to the MTV logo. For MTV’s top-of-the-hour identification, illustrator Candy Kugel at Perpetual took the still images of Neil Armstrong’s moon landing (available in the public domain) and colorized the MTV logo on top of the American flag. On August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m., to the unmistakable sound of MTV’s guitar riff, this image launched a new generation of viewers, artists, designers, and citizens.
— From our own Graphic Design, Referenced

Tags: advertising, branding, commentary, logo design, marketing, tv by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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NOTE: this was supposed to publish two days ago and I thought it had. Obviously this is WordPress’ fault because I NEVER make mistakes! Stupid WordPress!

The nicest man (and one of the most talented) in voice over has updated his brand.

Bob Souer has unveiled his new web site and blog (likely the most widely read in the business) which now boldly proclaims him to be a “Professional Story Teller”. A more accurate description couldn’t have been created by Shakespeare himself.

Please stop by and have a look around. Now doubt he’ll be adding new pieces in the days and weeks to come but no one deserves the kudos more than Bob. Great job!

Tags: branding, commentary, internet, logo design, marketing, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover blog by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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OK gang, fun idea time!

As this blog is about voice over (vox), marketing (market) and advertising (tising) I thought we should have some summer fun here and combine all three into a voice talent business card gallery.

Simply email me a decent quality jpeg picture of your business card (front and back if you print on both sides) and we’ll show them here. Email peter (insert the at sign) audio’connell dot com and I’ll post all entries. Maybe we’ll have a card beauty contest and pick a winner…we’ll see first what kinda legs this idea has.

By the way, I’m not a pro at sizing these cards and images to fit the blog so some cards will be bigger and some will be smaller but size does not equal talent…at least in this effort.

Here’s mine to kick things off:

Tags: advertising, blogs, branding, commentary, community, logo design, marketing, radio, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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No this isn’t about me voicing news promos for a client TV station, but rather some late breaking news for readers/subscribers to this blog living in Western New York (yes, both of you).

Like me, my friend and neighbor Dave Hassett had the terrible sense to start his own business with some buddies 😉 It’s a Buffalo-centric t-shirt company call Born in Buffalo.

The unique point of these shirts as the web site notes is that “Born in Buffalo apparel designs are instantly recognizable by anyone who has truly known the rewards and risks, the benefits and burdens or the joys and sadness that are unique to the experience of being Born in Buffalo.”

While you can and should buy some of these designs for men, women and children on-line, the Born in Buffalo Crew will also be out THIS WEEKEND (June 13 & 14) at the world-famous and also uniquely Buffalo Allentown Art Festival.

Their booth will be on Allen Street near Elmwood Avenue during the festival, a beer bottle’s throw from Mulligan’s Brick Bar which is also uniquely Buffalo in an alcoholic sort of way.

So check out the shirts and buy something. We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming.

Tags: advertising, commentary, community, logo design, marketing by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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