Art Competition to Rebrand BP Logo

I'm upset. I've watched this oil volcano catastrophe unfold and felt helpless and frustrated. Really, even those words can't express the sorrow and horror I have felt. What to do? I made a decision that this summer my blog will focus on art that responds to social and political issues. There is nothing new in this form of artistic expression but it has a power that can help turn thinking into action. I don't think we can call it post-postmodern anymore - where are we in the art timeline now? I'll be researching this over the summer to see what I can find out. For those of you checking my blog, I welcome your input.

To start, I ran across this competition of Greenpeace UK to rebrand BP's logo. Check out the responses. As I post this there is still a day left in the competition if you want to enter your design. Entry info here.

Obama's Logo Design

Watch this video narrated by Mark Scheffler from Chicago: A Crain's Chicago Business video profile about the firm that developed Barack Obama's logo.

Logos are incredibly powerful visual symbols used in society. We see clear designs that are simple and direct represent complex groups of people throughout society. They play a very important role in Visual Culture by communicating quickly and efficiently. Obama's logo is new and exciting. Don't be surprised to see it in lots of places - even AFTER he's been elected president! What other people, places and companies can you think of that have similar "brands" or logos? Post a comment and let us know what comes to your mind!

Apple Logo Fosters Creativity

I saw reference to this article on another blog - visual exposure to the Apple logo can cause more creative thought as stated in ScienceDaily (Mar. 30, 2008). In a Duke University study, students were briefly flashed with the Apple and IBM logos - subliminally. Each group was asked to list uses for a brick outside of building a wall, and the group that had exposure to the Apple logo had more creative and unusual uses listed. A great example of visual culture and how branding affects us on a subconscious level. Fascinating stuff; I have been talking to my students about the impact of visual culture in their everyday lives for some time now. I am a recent convert to the Mac, iLife and all that that entails. Just yesterday, I put my own Apple logo decal on the back window of my Beetle (how cosmic that I just saw this article!) and I have my own testimonial...I am definitely thinking more creatively since I got my MacBook!