packaging has become a valued sales tool, perhaps to the point of over-packaging. throughout the history of packaging, oversight on package information has become stricter. joining the ranks of the nutrition labels, ingredient statements, and net weights, the surgeon general’s warning on cigarette packaging just took transparency to a whole new level. the FDA’s new labels command half a packages’ surface area, and have a range of messages. if you think this new anti-smoking offensive is a little aggressive, take a look at GOOD’s collection of labels from around the globe.

some brands adhere to strict usage guidelines; they have a standards manual that is revered as a brand bible opposite that end of the spectrum are those who seemingly don’t have a brand due to the lack of consistency their identity follows. getting those who work under a brand to use the identity properly is an uphill battle, let alone outsiders who are ignorant of brand guidelines. the public life of a brand is important to success, so how do you approach the management and usage of a brand by unknown parties?

do you leave public usage of a brand to google searches, screen captures, scans, and other low quality access to an identity, particularly a logo? or do you make high quality, current files available for anybody to use at their discretion? akismet [http://akismet.com] has taken the latter approach for better or worse… when you right click the logo on their site you get a pop up window that offers you logo download options.

for more info, visit swissmiss [http://www.swiss-miss.com/2011/06/smart-ui-design.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Swissmiss+%28swissmiss%29]

would you offer these options and allow services like brands of the world [http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/] to provide accessibility or do you think vigilant monitoring of a brand is necessary? The adage goes that any publicity is good publicity… is that true for all entities or just hollywood?

there seems to be an increasing trend on the logo front, in which a logo has an elasticity that allows it to take multiple forms. this brings up all kinds of questions… at what point does the chameleon nature defeat the purpose of a logo? can brand recognition still be generated with multiple forms? and, does a logo have to be everything to everybody?

the multi-logo approach seems indecisive, and with every iteration weakens the integrity of the whole. how do you feel about a brand with multiple personality disorder? do you have an example of any successful outcomes or some that just leave you confused? here are some of the more notable examples:

1 // mtv // see the variations at designboom [http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/9079/mtv-logo-refresh.html] and brand new [http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/mtv_more_tv_less_m.php]
2 // at&t // see the variations at brand new [http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/att_rethinks_its_position.php]
3 // aol // see the variations at brand new [http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/follow-up_aol_round_2.php]
4 // a1 // see the variations at brand new [http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/a1_flexible_enough.php]

the days of the starving artist may be coming to an end. with the help of kickstarter, artists and their visions are able to reach the masses to find funding to bring their visions to life. the site’s “unique all-or-nothing funding method where projects must be fully-funded or no money changes hands” is a take on the original stock market that financed the explorers and merchant vessel enterprises of yester-year. kickstarter provides a platform for would-be visionaries pushing the frontiers of creativity in all forms. Here are some of the projects, including one supported by our sibling smackdown blog, that are featured on the site, in the multitudes of formats that are seeking patronage.

1// hero work // http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/977354012/the-hero-in-all-of-us-portrait-of-america-2011
// more info // http://www.abnerpreis.com/

2// the pitch // http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thepitch/the-pitch-the-game-of-graphic-design?ref=recommended
// more info // http://fatimahkabba.wordpress.com/the-pitch/

4 // mouse trap // http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/195166246/the-lifesize-mousetraps-2011-tour-powered-by-veget?ref=recommended
// more info // http://www.lifesizemousetrap.org/

5 // bag it // http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1668230691/take-it-to-the-next-level?ref=recommended