I'm sorry if you got here expecting a post about the new Akzo Nobel logo and how it came to be.
Well it's not here anymore. I have been forced to take it off.
It's a very long story and way too boring to go into here, but involves the threat of legal action. I can't afford legal action.
So again I'm very sorry. Thanks for all the comments and thoughts and please come again.
I can refer you to the site of Saffron (who commissioned me for this job) they have some of my work showcased on their site.
22 comments:
Interesting post! Too bad they slaughtered the rythm and flow in the end - I quite liked your final version.
Beautiful work on the rendering of Bruce and I love the way you documented the process with wit and candor in the video. Well done.
That's just so... typical. What a horrific way to screw up a beautiful image (and indeed, infringe on your copyright).
Great to see the sketch-to-finish video by the way!
I teach design, and will definitely be showing your process animation to my classes! Thank you for sharing your experience. And yes, your design was awesome, and yes, they ruined. Another victory for the marketing team!
good insight. thanks.
Gorgeous work, Martijn. They really did ruin the feel of it; luckily we get to see the good stuff you did right here on the Web.
Beautiful work Martijn!
Your subtle cues were well executed and apparently loss on the retards who edited them out and lopped off the other arm which balanced everything nicely.
Very nice work, but the company probably asked the new agency to "re-work that hand" for them. Your design was much more dynamic
First of, impressive work! I love the video - it's always nice to see how other designers solve problems; I subscribed to your feed right away :)
However, I would probably have cut the logo and used the intersecting line as a stabilizer in the exact same way as that other company did. Your design works very good own it's own but when placed near text or used on a multicolored background it flows aways (I just tried it.) The alternative would have been to put it into a frame where it would look way too isolated.
The way they crippled the hand is inexcuseable though. Sure, the naturally sized hand took the focus away from the center but firstly, that's not a bad thing in this case, and secondly, the whole pose would have had to be changed to make it look good. I'm ok with the reshaping though - both solutions work.
BUT, adding color may often be needed when a logo is used in a large-scale but whoever added that horrible wannabe-web2.0-gradient needs to be fired. They should have just used that marine blue and be done with it.
You're the bomb! Your version is better than the amputee. Although I loved the amputee when I first saw it on Brand New Blog. Awesome!!!!!!
Interesting process! It's cool to see an actual illustrator being commisioned to do a particular illustrated aspect of a logo.
The dreaded horizon line wins again. Your final version rocked.
Pentagram did the final identity work, so did they changed the logo? (the original Saffron logo was so much better) or was it the client again... anyway, it's a bit sad. Very nice work, keep up the good stuff.
I didn't personally work with adding type to the mark, but let me say the mark works wonderfully alone.
You mentioned a slew of problems in dealing with the middle management asses. I can only imagine they were responsible for the rest of the changes and bastardization of the proportions.
It's heartbreaking to see it end up so far away from the client's original specs.
Like I always say, "Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and they all stink." Sounds like there was a room full of opinions.
Beautiful work Martijn and I feel your pain man.
I love reading about your design process and how you got to the final look. Honestly though, I like the way that the final logo turned out, with the small tweaks they made to yours. I too know the frustrations of trying to work with a client who can't give good direction or is never satisfied, but it seems like you became too emotionally attached to your version of what was "right".
love the concept, the sketches and the process. very nice!
its a pity they removed the other arm. However, I do like the new arm slightly better, it probably suits the company's image to have a lean arm rather than a muscular one... unless the logo's for a gym.
What a pity... I liked the post
Glad I have read/seen the post before it has been removed. Wonderful work Martijn, loved the video also. Truelly dislike the gradient application and the chop-off of the chest. All dynamics are lost through this mutilation. However, the hand changes do not bother me…..
Keep up the good work!
Sad is the day when an artist cannot blog about his work on the Internet without threatened legal action. Sort of goes against the whole point of the Internet doesn't it?
Wish I could have read this post!
I revisited this blog post of yours specifically because the exact same has happened to me today, hoping that your blog would be an example of how even a big company can allow a designer to show developmental work. I too posted some work and now the company is unhappy and want me to remove it and I too can't afford legal fees. It's both annoying and quite silly that a designer can't be proud of their work and show it simply because some company deems it so. It truly is sad.
Wauw, that's cheap, lame, fake, etc. Nice work, you deserve better. Keep up the good work.
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