Bread Line Design

Using the word Solution in a brand name has long been a pet hate of mine, annoying me to the point that in the past I used to post up the Private Eye’s weekly absurd solutions list on Breadline in an attempt to highlight the vulgar practice. Sadly it continues so I’ve felt the need to reiterate why using the term is as disgracefull as OAP tipping and global warming.

I first clocked the term ”solution” at the tail end of my uni years, and yeah I’ll admit, back then it was a useful word for fleshing out terrible proposals. My final project was titled ”An Integrated Dynamic Block Stacking Solution”, which I felt had a far better ring to it than “Tetris Reskin”

These days business’s both big and small use the term to over-describe whatever product or service their trying to push. This can be forgiven, but putting Solution in the actual business name is truly a crime, as not only does it tell us nothing about the product/service, but will consign the name to the ranks of the hundred thousand other small business’s that couldn’t be arsed to come up with an original name. My favourite example is Pasta Solutions “The Ultimate Solution To Your Pasta Needs!” What was wrong with simply ”Perfect Pasta” ?

Using “Solution” might sound vaguely professional, but have you ever actually thought, ”I have a cooking problem, I need a Cooking Solution” Of course not. We don’t think in management speak, so why name business’s this way?

If a client comes to you for an identity and they propose a name that includes the S word, it’s worth going out of your way to turn them round. Explain to them that thousands of business’s use the same word in their title, tell them that the word doesn’t actually mean anything, that they’ll have a search engine nightmare, and that it saps personality from a potentially vibrant brand. If they still insist use Helvetica for the typeface, add a corporate swoosh graphic and the strap-line “Thinking Outside the Box”. Then double your fee. They’ll love you for it.

A logo for an online resource focussing on all things apple related.

Those in the know will already have seen the OGC rebrand debacle. After splashing out a cool £14,000 on a fresh identity the suave government department have ended up with some serious egg on their face. The logo, when spun 180 degrees, reveals a comically explicit image of a man indulgeing in a five knuckle shuffle. In light of the embarrassing revelations an OGC spokesman said:

”It is true that it caused a few titters among some staff when viewed on its side, but on consideration we concluded that the effect was generic to the particular combination of the letters OGC - and it is not inappropriate to an organisation that’s looking to have a firm grip on Government spend”

A firm grip indeed. However when an identity becomes the laughing stock of the very staff at the centre of the brand, surely its time for a climb down? The poor spokesmen is right, the effect is generic of those letters, but surely simply boosting the kerning so the letters didn’t touch would go some way to easing the problem? A quick fix now would save the OGC years of internal and industry smirking. Clearly a little pride needs swallowed here.

This is the second government logo to come under fire in recent months. The Olympic logo was slain on sight and yet still endures. Perhaps the OGC brand managers believe their logo will survive in the same way. I wouldn’t bet on it though. The Olympic logo may be unpopular, but there is nothing inherently comical or obscene about it. I suspect we’ll see another quiet OGC rebrand shortly, and if not, another worthy inclusion in those “obscene logos” collections that do the rounds every few months.