Can you tell I’m a bit frustrated? If I had a nickel for every logo that’s been killed by a client’s mom, I’d have about 35 cents—way too much change to be jangling around in these pockets.

I know that it’s in our nature to seek out the opinions of those closest to us. Small business owners don’t have the benefit of board members or executive councils to aid in major decisions. That job often falls to one’s social council, i.e. our friends, siblings, co-workers, and of course, moms and dads.

But still, why moms? Being a mother-designer hybrid myself, I wasn’t going to be the best case study for my investigation. And not to be too impolite, but aren’t moms old? Dads are old too, and yet dads have never come up as an obstacle to my designs.

Are moms more protective? Are they more willing to give their negative opinions than most family members? Do they simply not have an eye for design?

No, no, and no. I couldn’t help but feel I was missing something. And then I realized: it’s not any one of those reasons, or even all of them combined. In fact, the issue is not moms but the clients themselves!

It’s not a matter of disregarding a mom’s opinions as much as educating the client about good design and being firm on who the logo was made for. If the logo is for a tech company with the goal of attracting individuals aged 18-35, then of course your 75-year-old mother probably won’t like it. Similarly, if the site is directed towards men, then I’m sure a gal might not see the strength in the logo—but dad might!

To conclude, I have nothing against my clients asking for the opinions of others. I do, however, take issue with a client that asks his or her mom for an opinion when the logo was never intended for her to like in the first place. Logos and brands aren’t universal—look at Coca-Cola and its hordes of haters. To reiterate, tween girls won’t be inclined towards the Brooks Brothers’ logo just as middle-aged businessmen find little to like about The Disney Channel’s branding.

So go ahead, ask your friends and family for their opinions, but be realistic as to whether that’s the demographic you’re trying to please! And please, keep this change from building up in my pockets!

Historically speaking, one cannot picture royalty without the color purple — purple dyes were the most expensive to produce, so this hue became associated with luxury, nobility, and ambition. The english royalty used Royal Purple, which has more blue hues in it than red, giving it a stable and authoritative effect.

Purple also symbolizes wisdom and mystery, which makes it the perfect color for any company involved in the transfer of ideas or knowledge, especially universities! It is also sentimental, and can have a very feminine feel.

Here are some prestigious purple logos for your inspiration.

There are just two posts left in our series on color symbolism: purple websites and purple packaging and print design!

When looking at logos, it is hard not to notice a definite trend: nearly all technology companies, social networking sites, car companies, and vodka brands have blue logos. That is because blue suggests cleanliness, trust, loyalty, organization, and intelligence, making it a versatile option for almost any company.

Blue is also the widely accepted color of masculinity, and darker shades of blue suggest expertise and stability, which is undoubtedly why so many corporations opt for blue identities. If you’re looking to gain your customer’s trust you’re not going to make your logo red, the color of passion, fire, and danger, warning, and vengeance. Your safest choice is good old reliable, stable, trustworthy, soothing blue.

Blue does have a dark side though. It can often be associated with sadness and depression, so take heed when using it in your designs and choose bright shades of blue. Unless of course, you’re designing ads for Prozac.

Beer Bottle Greens

Traditionally, beer was always served in a green bottle, until brown bottles were introduced in 1930. After WWII, when there was a shortage of brown glass, beer was exported in green bottles. Because these European beers were more expensive, green bottles became a status symbol. To mirror this, many beer companies opted for “beer bottle green” logos.

Techno Green

Because of Hollywood, video games, and TV, neon green and silver has come to signify sci-fi, aliens, or anything to do with “the future”. This must be why many electronic companies have created logos that feature lime green and silver designs.

Green Organization

This is obvious: if you want to convey that your company is environmentally conscious or benefits the outdoors in some way, make your logo green.

Greenwashing

The darker side of the design tactic mentioned above is seen when companies that are actually detrimental to the environment feature green logos. If your company sells products that are not eco-friendly, but doesn’t want to be viewed as damaging and harmful, what better way to fool people than by making your logo green. This phenomenon is known as greenwashing.

We hope this sparked some fresh thinking!

Up next in the series: Green websites and our usability review.

Starbucks rebranded and, as if on cue, the blogosphere, Twitter-drome, and various other corners of the Internet burst alive with the bright comments and fiery perspectives we’ve come to expect, all of which relate to one certainty: brands are incredibly powerful! And when we talk of elite brands, Starbuck’s mermaid now finds herself in the rarefied pantheon of logos such as Nike’s Swoosh and Target’s Bull’s-Eye that stand alone without words or letters.

And Starbucks can certainly get away with it: the new logo works because they’re the store at every corner. But being an established company doesn’t mean you can get away with whatever you want when it comes to updating your logo. The recent Gap debacle shows how the simple notion of rebranding can become an emotionally charged debate, a testament of how seriously we take the connection to brands that define us.

And it seems as though Starbucks took the lesson to heart. Gap’s short-lived logo was obviously too radical for its most ardent fans, but then again, the modern font paired with the floating blue square on a white background bore little resemblance to the clothing brand’s standing logo – not to mention it’s corporate iciness. Starbucks essentially kept their old logo, scrubbed off the coffee chain’s name and brightened their distinct green for an overall successful image that aims to take on a wider world – a world that doesn’t embrace American (or at least English-speakers’) brands as readily as it once might have.

The emphasis, then, is on how utterly established Starbucks is these days. This is why it works. And for the most part, the online pundits accept the new Starbucks logo, even if most of them are too cool to drink the company’s product. But did we forget that Starbucks is in the coffee business? Perhaps that’s exactly what this new logo wants us to do – while at the same time, offering more.