Pros and cons to this brand refresh.
PROS:
– Compared to the prior trademark, this new mark is more colorful and initially pleasing to the eye
– The Shield in the background holds relevance to the 2nd half of the business name
– The colors blue and green are relevant default colors to communicate environmental health
CONS:
– The business name is confusing. Phonetically “Si” is pronounced as “see.” Creating a mark that would have helped people correctly pronounce and remember the name could have been done with a distinctive font and a line over the first “i” in the name.
– The gradients and drop shadows add unnecessary information. They may look cool, but they don’t lend themselves to rendering into a 2D format, being made into a single-color or knock-out file, or being embroidered with the same look.
– This resultant ‘cartoony look’ clearly has a 99-Designs feel to it with unnecessarily applied effects.
When a designer creates a brand identity, there are multiple aspects to consider before a design is even explored. While this new trademark “looks pretty” there are potential issues with it when expanding beyond simple online use. Multiple levels of drop shadows, and illustrative gradients are telltale signs that the designer is not considering the potential uses of the mark.
Any well-designed logo should be able to be rendered in a single color, cut out of vinyl for various applications, embroidered or scaled up or down without compromising detail.
