LOGO DESIGN BLOG   LOGO DESIGN REVIEW

Facing pressure from an advocacy group yesterday, Google acquiesced and pulled the Google logo stylized using artwork from surrealist painter Joan Miro. The search giant posted the logo as a tribute to the artist’s birthday–April 20, 1893–but apparently didn’t ask for permission to use the images’ likeness. The Artists Rights Society, the group represting the Miro family, said Google “violated the moral rights of the artist,” according to an article in the San Jose Mercury News.

Google used three paintings, “The Escape Ladder,” “Nocturne,” and “The Beautiful Bird Revealing the Unkown to a Pair of Lovers” to make up April 20th’s logo.

Google sent a written statement to the Mercury News, saying “From time to time we create special logos for people we admire.” John Paczkcowski from Good Morning Silicon Valley put it well:

“Seems a reasonable request. Perhaps Google felt the Miro estate would be pleased with a tribute that arguably raised the profile of the artist and educated the public in his work. Perhaps it felt that Miro’s family, of all people, would appreciate such a nod. That said, it still could have asked permission. Not to do so seems a bit arrogant, no?”

Here is more information on Miro.

Last week I attended a great class on the psychology of color and how it relates to design. Here’s what I learned.

Before arbitrarily choosing colors for your logo design, you ought to know some of the meanings colors have (at least in the U.S.). Red and orange are action colors, blue is the most liked, green is clean and organic and purple is regal. Here’s a more complete breakdown:

Positives: passion, strength, energy, power, speed, love, fire, masculinity, sex, excitement
Negatives: Danger, fire, blood, aggression, stop

Positives: energy, balance, heat, fire, playfullness, autumn
Negatives: aggression, ignorance, warning, danger, gaudiness

Positives: Sunlight, joy, happiness optimism, summer, hope, wealth
Negatives: cowardice, illness, sissy, weakness, dishonesty

Positives: ocean, sky, harmony, unity, confidence, water, ice, loyalty, conservatism, cleanliness, technology, tranquility
Negatives: depression, coldness, ice, tackiness

Positives: nature, spring, environment, wealth, good luck, vigor, generosity, fertility
Negatives: aggression, envy, misfortune, inexperience, greed, illness

Positives: love, romance, femininity, bubblegum, nurture, warmth, sweet
Negatives: emotional, effeminate, clausterphobic, physical weakness

Positives: sensuality, spirituality, royalty, nobility, wisdom, creativity, wealth, enlightenment
Negatives: arrogance, flamboyance, mourning, profanity, exaggeration, confusion, gaudiness

Positives: quality, classic, timeliness, quiet, safe, enduring, antique
Negatives: boring, dullness, roughness, plain, poverty

Positives: calm, depth, nature, richness, rustic, tradition, stability
Negatives: dirt, filth, heaviness, poverty, boorishness, anachronism, roughness

Positives: reverence, purity, snow, peace, innocence, cleanliness, humility, security, marriage, sterility, winter
Negatives: coldness, sterility, cowardice, surrender, fearfulness, unimaginative

Positives: modernity, power, sofistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, style
Negatives: evil, death, anger, sadness, remorse, mourning, unhappiness, mystery, anonymity, fear

There are many great websites out there with in-depth articles and studies on the effect of color. Some I recommend are Pantone, Color Matters and Color Wheel Pro.

LogoDesign.com is proud to announce Logo Reviews, a new section on our website that allows visitors to submit a logo that is then reviewed by a panel of expert designers. Check it out.

Anyone can upload their logo for a chance to have it reviewed by a panel of graphic design experts. Most members of the panel have at least 10 years of graphic design experience under their belt and will be able to provide feedback on the logo and make suggestions on how the logo might be improved. It’s an excellent, free resource for people who would like expert opinions before moving ahead with a logo design.

For now, we’ll only be able to review 2 logos per week, but as the group of panelists grows, so will our capacity to review more logos.

If you’re interested in applying for the expert panel and have significant design experience, click here. We hope this feature will benefit both designers and people who need direction with their logo design.