I love Starbucks Coffee. Let me say that first. I've been a loyal Starbucks customer for years. I go there (at least) 5 times a day during my morning commute. I own Starbucks branded mugs and maybe a few other things. So, today when I learned that Starbucks is planning to upgrade their logo, I was a bit shocked. 

But, I must admit, after my initial shock, I quickly grew to like the updated logo. This update is contemporary, but true to its origins. Not only is the very recognizable siren free of the ring containing the name "Starbucks Coffee" but she has also adopted the "Starbucks Green." It appears that there are subtle adjustments to the siren's features as well. 

The new identity is, admittedly, hard to swallow at first, but it does bring more attention to the siren, who, according to a blog post at starbucks.com, is "is at the heart of Starbucks," without sacrificing brand equity. She has been through changes before, and while this is the least drastic of changes to her specifically, this is the first revision of the logo to do away with the out ring and the company name. And let's face it, the name as part of the logo isn't necessary anymore, as Starbucks doesn't just have coffee drinks. They have teas, fruit-based smoothies, pastries, and other merchandise that make them much more than coffee shop. The dropping of "Starbucks Coffee" from the logo leaves open the potential for non-coffee Starbucks brand beverages. For a company that has has struggled in recent years, it is clear this logo is part of a much bigger strategy to build the company.

So, yes, it will take a bit of getting used to, but overall I like the logo revision. 

I recall a story about famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who, when asked;. "Which one of your buildings is your favorite?" He replied; "My next one!"

As a logo/brand/id design freelancer, I feel the same way. Each new project is an opportunity to conitune my growth as a designer. When a new project comes my way, it's hard to not think about it. My mind races with design concepts, thoughts about the client or product.

Of course, a new project isn't enough for growth.

There are several different online design communities where designers of all type can share their work and recieve input from other designers. Currently, I am on LoveDsgn and Forrst. I hope to soon get on Dribbble. In the past, I have had a rather small group of people from whom I have solicited input on a design project in progress. Some are designers, but most not. Both offer valuable insight into whether I am moving in the right direction or not. Regardless of their design background, they can offer unbiased insight. I hope that by being a part of these communities I can accelerate my growth as a designer by getting feedback from other talented designers who will look at my differently than I do.

I was never a fan of the logo for Charlie Baker's gubernatorial campaign. The concept wasn't too bad... taking the 'B' of Baker and morphing it into red and white stripes sounds like a good idea, but I don't think it was successfully done here:

But what makes the logo even worse is it's lack of originality. I recently came across the logo for a company called Badger Meter in a book of logos I have. I know nothing about this company, but according to their website, they are "a leading manufacturer and marketer of flow measurement and control products, serving water utilities, municipalities and industrial customers worldwide."

Here's their logo:

Looks familiar doesn't it? Now, I am by no means suggesting Baker's campaign copied Badger Meter's logo. But the similarities are obvious. While the Baker logo resembles the red and white stripes of the American flag waving, I think it is safe to assume that Badger Meter's 'B' logomark is symbolic of flowing water.

That these two logos were independently created with similar results, supports my belief that neither are that very good. Badger Meter's has a slight edge. One reason being that the font it started with is better, Secondly, the logomark can stand on it's own. Unlike the Obama "O' logo, the 'B' of Baker doesn't work as a solitary logomark, and, was never used as such. But, as stylized text, it still doesn't work completely because the 'B' is slightly obfuscated by the waving red and white stripes.

Many of my clients are political candidates whose political futures will be determined in tomorrow's election. Some of these candidates have seen their races thrust into the national spotlight, occasionally resulting in my logo design work being on national television, or even Saturday Night Live.

Admittedly, my role with these campaigns has been brief. I was hired to design a logo, and sometimes other campaign materials, and after the task, I played no role in the campaigns' branding. Sometimes that meant seeing the logo manipulated in ways that made me cringe. But, usually, campaigns don't always think of branding as an important part of the campaign. Lucky for me, I was hired because at least someone felt that a good logo was important enough. 

For those candidates who find themselves victorious, I hope maybe in future elections I can play a bigger role in developing the campaigns' branding. 

Anyway, here is a list of my clients of mine who will be on a ballot tomorrow. I wish them all luck.

• Christine O'Donnell (DE-Sen)
• Sean Bielat (MA-04)
• Ray McKinney (GA-12)
• Jon Golnik (MA-05)
• Leonard Roberto (NY-27)
• Jeff Perry (MA-10)

Rudy Guiliani was in Massachusetts today campaigning for Jon Golnik, who is running for Congress in the 5th Congressional District. Golnik's campaign logo was designed by yours truly. Photos from the event were posted on Facebook earlier this evening. I like this one because it shows America's Mayor speaking to the crowd with a campaign sign featuring the logo.

I've lived in Upstate New York for about two and half years now. This spring I moved to Chautauqua County. As a creative and a political junkie I felt it was my duty to do something to help my county Republican Committee. I offered to design a logo for them. While researching local Republican Committee branding, I found most local committees don't even bother. More often than not, they use the national GOP logo and stick their committee name on it. Some are mere variations of the logo.

I wanted to create a logo that was not only unique, but specific to the county. I felt the result came out very well:

The logo features the profile of an elephant, created by a field of red and white stripes (7 red and 6 white, like the American Flag) above the elephant's trunk, and a blue field below with the profile of Chautauqua Lake.

After the debacle over the new Gap logo, I found myself asking, "What would I have done if I had been hired to redo Gap's logo?" Thinking about it for a while, I realized, ultimately, not much. Most of the ideas submitted to 99designs were awful. The existing logo isn't spectacular, but it is recognizable, and simple. The only thing I felt worth tinkering with was the typography. So, my idea, while hardly a dramatic departure from the original/current logo, I think, does the job without sacrificing brand equity.