Name: Kristin Everidge
Job & Company: Manager, Visual Branding for Addison Whitney
On a road trip, my staple convenience store purchase is: FUNYUNS, Cheerwine and Chewy SweetTarts. I limit myself to only eating these less than nutritious items when I am on the road.

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He Said:
I must say that I never thought there was anything wrong with the previous Memorex logo. Sure the colors might have been a little dated (pre 2000), but I enjoyed the simplicity. That is why I believe this new logo is a nice transition into the modern era. Of course it has some clichéd trendy elements, ala an all-lowercase sans serif typeface, but I thoroughly enjoy the focus on simplicity. I am sure one of the biggest supporters to this new logo will be their printers. “HORRAY one color logo and no trapping on a light yellow!” However, I seem to gravitate towards the light gray execution of the logo on the packaging more than the burnt orange. The softer corners and clean lines allude to the shift in target audience, as they call the “savvy female shopper.” With this change in logo and packaging, it makes the brand feel more align with the Apple iPod / elitist crowd which has been a common movement these days. Although I don’t know if I completely agree with the rationale of the new logo, overall, the implementation of the new brand is obviously well planed out, and the renovated brand breathes fresh life into a new direction for Memorex.

She Said:
Memorex recently unveiled a new logo and brand position that attempts to attract more adult female consumers. The previous logo was certainly more masculine and high tech, with jagged edges within the typography and the obligatory technology logo dynamic ring to connote, you guessed it, speed! The new logo still communicates technology, but in a much more modern way, with open letter spacing and an overall clean, geometric design. The rounded letter forms (m,e,o) evoke a softer feeling and the color is more friendly, but I would argue that that is not necessarily enough to attract more women. When combined with the new positioning, advertising and packaging, it could work. I am definitely over the ever so popular sans serif Avenir-esque / Helvetica-esque typeface and icon within the “o” (so obvious), but overall, I would say this is an improvement. What do you think?

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The hit A&E Series Mad Men won accolades this year for TVs Most Outstanding Drama Series. Its base premise is about a fictional 1960s New York City advertising agency Sterling Cooper and its executives.

Even being a fictional show mostly centered on the personal lives of the characters, we still get a glimpse into branding and advertising conception during the 60s. What I enjoy most about this newfound addiction of mine are the brands featured as clients of the agency. American Airlines, Heineken, Maidenform, Cadillac and Kodak are just a few. I’ve also learned that some of these mentioned do pay for the placement in addition to their advertising spots during the show.

Although the show takes place over 50 years ago when there weren’t as many legal trademarking challenges to overcome, it still portrays creativity on a personal level, even while dealing with the transitional social challenges of those times. For those of us fortunate enough to be working in the branding industry, there’s a sense of pride in watching the perspective of what it must have been like then, but also how things have changed. Pairing that with the intriguing lives of the characters has made this show one that I can’t ever miss.

By: Kelly Wilson