8 Comments

I think this is dreadful. The soil association have a great logo, simple and small so it works well on all packages. This design is very large yet will not scale well and will look weak. The colour is pretty horrible too. I don't understand why when something is environmentally friendly it needs to be curvy and rustic looking, why not sharp, crisp and futuristic? I actually think the environmental/organic design stereotype is damaging for the green movement. It makes it hard to take seriously.

However I am even more offended by having a competition to decide the outcome. This just demonstrates a complete lack of conviction. The EU is not brave enough to employ a designer based on previous works and so settles on a beauty parade rather than a solution discussed openly between designer and client. The EU is completely undermining the graphic design profession by asking people to work for free and they should be ashamed of themselves.
Oliver Bothwell
2010-02-09 17:43:16

Maybe the masive bureaucratic apparatschik of the EU realised, that it is much easier to run a competition with an external jury than to go through all the time consuming back and forth, characteristic of the design process when too many decision makers are involved. Frustrating, especially in times of recession, when clients seem to think they don't have to pay for good concepts with strong ideas.

The logo doesn't work as a seal, it too light, almost blowing off the package. And yes, I am tired of the good old grassy green when it comes to anything to do with the environment.
Katrin
2010-02-10 10:00:21

While it could be a lot worse, I think the logo bears all the hallmarks of a competition result. It feels very generic, and (as Oliver mentioned) it's likely to be a pretty weak candidate when applied to packaging. Not good considering the main way it'll be used - on packaging!

As for saving time and money by going down the competition route, I don't think so. This kind of logo just isn't the kind that will stand the test of time, and I reckon they'll be back for a redesign fairly soon. Well, let's hope so anyway.
Joshua Hughes
2010-02-10 11:56:22

i completely agree with the last post by oliver, shame on you...
martin - me studio
2010-02-11 13:41:12

I guess we all will agree with Oliver, and I won't even discuss the 2nd and 3rd options. And April 1st is not even near.
Nikolay Vanchev
2010-02-11 20:03:46

Comments about the suspect logo aside, at least the designers got paid! Isn't that a result in itself?

The alternative would have been a big free pitch by pan-european branding schmanding agencies with no 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes - probably not even an EasyJet No Free Drinks return flight home after the presentation.

Dusan can now get himself that new iMac and a proper version of CS.

Next competition please....
Moi
2010-02-12 13:13:19

Sorry but that is an awful Logo!
Matt
2010-02-16 16:35:00

Actually, Spiekermann was in the jury...I remember seeing him on the list. That's why I don't understand how they arrived at these 3 solutions, getting the "public" (yeah, we all know how the internet works) to vote for the final one (!!!).
I had classmates competing and all of them had better solutions than these...
Silvia
2010-02-19 17:04:42

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