AOL logo and identity redesign
November 24th, 2009
Just caught wind of the new AOL logo and identity. What they’re going to spin as “raw”, “energetic” and “unique” is really just “unfinished”, “unfocused” and “generic”.
The new face is the brainchild of 27 year old Maureen Sullivan - former assistant product manager at Google. Apparently, Maureen is AOL’s new chief of staff. That’s right. In fact:
Brand consultants Wolff Olins did a lot of the creative work, but an AOL spokesperson tells us, “Since we don’t have a CMO on board, [Maureen] was the driver behind this rebranding effort from AOL’s side, working with and directing Wolff Olins.” 1
This goes to the heart of what we creatives face every day. It’s the idea that everyone is a designer. AOL’s new identity blows that myth out of the water.
Dear Mr./Mrs. Executive - I’ll stop opening your Excel spreadsheets and moving numbers around if you’ll stop directing design firms to create such insipid work.
1 From BusinessInsider.com
Leave a Reply