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TheBuzz
Erika Engle
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Awful or not, rejected logos will soon see the light of day
HEARTBREAK in the life of the graphic designer is caused not so much by "the one that got away" but by the one that didn't get to stay.
The Honolulu Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts is about to celebrate logos that, worse than getting picked last for the team, didn't get picked at all.
The call for entries for the upcoming "No Go Logo Show" asks potential entrants, "Remember that logo you presented? That one you loved and tweaked until it couldn't possibly get any better? The one that you were really fighting for? You know, the one the client hated."
COURTESY TRAVIS LUM DESIGN
The client that commissioned Travis Lum Design to do this logo later decided it looked too much like that of a hotel.
On the Net:
» www.nogologo.com
» www.honolulu.aiga.org
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The show is intended to be both tongue-in-cheek for the industry and serious for the public, said Bernard Uy, a graphic designer and executive vice president of AIGA Honolulu.
Losers will be lauded in this fanfare for failure, this rejoicing in the rejects, he said.
"It's all meant in the spirit of fun; we're not trying to make fun of any kind of clients' decisions," he said. "There are really some pretty good runners-up."
Entrants were given the option of concealing their names, so one series of entries features the names of "Seinfeld" characters. Most bear actual names, however.
The show will also give the public a "glimpse behind the scenes, to show them how much work it takes to create a brand, or corporate identity. Designers go through a lot of good ideas before the one the public sees. ... A lot of others get sacrificed," he said.
Local designers' inspiration regularly comes from national trade publications, but normally local designers only see one another's finished products in use, at the Hawaii Advertising Federation's Pele Awards, or at the AIGA Hawaii's 5-0 awards.
"In some ways, it's like an anti-awards show. It's meant to be very casual. Everything will be presented in black and white, which is oftentimes how many designers present their first round of concepts to the client," said Uy, president of Wall-to-Wall Studios Inc. The company was founded in Pittsburgh and expanded to Hawaii with a second office, on Nuuanu Avenue.
Uy is a past president of the AIGA chapter in Pittsburgh, which also hosted "No Go Logo" events. This will be Honolulu's first, and as with all self-respecting local events, there is a limited-edition T-shirt. Two versions, actually. One says "Long live the losers," while the other says, "Rejoice the rejected." Both are printed with the Uy-designed No Go Logo on the back.
As of yesterday afternoon more than 70 entries had been received from graphic designers, illustrators, art directors, advertising agencies and student members of AIGA Honolulu, he said. They hope to show 100 or more during the show, which will from Wednesday, July 19, to Saturday, July 29, at the Pegge Hopper Gallery at 1164 Nuuanu Ave. The extended entry deadline is noon tomorrow.
Attendees at the 5 to 7 p.m. opening reception will be able to cast a vote for their favorite piece, "and we will award prizes for the best rejected logo."
Admission is $5, but it is free to AIGA members, student members and those who submitted designs.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4747, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at:
eengle@starbulletin.com