and now the news! Fresh off the press

Take one good look at the 2012 London Olympics
logo and you may think that it definitely wins the
gold medal for the world’s worst Olympic logo.

Another gold medal might go to the 2012 London organising committee for their
statement claiming that "this is an iconic brand that sums up what London 2012
is all about – an inclusive, welcoming and diverse Games that involves the whole
country... and act as a reminder of our promise to use the Olympic spirit to inspire
everyone and reach out to young people around the world."

Or, to quote Lord Sebastian Coe: "This is the vision at the very heart of our brand.
It will define the venues we build and the Games we hold and act as a reminder
of our promise to use the Olympic spirit to inspire everyone and reach out to
young people around the world. It is an invitation to take part and be involved."

Really?

Inclusive, welcoming and diverse? It looks like a geometric puzzle that doesn’t fit
and it about all it seems to welcome is a headache.

Maybe a further medal should go to Wolff Olins, the agency that received £400,000
for their twelve months worth of hard work they’ve put into creating a logo that
resembles a crayon drawing a six-year old could’ve done in six minutes.

Yes, that’s £400,000. Career change anyone?

Like it or hate it, the London logo divides people straight away. In that sense,
it's great marketing. The press that would have been generated after its release
would be worth millions. And here we are still, adding to the debate at our level.

But guess what? Maybe they planned it to happen exactly that way.

Maybe the young people in England will get on board with it and embrace it because
it doesn't look like it came from stuffy old men wearing cardigans with elbow patches.

And maybe, just maybe, Wolf Olins are worth every penny of that 400 quid.

But hey, everyone is entitled to their opinion. For what it's worth.

Build your interactive knowledge
Get creative in the online space

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- Interactive Advertsing Bureau Australia

Build your knowledge of the fastest growing part of the marketing world. Learn everything you need to thrive in the digital sector and get a clear understanding of the fundamentals of online advertising.

Join this one-day workshop that is aimed both at those who are new to the sector and those looking to develop their knowledge in this area.

This day event incorporates eight insightful sessions covering topics such as:

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• Social Networking
• Permission Marketing
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All the speakers are experts in their field and you could be too when you develop your knowledge of the digital sector.

WHEN: 30 September 2008
WHERE: BMW Edge, Federation Square Melbourne
TIME: 8.30am registration for 9.00am start

For more detailed information and to review conference program,
please go to:
www.bandt.com.au/bandtevents

We believe in keeping our clients' brands fresh.
But what about our own brand?

Recently, Fresh had its own brand audit in consultation with clients and industry leaders. We decided on a big makeover with a complete re-brand, a new visual identity and a rejuvenated website. As an agency that prides itself on our energy and passion for creative ideas, brand concepts and website design, we wanted to take advantage of the thinking we provide to our clients.

While there was agreement that it was time to create a brand identity that represented our new direction, we needed to establish what to communicate. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? The search was on. We conducted workshops and challenged ourselves to learn more about who we were, what we did best and how we could go forward. Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise, but it was great fun. As the brand developed, we gained a greater sense of identity and understanding. It was a real learning experience and things were now clear – we knew what Fresh stood for. Our mid life crisis was over – we had a fresh new direction. Our new logo came quickly because we knew that we wanted to present ourselves as 'creative' yet 'professional'. Three themes emerged: 'brand, communication, digital'. Implementation progressed through new signage, marketing collateral, the website and we developed a new style of communicating: it was all one 'Fresh' language. Seems our clients love it as much as we do. Hey, it works!