The ugliest logo ever, but maybe it makes sense | Hacker News Reader

The ugliest logo ever, but maybe it makes sense

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28 pointsbrandonkm17 comments

In the context of the other imagery they're going to roll out, it's actually pretty cool. It's a very humanizing illustration style that I think will go a long way towards making Symbian feel a lot less borg-like to mainstream folks.

Check out the accompanying illustrations at flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/symbianfoundation/sets/72157616...

Exactly my thoughts. I followed the link from the article to their blog, where the logo has more context than their main site: http://blog.symbian.org/

It really doesn't look too bad or out of place there.

It reminds me of Dr. Seuss as well as another guy who used to do a learn to draw show on pbs when I was little, I think his name was Mark something. I really hope more people change from Web 2.0 style images to something more friendly or minimal looking like they decided to do.

It was well received on a popular brand identity site: http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/open_sou...

Aren't you guys sick of gradients and bubble-buttons yet?

Nice -- I sent Brand New this tip about Symbian's redesign, and in return they linked to my startup from the tip credit. (I make video effects software that can be of interest to a design blog's readership, so the exposure is welcome.)

They're taking a page out of IBM's "Peace, Love, Linux" campaign. I think nerds are fairly easily appeased. There's nobody that seemed more borg-like than IBM a decade or two ago and they've won over the hearts of lots of geekier folk.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kino-eye/39036635/

I don't think this is what won over the geeks. It is more of a mutual relationship -- IBM needed to take on Microsoft, and Linux was the easiest way to do that. So, IBM gives the open source developer time, money, and their patent portfolio, and IBM can compete better with Microsoft.

The Thinkpads are also mighty fine computers. (I know it's not IBM anymore, but times have changed...)

Sure. I didn't mean to imply that said campaign was the crux of the winning-over, but it was part of IBM's strategy to become cool again in the techie world. Just embracing Linux as a business strategy wouldn't have done it -- a lot of vendors have done that and remained uncool -- but what IBM pulled off was a strategic shift while bringing in the hacker community at the same time, which is pretty impressive.

Somehow it gives me the same impression as this: http://www.boltcity.com/copper/copper_021_happy.htm

And I would like to respond with this: http://www.boltcity.com/copper/copper_023_waterfall.htm

I don't think you know it's beautiful, it just is.

I like it. I guess it's just personal preference.

well, I don't feel too bad for designing my product logos myself now.

The London 2012 Olympic logo is better

What sort of music does Symbian play? Are they going on tour soon?

> Really though, it does embody "Symbian" pretty well; amateur, ugly, dated, and kind of a joke

Nice writing. "a fat, stoned-looking penguin and a drunken ox" made me laugh.

Sincerely, I think it deserves the right to be included in this: http://www.grupthink.com/topic/7964/Worst_logos_ever

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