Darren’s question in his blog, “Does a Logo Really Matter” got me thinking about the concepts of visibility and identity. I think the key to having a logo is not so much about bringing new attention to a product than it is about sustaining attention. Once a consumer connects a company with its logo, the real job of the logo is to maintain company visibility in a highly competitive world. The more the logo is seen, the more the company is saying, “I’m here! I’m here! I’m here!” Therefore, one of the keys to designing a logo is simply to be different, so the company’s specific voice stands out among the crowd. At the same time, a logo has to be concise and direct. In a world of chatter, people tend to turn off after a few seconds. These two reasons might explain why the Fed Ex logo works so well. This no frills logo stands out from the crowd and does so directly and clearly. It is like a stamp.

   Maintaining visibility with this stamp can also be achieved in many ways. The simple and clear logo can be stamped upon any form of communication the company wants to make. It goes on stationary, websites, advertising, products, and so on, continually reminding the consumer about company and product identity.

   Designing a simple and direct logo might seem straightforward and even easy, but the most important factor of a logo is identity. The arrow in the Fed Ex logo simply reinforces identity in a subtle, yet powerful way. Once identity is established, it must remain visible. That is why the Fed Ex logo is stamped right on the side of the delivery trucks.

    As digital business become more and more popular today, many companies recognize the opportunities behind it and are trying to expand their online business.

    Staples has just realized that people tend to use fewer paper products since, for example, the smartphone and the ipad have come out, so one of the biggest changes for the company lies in online business: ‘‘…it plans to slash its U.S. store footage by 15 percent and invest the savings in its e-tailing business.’’ By closing quite a lot of retail stores in the U.S and Europe, it has much lower costs and still captures customers through other platforms. Staples has a really good brand image for office supplies, and I think e-tailing will make it more successful and profitable.

http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2012/09/26/Staples-Rethinks-Strategy-092612.aspx

     Another piece of news drew my attention as well. Target creates click-to-buy shoppable video starring Kristen Bell and Nia Long. In this case, Target even provides online shopping through a further extension by combining shopping and watching a video at the same time. During my experience of a click-to-buy shoppable video, I felt that I paid more attention to the products on the screen and I found it was interesting compared to the usual dull online shopping. However, I think the technology still needs to be improved because it is hard to match what I like and check if it is on the product list.

One of click-to-buy video episodes: http://fallingforyou.target.com/

Target news source:http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2012/09/25/Target-Falling-For-You-092512.aspx

     Overall, I believe the emerging market for e-tailing will gain a lot of people’s attention as the young generation have already adapted to different forms of social media and the continually growing technology.