What exactly are we protecting?
For the past four years we’ve worked with Brand® with Tagline™. We have probably spent 80+ hours proofing and making revisions in order to make certain that the register mark and trademark appear each time the name or tagline appear. It was my understanding that the symbol only needed to be used in the first instance (per page) of that name and/or tagline—and was not required subsequently. OK this makes sense.
But my frustration with countless hours of proofing and changes has led me to ask… Do these symbols actually mean anything? Or, are they just cluttering an already jam-packed visual environment? How does this protect a name, or a tagline? Is this really going to dissuade anyone from illegally using it? It has proven difficult to combat piracy (what we people call sharing) of music, movies, software, and games… do companies actually believe they can protect their brands with these annoying little symbols of overly-litigious capitalistic consumer culture? How’s that for some triple alliteration?
My watch has a very distinguished logo right at high-noon… let me check to see if it is protected. Huh… there is no ®. Maybe… that’s why a cheap copy of it is sold on Canal Street for about $40… hmmmm. I think I’m starting to see how important it is to protect the value of a brand. I get it.
OK… now that I get it… let me apply my newfound understanding.
Apple… this idea is for free. Consider it a gift for creating so many beautifully designed products that we appreciate so much.
203.854.5690
Hahaha. I think that’s funny.. I sat a lesson in a multimedia lesson on IT Law and they said you don’t need a copyright symbol - anything you create is automatically copyrighted, but of course you can read endlessly on all the ramifications and loopholes of that - like there always is in law, in my opinion.
Anyway, Apple putting a (R) symbol by the logo on an iMac would take away some of the beautiful design - apple design is all about beauty in simplicity and I think that would ruin that a little - but I’m sure you are aware of that.
I first came across Indigo6 when I saw it on the FWA - I’m a frequent visitor.. Site was pretty cool - didn’t you feel kind of sad when you had the idea of replacing it with something else? It is after all an award winning site. I’ve decided I need to get a new website, a new name, to better market my business - a new identity and revamp everything, conceptually and visually in a more corporate and business fashion.. But I’m procrastinating on doing it, because I put so much effort into my site - was a big step for me at the time. Anyway, what I wanted to say was that I think the new site is really cool. I like the idea of blogging stuff, especially just giving opinions on stuff - honoured that I’m the first comment in this opinion section (I think) haha. Or maybe I really like the idea of me - an upcoming and young flash web designer, ambitious to design awesome websites - gets to directly contact someone from great design company (you said you’re up for debate, or at least someone from indigo6 did on this site somewhere, hehe - regretting it yet? haha).
On a more serious note - I’ve written too much. Cool stuff guys.
Christian Kragh - KraghDesign.com
Christian… thanks for being the first to comment. We’re honored.
Yeah, it was a tough decision to replace the previous site. I spent about 120 hours just rotoscoping the flight attendants frame by frame (the key just didn’t look right). But in the end, we felt that we had a point of view about our work and the industry which we were unable to articulate throught the site. So… we wanted to design a site, a platform that would enable us to “put it out there.”
Doing your own site is probably the toughest thing a designer has to do. Especially when you’re working alone. No feedback, and being stuck in your own head is miserable! How many times can move something around a page? Am I complaining? I hope not… I think being a designer is the greatest job in the world.
Yeah, I get what you’re saying, but you’re right, it is a great job.
Haha. It was really hard in the beginning - I’m a freelancer - but now it’s gotten easier.
I think I’ll be checking indigo6.com now and again to see the news and anything in the opinion section. I don’t know about other people, but the new site has really worked and taken me in, even though it’s not an award winning flash website.. Hmm.. something to think about, hehe.
Christian
Hmm.. yeah, a flash blog where people can leave comments like this.. Complicated stuff.. I’m sure I could pull it off, hehe. But I mean - I only know Flash really, I can’t code in html or php or anything else, I’m really just a flash guy.. But after talking to my girlfriend about it again - she’s great at giving me ideas - I’ve decide I’m gonna have a 2-site website, one side being corperate style (in content as well), and the other side being artistic style. I think it’s a good idea - and maybe have a flash blog as well, if possible… Still got a lot of thinking to do on this one though.
By the way, I looked at the ‘about’ page and read your brief bio - and it sounds like you are what i want to be, haha. Self-educated in everything you like and started a successful company. I’m self-educated as well but only in Flash.
Enough compliments! Thanks for chatting man.
Christian
And then this…
Interesting thread guys. A flash-heavy site for a b&b in upstate Connecticut recently revealed its major downside to me when I had to retype into a text file the driving directions, since I couldn’t copy and paste from flash. Almost a deal breaker.
Primary rule of business, never stop customers from reaching for their wallets. Too much flash can stifle the cash.
I looked into trademarking my llc recently, which of course lead me to consider registering my own name… that seemed ridiculous, but I feel better knowing now how to do it!.