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Pre-Proposal - Visual Identity

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Ogilvy & Mather:
- Interesting colors that I can live with and grow to like. I do like the justification of the color choices.
- I don't like the double D - it is confusing and I don't know what the 2nd D stands for
- Evolution is supposed to hide the blockchain, not integrate it into the logo
- The O&M symbol is unrecognizable in small print, it just looks like a blur

Tharp & Clark
- Very friendly, new way to pay, preserves iconic Dashmark D

Compromises worth seeing:
- O&M colors applied to Dashmark D
- O&M colors applied to Tharp & Clark logo
 
Having seen and ruminated on the logo for at least many weeks now, I like the O&M logo, though I'm not sold on the purple. However, we have to remember how flexible the visual identity is. We can spin this off with thousands of different iterations, and ultimately that's what'll happen.
 
Hi Max. This is Santi, MD at Ogilvy Madrid. Thank you for participating in the logo debate! I answer you at each point:

1. The Dash brand is not widely known outside the cryptocurrency sector, but within the sector it has a recognisable mark that has gained considerable equity. The 'D' mark with '-' is a very clever and original device - a hint to the 'blockchain' while also mirroring 'C' which indicates 'Cash'. In addition to this, it is minimal while being bold enough to stand out and be seen, for example, a tiny app logo as seen on a hardware wallet, or coin list on an exchange. It would be good if we could retain our heritage in the brand - if you look at other world-leading brands (Ford, Starbucks, McD's etc) you'll note that if the original brand really did stand on its feet and achieved recognition, it was then very carefully tweaked over many years to keep it in line with modern styling. I like that Michael and Chris were humble enough to go 'full circle' on the brand and arrive at the conclusion that the 'D' mark was essential to retain.

In our opinión, Dash should have an image that reflect that it is a challenger brand in a challenging category. Per our research, 83% of people that are familiar to cryptocurrencies dont even know that Dash exist, while only 9% dont recognize Bitcoin.
Changing our logo and branding is an opportunity to stand out faster in the category. Dash should shout out that it is the next big thing in crypto, not only make an evolution of the current logo.

There is a huge opportunity to stand out and to present ourselves as a brand that aims to lead the change in the cryptocurrency world and this was the goal of this exercise when Dash board contacted us.


2. The O&M logo has several technical issues - for one, using gradient colours and especially hot pink and electric blue is very seldom used in logos - for good reason (note on my attached file the lack of any logos in that colour space). It is difficult to produce the colour gamut across print/web/mobile and in balance with background images, and the colors clash terribly. Pink and electric blue are non-serious 'funtimes consumer brand' colours (Ben and Jerry's, Tampax from the '90's, Barney the Dinosaur...), NOT colours to build a brand that will be storing your money. See the large colour gaps in the brand colour wheel attached, and the kinds of brands that are close to those colours - there's a reason for that gap and it's not because a 'zany' colour scheme has longevity.

Our logo and branding proposal tries to turn Dash current image into a challenger. We have merged Dash ́s “D” with the core of the technology – the blockchain – so we reflect that “Dash is THE blockchain” with a modern and sharpy design.

We have introduced a challenging pink color mixed with the current blue one, trying to stand out without losing our essence. You could say pink is an odd color for finance. Though, it has been successfully used by Virgin ́s Northern Rock bank and Shawbrook Bank in the UK, Self Bank in Spain or Bank of Australia. All of them brilliant challengers in the financial industry.

It stands out in the crypto world. Only a clear winner, full of confidence, would choose pink, as Richard Branson once did with Northern Rock. Gradients are only a visual resource. It is a great resource to mix two colors, as we want to do with blue and pink. Instagram logo does the same with pink and yellow.

In case the gradient is not applicable, we also suggested uses of the logo with different flat colors that also work well for the brand.


3. In the O&M logo, the DASH font itself in the legend is not balanced, being too tall with mis-spaced kerning between characters. The 'Double D' mark and style and even the colour is not original at all, it is also non-distinct (read: blurry and barely recognisable at a distance) and does not match or balance with the font that the underlying DASH is written in, and furthermore has an unbalanced tilt.

4. The concept of the double-D looks like a pair of shackles (google 'Slave shackles' if you want to see what I mean) - I was particularly not happy about this, as my own project is launching Dash in Africa and I think that even though it is unintentional, once you see it, it's difficult not to make that association.

Regardless of our personal opinions, we have compared Dash current logo with our new proposal and the facts show (current Dash logo vs. Proposed O&M Logo)
1. “Grabs your attention the most”: +46 pp. (11,8% vs. 57.8%) 

2. “You like the most”: +35,2 pp. (17,5% vs. 52,7) 

3. “Technological company, innovative, forward-thinking and modern”: +18,6 pp. (26,7 
vs. 45,3%)
“Solid company, trustworthy and that inspires confidence”: +18,6 pp. (26,7% vs. 45,3%) 

4. “Global company, with international presence, a leader”: +12,2 pp. (24,9% vs. 37,1%) 


And over all:

“Which one do you like the most?”: +32,1pp. (12,8% vs. 44,9%)

You can see all the results in the documents attached to this proposal.


Will post up more comments/critique in a bit, hope this is helpful.
 
DC.-..
dash-logo-DC.png
 
I've had messages asking me what I think. I'm torn to be honest. I've made 1000's of images of previous logo so I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all and give it time to digest.

If feels to me like the Darkcoin to Dash transition all over again. Everyone is running off in different directions. Ultimately I will go with and respect what the masternode network votes and decides.

What I wanted in new logo?

A happy medium where old meets new. Call me sentimental but it's all about the journey for me and a nod to the past would be my ideal preference.

How am I feeling right now?

For me Dash in terms of logo needs quality branding to rival the likes of other payment solutions PayPal & Venmo. Essentially we need a logo that clearly represents that visually.

So what's the Message of Logo?

When people look at new logo for first time what does it communicate to them? Is it just a letter? Afterall there is only so much you can do with the letter D. For me the visualization of the Letter needs to demonstrate - Speed, Direction, Money, Robust, Payments Network.

Is that important for you or am I alone on this? Perhaps you feel differently. I will also echo other comments that any extra info we can communicate in logo without being too overbearing the better. I want the logo to have a purpose and an identity to truly justify rebranding. I like the 3 new levels of Dash Evolution suggestion. However even more important to me is the 3 pillars of the Dash block reward - Masternodes, Miners and Dash Treasury.

So in my head I was hoping for something like this, that's simple but conveys the speed and moving direction of Dash with 3 subtle sections to represent 3 pillars of Dash. While maintaining some identity or relation to previous Dash logo.

Let me know what you think? This is what I was expecting logo to look like in my head? Am I completely off base here?

upload_2018-3-23_17-16-2.png
 
Last edited:
I've had messages asking me what I think. I'm torn to be honest. I've made 1000's of images of previous logo so I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all and give it time to digest.

If feels to me like the Darkcoin to Dash transition all over again. Everyone is running off in diiferent directions. Ultimately I will go with and respect what the masternode network votes and decides.

What I wanted in new logo?

A happy medium where old meets new. Call me sentimental but it's all about the journey for me and a nod to the past would be my ideal preference.

How am I feeling right now?

For me Dash in terms of logo needs quality branding to rival the likes of other payment solutions PayPal & Venmo. Essentially we need a logo that clearly represents that visually.

Soe what's the Message of Logo?

When people look at new logo for first time what does it communicate to them? Is it just a letter? Afterall there is only so much you can do with the letter D. For me the visualization of the Letter needs to demonstrate - Speed, Direction, Money, Robust, Payments Network.

Is that important for you or am I alone on this? Perhaps you feel differently. I will also echo other comments that any extra info we can communicate in logo without being too overbearing the better. I want the logo to have a purpose and an identity to truly justify rebranding. I like the 3 new levels of Dash Evolution suggestion. However even more important to me is the 3 pillars of the Dash block reward - Masternodes, Miners and Dash Treasury.

So in my head I was hoping for something like this, that's simple but conveys the speed and moving direction of Dash with 3 subtle sections to represent 3 pillars of Dash. While maintaining some identity or relation to previous Dash logo.

Let me know what you think? This is what I was expecting logo to look like in my head? Am I completely off base here?

View attachment 6667

When I look at that one he first thing that comes to mind is Hillary Clinton and the second thing is FedEx
 
Both stink. Ogilvy looks metrosexual and corporate. T&C looks like a playschool brand. Too simple and weak looking. Our original looks tough, fast and secure. The D also has a currency look to it. Plus we would lose our current impressions by switching. I think that would be a terrible idea.
 
Okay, first of all, the stats speak for themselves and it's easy to see why; O&M is the clear winner. Side by side, it's obvious the current logo has passed it's sell-by-date. However, the new logo is very predictable; nearly every blockchain project out there has some kind of block-linking type of logo. Having said that, I can easily imagine this logo sitting side-by-side with visa and mastercard; yep, they are boring too, but with money, portraying long term stability is more important than flare and novelty In other words, the new logo is boring enough and corporate enough to go mainstream and be trusted by your average Joe.

The color scheme is good and will look particularly nice as a hologram on a card or security label. I'm sure the colors are both attractive to men and women.

It may well be that a better logo is possible, but given the choices presented here, O&M wins. My only suggestion would be to cut away at the "A" and "H", in the same way they did with "D". Here's a quick example: View attachment 6637


My gut reaction is that I initially agree most with this comment here. But I really do not like the pink of this proposal, not because of the color itself; but because it looks too much like other sh*tcoins on coinmarketcap. I worry that if we switched to that one, it would make us blend in with all of the other "Abstract Art Coins."

Honestly a combination of both proposals would be best, and I might just vote "no" if this were put to vote right now. The current logo isn't bad.
 
I've had messages asking me what I think. I'm torn to be honest. I've made 1000's of images of previous logo so I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all and give it time to digest.

If feels to me like the Darkcoin to Dash transition all over again. Everyone is running off in different directions. Ultimately I will go with and respect what the masternode network votes and decides.

What I wanted in new logo?

A happy medium where old meets new. Call me sentimental but it's all about the journey for me and a nod to the past would be my ideal preference.

How am I feeling right now?

For me Dash in terms of logo needs quality branding to rival the likes of other payment solutions PayPal & Venmo. Essentially we need a logo that clearly represents that visually.

So what's the Message of Logo?

When people look at new logo for first time what does it communicate to them? Is it just a letter? Afterall there is only so much you can do with the letter D. For me the visualization of the Letter needs to demonstrate - Speed, Direction, Money, Robust, Payments Network.

Is that important for you or am I alone on this? Perhaps you feel differently. I will also echo other comments that any extra info we can communicate in logo without being too overbearing the better. I want the logo to have a purpose and an identity to truly justify rebranding. I like the 3 new levels of Dash Evolution suggestion. However even more important to me is the 3 pillars of the Dash block reward - Masternodes, Miners and Dash Treasury.

So in my head I was hoping for something like this, that's simple but conveys the speed and moving direction of Dash with 3 subtle sections to represent 3 pillars of Dash. While maintaining some identity or relation to previous Dash logo.

Let me know what you think? This is what I was expecting logo to look like in my head? Am I completely off base here?

View attachment 6667

Yeah, and now after reading this.... I like this one the most. The arrow in the middle of the D is an excellent way to convey DASH is the path forward. The only tweak I would make is changing the color from white to a dark blue (nod to the past and all).
 
Yeah, and now after reading this.... I like this one the most. The arrow in the middle of the D is an excellent way to convey DASH is the path forward. The only tweak I would make is changing the color from white to a dark blue (nod to the past and all).

It's like the old Commodore logo... and we know what happened to them...
 
Both logo are worse than current. If someone got paid for them - then that was a lose of money. Or this is play for time.
 
********QUOTE ********Hi Max. This is Santi, MD at Ogilvy Madrid. Thank you for participating in the logo debate! I answer you at each point: HI SANTI, THANKS FOR COMING BACK WITH YOUR COMMENTS I ANSWER INLINE BELOW.

1. The Dash brand is not widely known outside the cryptocurrency sector, but within the sector it has a recognisable mark that has gained considerable equity. The 'D' mark with '-' is a very clever and original device - a hint to the 'blockchain' while also mirroring 'C' which indicates 'Cash'. In addition to this, it is minimal while being bold enough to stand out and be seen, for example, a tiny app logo as seen on a hardware wallet, or coin list on an exchange. It would be good if we could retain our heritage in the brand - if you look at other world-leading brands (Ford, Starbucks, McD's etc) you'll note that if the original brand really did stand on its feet and achieved recognition, it was then very carefully tweaked over many years to keep it in line with modern styling. I like that Michael and Chris were humble enough to go 'full circle' on the brand and arrive at the conclusion that the 'D' mark was essential to retain.

In our opinión, Dash should have an image that reflect that it is a challenger brand in a challenging category. Per our research, 83% of people that are familiar to cryptocurrencies dont even know that Dash exist, while only 9% dont recognize Bitcoin.
Changing our logo and branding is an opportunity to stand out faster in the category. Dash should shout out that it is the next big thing in crypto, not only make an evolution of the current logo. SURE BUT THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN, IT IS NECESSARY FOR THE BRAND IDENTITY TO HAVE LONGEVITY AS WELL AS BEING NOTICED

There is a huge opportunity to stand out and to present ourselves as a brand that aims to lead the change in the cryptocurrency world and this was the goal of this exercise when Dash board contacted us. THIS IS STILL THE AIM, FOR ANY BRAND REPRESENTING INNOVATION


2. The O&M logo has several technical issues - for one, using gradient colours and especially hot pink and electric blue is very seldom used in logos - for good reason (note on my attached file the lack of any logos in that colour space). It is difficult to produce the colour gamut across print/web/mobile and in balance with background images, and the colors clash terribly. Pink and electric blue are non-serious 'funtimes consumer brand' colours (Ben and Jerry's, Tampax from the '90's, Barney the Dinosaur...), NOT colours to build a brand that will be storing your money. See the large colour gaps in the brand colour wheel attached, and the kinds of brands that are close to those colours - there's a reason for that gap and it's not because a 'zany' colour scheme has longevity.

Our logo and branding proposal tries to turn Dash current image into a challenger. We have merged Dash ́s “D” with the core of the technology – the blockchain – so we reflect that “Dash is THE blockchain” with a modern and sharpy design. I THINK MOST PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THIS, BUT IT'S NEITHER ORIGINAL, DISTINCT OR CLEVER. WERE THERE OTHER OPTIONS?

We have introduced a challenging pink color mixed with the current blue one, trying to stand out without losing our essence. You could say pink is an odd color for finance. Though, it has been successfully used by Virgin ́s Northern Rock bank and Shawbrook Bank in the UK, Self Bank in Spain or Bank of Australia. All of them brilliant challengers in the financial industry. IT'S AN ODD COLOUR FOR FINANCE, NORTHERN ROCK WENT OUT OF BUSINESS AND HAD TO BE ACQUIRED BY VIRGIN. ARGUABLY SELF BANK IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EXECUTION TO HOW YOUR TEAM HAS DONE IT (NO GRADIENTS, FLAT MIX COLOURS), AND THEREFORE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SCHEME. SAME EXACT COMMENT GOES FOR BANK AUSTRALIA.

It stands out in the crypto world. Only a clear winner, full of confidence, would choose pink, as Richard Branson once did with Northern Rock. Gradients are only a visual resource. It is a great resource to mix two colors, as we want to do with blue and pink. Instagram logo does the same with pink and yellow. YOU DID NOT ADDRESS MY COLOUR WHEEL ARGUMENT, IT CAN BE A GOOD IDEA TO COMBINE COLOURS BUT NOT IN THE WAY THAT YOUR TEAM APPEARS TO HAVE DONE.

In case the gradient is not applicable, we also suggested uses of the logo with different flat colors that also work well for the brand. NOT SURE WHAT 'NOT APPLICABLE' MEANS - FOR THE MONEY SPENT ON THIS, IT SHOULD BE A FLAWLESS EXECUTION


3. In the O&M logo, the DASH font itself in the legend is not balanced, being too tall with mis-spaced kerning between characters. The 'Double D' mark and style and even the colour is not original at all, it is also non-distinct (read: blurry and barely recognisable at a distance) and does not match or balance with the font that the underlying DASH is written in, and furthermore has an unbalanced tilt. PLEASE CAN YOU ADDRESS THIS. THERE ARE OBVIOUS TECHNICAL ERRATA HERE. THESE ARE RUDIMENTARY MISTAKES THAT A BRAND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY SHOULD NOT MAKE, AT LEAST NOT AT THIS STAGE OF THE PROCESS.

4. The concept of the double-D looks like a pair of shackles (google 'Slave shackles' if you want to see what I mean) - I was particularly not happy about this, as my own project is launching Dash in Africa and I think that even though it is unintentional, once you see it, it's difficult not to make that association.

I HAVE READ THE STUDY, IT WAS AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, EXTREMELY POORLY DESIGNED, THERE WAS NO QUALITATIVE PHASE OF SUBSTANCE, AND I DON'T SEE THAT WORK WAS DONE TO ENSURE THE RESPONDENTS HAD BEEN APPROPRIATELY SCREENED NOR THE CORRECT CONTEXTUALISATION GIVEN. WHO ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTED THIS STUDY, AND ON WHAT PLATFORM? WAS THIS DONE BY A THIRD PARTY, AND WHO DESIGNED THE RESEARCH PROCESS?

Regardless of our personal opinions, we have compared Dash current logo with our new proposal and the facts show (current Dash logo vs. Proposed O&M Logo)
1. “Grabs your attention the most”: +46 pp. (11,8% vs. 57.8%) 

2. “You like the most”: +35,2 pp. (17,5% vs. 52,7) 

3. “Technological company, innovative, forward-thinking and modern”: +18,6 pp. (26,7 
vs. 45,3%)
“Solid company, trustworthy and that inspires confidence”: +18,6 pp. (26,7% vs. 45,3%) 

4. “Global company, with international presence, a leader”: +12,2 pp. (24,9% vs. 37,1%) 



AS ABOVE, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A PROPER STUDY WAS DONE, BUT SOME KIND OF ONLINE SURVEY

And over all:

“Which one do you like the most?”: +32,1pp. (12,8% vs. 44,9%)

You can see all the results in the documents attached to this proposal. I'VE BEEN THROUGH IT IN SOME DETAIL - IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A SOLID STUDY.


Will post up more comments/critique in a bit, hope this is helpful.

Comments inline to yours above;
 
I've had messages asking me what I think. I'm torn to be honest. I've made 1000's of images of previous logo so I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all and give it time to digest.

If feels to me like the Darkcoin to Dash transition all over again. Everyone is running off in different directions. Ultimately I will go with and respect what the masternode network votes and decides.

What I wanted in new logo?

A happy medium where old meets new. Call me sentimental but it's all about the journey for me and a nod to the past would be my ideal preference.

How am I feeling right now?

For me Dash in terms of logo needs quality branding to rival the likes of other payment solutions PayPal & Venmo. Essentially we need a logo that clearly represents that visually.

So what's the Message of Logo?

When people look at new logo for first time what does it communicate to them? Is it just a letter? Afterall there is only so much you can do with the letter D. For me the visualization of the Letter needs to demonstrate - Speed, Direction, Money, Robust, Payments Network.

Is that important for you or am I alone on this? Perhaps you feel differently. I will also echo other comments that any extra info we can communicate in logo without being too overbearing the better. I want the logo to have a purpose and an identity to truly justify rebranding. I like the 3 new levels of Dash Evolution suggestion. However even more important to me is the 3 pillars of the Dash block reward - Masternodes, Miners and Dash Treasury.

So in my head I was hoping for something like this, that's simple but conveys the speed and moving direction of Dash with 3 subtle sections to represent 3 pillars of Dash. While maintaining some identity or relation to previous Dash logo.

Let me know what you think? This is what I was expecting logo to look like in my head? Am I completely off base here?

View attachment 6667

I was a little aroused, but I'm a freak.
 
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