rareexample

If you’re a fellow ontario-an then you’ve probably heard some of the hooplah over our new province logo. As a web designer I can understand the want and need to update the brand but with branding updates there should be reasoning behind it. Either the current brand was not working, or the organization was striving forward with a new message to enforce this change of brand.

If you take a peek at the ontario website(How’s that for a friendly URL?) you’ll see no real change or clear brand equity. No clear message of what Ontario has to provide, stands for. No feeling of trust, inspiration or motivation. The colors are drab, pale, grey and the design is circa 1990 with cheezy flash transitions and images with the classic dotted shade backgrounds… I can go on and on with an in depth review of the website but that’s not my point here.

I’m all for change, change is good, but only when change is needed. There’s no real reasoning behind this change, it’s just blah.

The logo, despite looking like 3 dudes in a hot tub is ok, but is it really worth changing our heritage with no real reasoning with a nifty price tag of over $200 000? I mean shit, I could have re-designed Ontario’s website with some clear goals, usability and accessibility for our beloved Ontario province for less then half the cost.

The only two reasons I can see for this is *fiscal year end blowout, Liberal agenda. Seriously now, ain’t there better things to spent tax dollars on then a logo redesign ?

*Fiscal year end blowout is when government sectors have money left in their budget at the end of the fiscal year and need to blow it on shit so they can get the same amount or higher budget the following year. If they overspend, they have a chance to get a little more in their budget so they can have more to blow on other useless shit. That money is usually spent on crap like T.V. Commercials, Radio adds, misc add campaings, web and print stuff and private hot tub parties in cancun.