Mt. Evervess

An un-medicated high.

Needing to quench my thirst, I bought this Indian carbonated water for the illustration and tagline combo as well. I was already in the Himalayas, heading to Bhutan or on my way back. So, there!

Next logo change, I’d move “Lehar” to the bottom or back and let the mountains and “Evervess” take the spotlight. The maker’s prominent display (on its bottles and snack packages) is akin to “The Coca-Cola Company” splashed center stage on every beverage it sells, regardless of whether Coke, Sprite or Dasani is inside.

“Evervess” is powerful. It’s evocative, fun to say and onomatopoeic. Starting off strong with the stressed initial “E,“ the name then softens out…much like any gaseous beverage action. What’s more, it’s suggestively descriptive: the drink is super-fizzy, as another fan attests. — ¡!¡!¡!¡!¡!¡!¡!¡! — I love the visual and verbal references to both “effervescent” and Mt. Everest. Bubble on!

Backstory: Lehar is a brand of soft drinks and salties owned by PepsiCo. From 1988, when the company entered the subcontinent’s market, until the ban on using foreign brand names was lifted in 1991, PepsiCo was forced to use an Indian name, even on its flagship drink. Pepsi Era? Not allowed. Lehar Pepsi (lehar = wave)? Approved. PepsiCo marketed its products under this former Indian joint venture label until it bought out its partners in 1994.

Sourced: Thailand/Bhutan.

Come! What, May?

Come what may….

I stumbled upon this place in the town over. A shame they did not hit the mark with the logo. Kumquats are so beautiful; they are pretty on and off the tree. Citrusy goodness, too…skin and all!

No matter what might be happening, get to Watkinsville soon for a simple (but not simple-tasting) home-cooked breakfast or lunch while you take in the local art on the wall.

Masterpiece Chocolate

Edible wallpaper.

Just looking at this packaging can will me to forego the chocolate it envelops, if only for a while. O brothers, where art thy wallpaper? Founding siblings, Rick and Michael, coax out superb chocolate. Their “love affair with the spirit of craft” starts with being highly selective in sourcing the cacao beans and doesn’t end on the production floor. No siree. The bars come to you hand-swaddled in foil and paper. None is less than 70% cacao and most are above that intensity.

Their double red-headed, mast-like “M” logo befits the pair’s down-to-earth quirkiness, even echoing shared facial features. Definitely a hands-on experience. I can almost smell the factory from here.

Back home on the range

Crippled by mediocre design.

Pluses: So excited to learn from my Winnipeg friends that the Jets were heading due north. They never belonged in Atlanta anyway. Ecstatic they kept the name (it had so much going for it if only they had picked up from where they left off). Happy to hear St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador now have something to scream about.

Minuses: Disappointed that Reebok did not come up with something more inspiring and/or the hat trick of brand identity decision makers (NHL, Reebok and True North) chose something as flat and still as the Canadian prairie. Don’t get me wrong…flat and still are great in the right context. This is not that.

As a former competitive ice hockey goaltender, I feel I have earned some modicum of opinion with respect to design and the role it plays in jumpstarting brand loyalty. Supposing I am a circa 2011 Jets player, when I put on this jersey, does it inspire me to play better, to win, to be a great teammate and sportsman? Does it give me butterflies to don this logo-ed gear? Do I feel proud wearing it? Do I want to send logo-ed wearables to my friends, family and fans? Do I slap a sticker on my car or a patch on my jacket? The answer to all the above is a resounding no. The CFAC deserves a more soulful, more choreographed shout-out.

Furthermore, the tagline, “Fuelled by passion,” (yes, with a double “l”) is as crash-and-burn as they come. It’s so “done,” so “obvious,” so ‘90’s. The team and Winnipeg merited a full-throttle brand identity rather than what they got:  a watered down, emotionless, superficial, “designed by committee” knee-jerk “solution.” There are a lot better ways to say “jets” and all the positive associations it has going for it than slapping one on a logo. In fact, in the name alone, you have already said it, so the illustration is redundant! This is an example of a lost messaging opportunity a.k.a. dumbing things down. Now, I’m not advocating a ubiquitous, meaningless swish or swoosh to show energy, motion, tactical superiority, finesse, speed, etc., but that winged thing just looks parked on the tarmac. And, if they had to get the blessing from Toronto to use the maple leaf as a secondary design element, that alone means it was/is too close to the former’s logo in the first place. The dismal lack of fortitude to be original is a shame.

Management, you want game shut-outs, not fan shut-outs! The first puck of the season has not even dropped, and I’m not feelin’ it.