Haft2Know

With Halloween's approach, we were curious to see what modification Google made to their logo this year, which got us thinking. You know you've established an extremely successful brand when you can play with / fiddle with / completely change the presentation of your logo on a near-weekly basis, not to mention attract people to your site just to see what it looks like now.

Google's line of holiday logos began in 1999 with the addition of a goofy little turkey for Thanksgiving. Since then, the company has been displaying different versions of their identity for a number of special occasions including the Persian New Year, Louis Braille's birthday and the 50th anniversary of understanding DNA. Almost all are the product of one young man, Korean American Dennis Hwang. Bravo, Dennis. A google bravoes.

http://www.google.com/holidaylogos.html

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Well if you've been unsuccessful in finding just the right Halloween costume for your dog, (yes, you read that correctly) you may want to pay a trip to your local Target store to peruse their selection of pet dress-up duds. The possibilities will make you laugh out loud, first at the unavoidable cuteness (you have to admit) and then at the ensuing absurdity of what this really means.

The pet industry in the United States was worth a staggering $41 billion in 2007, according to The American Pet Products Manufacturers' Association, up from $21 billion in 1996. You might think these numbers will fall as the economy makes us reconsider our spending habits, but apparently the pet industry is nearly immune to such fiscal fears. Those that will be the least affected by the downturn will be the ones most likely to continue buying spa days and velvet divans and uh, costumes like this, for Sir Barks-a-lot.

http://www.target.com/b/ref=sc_fe_l_1_1038602_6/601-2893872-4228155?ie=UTF8&node=343171011
http://www.pawpalaceonline.com/coats-jackets-luxury-coats-c-1_6_118.html

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And it continues. Pepsi becomes the latest titanic brand to remake their identity into something more approachable and humane. Following in the footsteps of Walmart, the soft drink deputy underwent a five month long rebrand and just released to the world how the new logo, (and can) will look shortly.

The new graphic is meant to recall a smile, and in varying forms will dress the major Pepsi sub-brands across the world including Mountain Dew, (soon to be called 'Mtn Dew'). A grin will be used for Diet Pepsi and a laugh will be used for Pepsi Max. Like the other logos we're watching get remade, the company has opted for a lower-case typeface. Who will be next?

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Truth be told, it's not yet time for our Halloween issue, but we couldn't resist sending something out early for this very special haunted affair. The Thornhill Woods Haunted House opened in Toronto again this year, and is rapidly becoming an annual go-to place to get some good ol' fashioned neck chills and goose bumps. Open every evening from 6 to 10pm, any visit to this cemetery themed attraction promises gargoyles, tomb stones, earth breaking zombies and a meat shop that sells cannibalistic delights, among a myriad of other macabre offerings.

And here's the best part. Not only is it free to visit, but the ghouls that run it request donations, all of which go entirely to benefit SickKids Foundation. Being afraid will never feel as good as this. See the website for more details.

http://www.thornhillwoodshauntedhouse.com

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I guess when you're as good-looking as Apple is, you get a little defensive when others try to emulate. And so it was recently, when the computer giant reached from California to Victoria, BC to pluck from the branding tree another apple-based logo, used by the Victoria School of Business and Technology. Apple thinks the small school is trying to capitalize on the success of the MacBook maker and wants VSBT to cease usage of their logo immediately. The school has told Apple they'd be happy to move the leaf from the right side to the left, but apparently haven't heard back if this'll be satisfactory or not. I imagine Apple will say this town's not big enough.

Strangely, we've seen this happen before. In April, Apple told a New York City environmental initiative, GreeNYC that their logo was also too similar to theirs to use. This could get out of hand.

http://www.schoolvictoria.com/ApplesandOranges

http://www.palluxo.com/2008/04/05/apple-threatens-lawsuit-over-greenyc-logo/

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And so it's that time of year again when we strip our yards of the pretty things and prepare our little outdoor worlds for the onslaught. I could be wistful here, and pine for the summer that barely happened, but alas...

Anyway, if you're someone who forayed into the world of outdoor ponds and ecosystems this year, you'll want to protect your new water domain with a pond net. Here's a company we found in New York state that offers both standard and custom nets to help protect your little family of goldfish. They'll be grateful next Spring.

http://www.pondnets.com

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Welcome to Draw Ball. An online collaborative art project that invites users to draw digitally on a huge virtual canvas. Each user is able to e-etch a tiny amount per day, equal to approximately 1/10,000th of the surface of this thing. It began with aspirations of encouraging crafties to express themselves, but through time, has morphed into a spot for online communities and advertisers to plug certain brands. The short animation below demonstrates how over time, the South Korean flag morphed into the Pepsi logo. Over two years old, the project still receives new squiggles 24 hours a day.

http://www.drawball.com/playback.php

http://www.drawball.com

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This sign was spotted recently on the lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington and serves as a reminder that this two-year Battle Royale is finally coming to a hopeful close. Whatever will we talk about?

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