When I arrived outside my office today, I was met by a unique marketing pitch. Come with me and check out how awesome a few grade school girls and some sidewalk chalk can be... and how you can pick up on their brilliance!

This is, of course, the recycled logo, created by Gary Dean Anderson in 1970, a 23-year old college student at USC. in 1970. Container Corporation of America, a large producer of recycled paperboard, sponsored a contest for art and design students at high schools and colleges across the country to raise awareness of environmental issues and the 1st Earth Day. The contest, which drew more than 500 submissions. Anderson was awarded a $2,500 scholarship. Got a logo that's more recognized? Show us.

I've re-posted the Ad Professor's stuff here.... makes for quick and easy fodder to critique. Normally, well reasoned and sound, from copy to art direction. When it misses, I normally chalk it up to the differences between Brits and Americans. Idea is great. Execution is off... what's with the font choices? And my quick fix: Tint the red... give light a direction — helps the product, and Kit Kat type is basically Helvetica Bold Italic. Why add two unknown faces that don't work together? I'm also tempted to skip the tag line "Take a Break". — Ad Prof TA 🤔

To make your brand stand out, you need to have a "go-to" color and a logo/style that is distinctively your own. There's a lot of competition out there. This is true in grocery stores, retailers and online, too. Stand for something - Anything. Make it custom to you. Be easy to find and recognize. Simple is usually better than complex. _ _ _ Oh, and the last image here is of a new diaper brand... "luxury diapers". That's distinctive (but the price is not). Notice the packaging: 1) Soft cream (not white) square box (with navy box top). 2) Center circle easy-to-read MILLIE MOON (fun "gentle" name) logo. 3) Happy babies on white blends with "waterfall" graphics that run on all sides of the box. SIMPLE. CLEAN. DISTINCTIVE and CHEAPER (made in China). 🇨🇳

There are a number of cases at the "dawn of the Internet" that helped define what you could or couldn't do with a domain name. - Is it bad faith to register a domain just to sell it back to a brand? - What happens if you don’t use the domain at all? - What if you’re simply redirecting traffic and monetizing confusion? Most of us have purchased a name or two (some of us A LOT more than that), either to start your own gig, on behalf of a client, or sometimes in hopes that it will have value down the road.* Want to read all about it? CLICK HERE _ _ _ TLTR: Some of the earliest domain disputes are still the ones that matter most, since they answered basic questions that no one had resolved yet. - Cases like World Wrestling Federation v. Bosman established that registering a domain to sell it back to a trademark owner could qualify as BAD FAITH. - Telstra v. Nuclear Marshmallows introduced the idea that DOING NOTHING with a domain could still carry legal consequences. - And Yahoo v. Zviely reinforced that capturing traffic through CONFUSION COUNTED as use, even without meaningful content. Together, these decisions created the foundation for how domain ownership is interpreted today, and drew the first real lines around intent, legitimacy, and what it actually means to own something online. _ _ _ * I've sold three domains in my life, the largest for $3,500. Most likely I've spent that much on all of the yearly renewals of the domains that I own, $15 at a time! 🤪