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Our Logo Looks Like Underpants: A Case Study in Internationalization (2013)

157 pointsby fludlightalmost 7 years ago

17 comments

badwolfalmost 7 years ago
This is why I think anyone doing a rebrand, logo change, etc... should forego regular focus group testing and such, and instead get a group of teenage boys.<p>They will immediately see if your logo is a dick&#x2F;butt&#x2F;boobs&#x2F;swastika&#x2F;etc... or if your company name can be taken in a &quot;more vulgar manner&quot;
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jazoomalmost 7 years ago
Good, entertaining read.<p>&gt;It appears that y-fronts are a uniquely British phenomenon whose popularity doesn’t extend far past their borders.<p>I don&#x27;t think you can make that statement after sending a survey only to people in USA and UK. I&#x27;m Australian and I definitely see Y-fronts in the original logo.<p>Edit: I thought I&#x27;d add an interesting point. In medicine we include &quot;Y-fronts&quot; in the mnemonic to help us remember the order and direction of structures in the femoral triangle.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;radiopaedia.org&#x2F;articles&#x2F;femoral-triangle-contents-mnemonic" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;radiopaedia.org&#x2F;articles&#x2F;femoral-triangle-contents-m...</a>
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softbuilderalmost 7 years ago
I once tried to sell a software library as a product. Bad timing, concept, and execution, so it flopped. The thing I remember most is putting the phrase &quot;slam dunk&quot; in my initial product announcement. I took a lot of flack about that from non-Americans. That wasn&#x27;t so bad, but I let that very temporary error distract and derail my marketing efforts, and <i>that</i> was a mistake. Personally, I&#x27;d have stuck with the underwear logo and put that energy elsewhere.
bitwizealmost 7 years ago
I have three letters for you if you think this can&#x27;t happen within your own borders: OGC
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dangalmost 7 years ago
Discussed in 2015: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=10499578" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=10499578</a><p>And in 2013: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=6521138" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=6521138</a>
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romwellalmost 7 years ago
The punny section headers are a treat:<p>&quot;A Brief Problem&quot;<p>&quot;Getting to the Bottom of This&quot;<p>&quot;But Y?&quot;
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wolfgkealmost 7 years ago
While from my cultural bias, I cannot see any &quot;Y pants&quot; in the dodecahedron, the logo of Magento BI (next to &quot;Magento&quot; at the upper left corner of<p>&gt; <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;rjmetrics.com&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;rjmetrics.com&#x2F;</a><p>and also the logo shown in the tweet) looks like - how should I express it - &quot;a hanging male reproductive organ&quot; to me. The four sides of the hexagon surround the region of pubic hair.
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jbscpaalmost 7 years ago
My personal favorite was the 5 1&#x2F;4 inch floppy disk brand name: Janus<p>The first time I saw one of these laying on my desk with the first letter &quot;J&quot; covered up...well, I could never unsee it.
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21almost 7 years ago
Could be much worse:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.boredpanda.com&#x2F;worst-logo-fails-ever&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.boredpanda.com&#x2F;worst-logo-fails-ever&#x2F;</a>
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chris_wotalmost 7 years ago
Ummm... it&#x27;s not just Internationalization you need to worry about. Sometimes you should look at the logo from all angles. Literally, in the Office of Government Control&#x27;s case...<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.telegraph.co.uk&#x2F;news&#x2F;1901656&#x2F;OGC-unveils-new-logo-to-red-faces.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.telegraph.co.uk&#x2F;news&#x2F;1901656&#x2F;OGC-unveils-new-log...</a>
xvilkaalmost 7 years ago
Story reminds me of Yandex.Browser logo, which looked for many like a woman thongs on a ball: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;hsto.org&#x2F;getpro&#x2F;geektimes&#x2F;post_images&#x2F;11e&#x2F;fe1&#x2F;9bb&#x2F;11efe19bbb12e3d088ac3767fa251fe8.png" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;hsto.org&#x2F;getpro&#x2F;geektimes&#x2F;post_images&#x2F;11e&#x2F;fe1&#x2F;9bb&#x2F;11...</a>
whalesaladalmost 7 years ago
Based on the title alone I assumed this was gonna be about Daewoo. Their logo is regularly compared to a pair of tighty whities (TIL they are also known as y-fronts).<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.carlogos.org&#x2F;Car-Logos&#x2F;Daewoo-logo.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.carlogos.org&#x2F;Car-Logos&#x2F;Daewoo-logo.html</a>
ajeet_dhaliwalalmost 7 years ago
I grew up in the UK and have never heard of this y front term before, I wonder if it’s regional. I have heard of briefs and tight whiteys. Based on my experience people in the U.K. will take the mickey&#x2F;piss out of things like this more in general regardless of what it is.
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wiradikusumaalmost 7 years ago
Wait.<p>&quot;UK schoolchildren sometimes tease each other with insults like “I bet you wear y-fronts.”&quot;<p>Why is it an insult? I&#x27;m wearing it now, and I&#x27;m sure it&#x27;s quite common here (not UK&#x2F;US).
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sudeepjalmost 7 years ago
Not exactly a logo, but check out the &quot;Hitler kettle&quot;, which was disturbing and funny at the same time.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.telegraph.co.uk&#x2F;news&#x2F;worldnews&#x2F;northamerica&#x2F;usa&#x2F;10084348&#x2F;Kettle-that-looks-like-Hitler-brews-trouble-for-JCPenney.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.telegraph.co.uk&#x2F;news&#x2F;worldnews&#x2F;northamerica&#x2F;usa&#x2F;...</a>
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Markoffalmost 7 years ago
it looks more like sport bra than underpants
AbdullahAliDComalmost 7 years ago
hahahaah, man you&#x27;re hilarious! You should consider writing comedy blogs! I was chuckling all through out the article<p>&quot;I bet you wear y-fronts&quot; hahahaha - it is something that I heard a lot growing up in the UK (and for the record, yes..no, I didn&#x27;t wear them)