Google changed its logo to celebrate the invention of the barcode today on the 57th anniversary of the barcode patent.
Originally designed for the railroad industry to label car, it wasn’t until the early 1970’s that the barcode was introduced commercially in the supermarket industry to automate checkout systems and introduce a cost reduction in the labeling of supermarket products.
Read more about the barcode on Wikipedia.
Google’s Visual Communication
Google uses its logo as a form of visual communication, to create conversations across the web. In changing its famous and highly recognizable logo, Google leads inquiring minds to discover noteworthy items, historic dates and points of interest via key words on its search page.
See previous posts about Google logo changes on Ghandi and on Samuel Morse and the intervention of the telegraph here.
Brand Influence
One of the most influential uses of brand changing or remixing is the image of Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.
A photo taken by a journalist during the campaign was artistically adapted and made into a poster to express. The effect of Obama’s highly recognizable image (brand) being changed to convey a message proved overwhelmingly powerful; probably the single most indelible image of the President. The artist, Shepard Fairey, was instantly catapulted into to fame with the image seen round the world and shared widely on the internet.
Barcode as Art
See an ABC News Story on artist Scott Blake who remixes art using barcodes.
Conversational Marketing or Artistic Interest?
When have you modified your brand to create conversations or influence others?
Post a comment here.
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Amos White is a Social Media Marketing Evangelist and public speaker.
Follow Amos on Twitter @Mos42
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