A B-Side BY Armin

Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

About: (Est. 1970) “The Office of Arts & Culture promotes the value of arts and culture in and of communities throughout Seattle. By fostering and investing in the creative contributions of our artist citizens to every facet of the community, we engage the creativity in every resident and build a healthy and vibrant Seattle.”

Design by: Civilization.

Ed.’s Notes: Not sure what it is about this one, but I like it. Bigger view of the logo and sample application below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: Arts & Culture Office blog post.

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A B-Side BY Armin

SF72

About: (Est. 2013) Formed by the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management in partnership with the people of San Francisco, SF72 is San Francisco’s gathering place for emergency preparedness. “If we can be prepared for the first 72 hours after a disaster, we will be ready for an emergency, no matter what form it takes. 72 hours might seem like a lot, but that’s really only nine meals. It’s just a long weekend. If disaster strikes, SF72.org will go into emergency mode-you can access live updates and tweets from around the city, check for missing persons, and learn about how you can help.”

Design by: IDEO.

Ed.’s Notes: Very nice wordmark, quirky and different (perhaps not enough emergency-ish and too friendly) and the shorthand version that reduces into a heart is clever. Video that explains this new initiative below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: N/A.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Business Software Alliance

About: (Est. 1988) “BSA | The Software Alliance is the leading global advocate for the software industry. It is an association of more than 70 world-class companies that invest billions of dollars annually to create software solutions that spark the economy and improve modern life. Through international government relations, intellectual property enforcement, and educational activities, BSA expands the horizons of the digital world and builds trust and confidence in the new technologies driving it forward.”

Design by: N/A.

Ed.’s Notes: Brand video below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: Press Release.

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A B-Side BY Armin

France Chambres de Commerce et d’Industrie

Established in 1599, the France Chambres de Commerce et d’Industrie (Chamber of Commerce and Industry) represents and defends the interests of 1.8 million businesses with French and European public authorities with hundreds of local branches. This month they introduced a new logo (a CCI acronym) and standard naming. Press release here (in French). A couple of application images here. Funny video of the new logo below (or after the jump).

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A B-Side BY Armin

UKaid

UKaid is the new public badge for the Department for International Development in the UK, established in 1997, with the mission of fighting world poverty. The UKaid is an attempt to make their efforts more notable and easier to recognize as coming from the UK. News here.

Thanks to Paul Robert Lloyd for the tip.

Opinion BY Armin

The Czech Statistical Office’s Czarts a New Logo

Established in 1969 as a central body of the state administration of the Czech Republic, the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO) gathers, analyzes, and publishes data about the Czech Republic. More specifically, its mission is to “[yield] a reliable and consistent image about the state of the arts and development of the society according to developing needs of users of statistical service in conditions of changing environment.” CZSO achieves this by publishing documents, hosting conferences, and engaging the public and the media. At the end of last year, as the result of a contest, CZSO introduced a new identity that is now being rolled out in full, designed by Prague-based Toman Graphic Design.

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A B-Side BY Armin

UNFCCC

“In 1992, countries joined an international treaty, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to cooperatively consider what they could do to limit average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change, and to cope with whatever impacts were, by then, inevitable.” From the press release: “The new logo presents a new image that highlights the central theme of the Convention and the institutional linkage to the United Nations.”

Thanks to Keenan Chadwick for the tip.

A B-Side BY Armin

Clean Energy Future

Clean Energy Future is an initiative by the Australian Government as “a long term plan to reshape our economy, cut carbon pollution, drive innovation, and help avoid the increased costs of delaying action on climate change.” A couple of detail images of the logo below (or after the jump).

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Opinion BY Christian Palino

Stalled Innovation

Current Senior Vice President, Digital Media at Discovery Channel, Randy Rieland is the inaugural editor of the recently launched Department of Innovation blog run by the Smithsonian Institution, “the world’s largest museum and research complex” that is administered and funded by the U.S. government. “The Department of Innovation is,” in Rieland’s words, “about people and ideas that likely will shape the way we will live one day.” One of the commenters on the Department of Innovation blog pointed out that in the logo, designed by Jamie Simon, “the gears can’t turn.” Stalled government has been mentioned in this context more than once recently.

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Opinion BY Armin

Follow-up: Government of Chile

In March we reported on the redesign of the Government of Chile identity, focusing on the return of the coat of arms. At the time, response to the logo was mostly negative due, in part, for its execution, but also because of its association to Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship in the 1970s and 80s. Last month, the government introduced a more thorough redesigned identity designed by Chilean agency Hambre and a proprietary type family by Rodrigo Ramírez.

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