C'mon Untouched World, give me a break
Posted by stephen clover on Thursday, 12 Jun 2008
Untouched World on the corner of Brandon and Featherston streets has a logo which looks unreasonably similar to Antony Gormley's Angel of the North, which is located outside Gateshead in the north of England.
I've tried to ignore this for months now, but it finally got the better of me this morning. C'mon Untouched World, what were you thinking? How did this come about? How could this have been let to come about? How could your logo-designer not be aware of one of the most famous and all-pervading visual images of the last 20 years? Sheesh. And what's more (keep reading after the jump)... ... there's a statement on their window in an almost-illegible script which -- I shit you not -- reads:
I've tried to ignore this for months now, but it finally got the better of me this morning. C'mon Untouched World, what were you thinking? How did this come about? How could this have been let to come about? How could your logo-designer not be aware of one of the most famous and all-pervading visual images of the last 20 years? Sheesh. And what's more (keep reading after the jump)... ... there's a statement on their window in an almost-illegible script which -- I shit you not -- reads:
We are passionate about ethical design, and this flows through every element of the collection. From what buttons we use (recycled cotton so [sic] sustainably harvested tagua nut) to what textiles we use (we are building an extensive organic cotton and Merino sourcing programme), to where and how we produce the collection...I mean, good on them and all, but that's still a logo, typeface, grammar, sentence-construction AND comprehension FAIL. All this from a shop which sells what appears to be run-of-the-mill outdoors wear pitched at the fatter-of-wallet. Ooh look, a virtual tour of the Angel of the North sculpture.
?
Hey and don't forget the Bible, with the heavenly host, those to ripped of the Angel of the North
And all those angels on top of xmas trees for the last century or so, rip off's of the AoTN !
And that film Constantine, how dare Gabriel have Wings at the end, a blatant rip off of the Angel of the north.!
Hang on I see a pattern here ! Do you think there were actually Angels before that farcical rusty statue went up ?
Scott: Stephen's complaint isn't that Untouched World used an angel as their logo. It's that the shape of the figure in their logo strongly resembles the Angel of the North.
Angels come in all shapes and sizes, but the Angel of the North has a distinct, non-traditional silhouette.
I agree Mike. It's totally based/stolen on that design by John Tarlton (or something similar)
...perhaps we should really be questioning the validity of the 'Angel' as a unique/original icon...
"one of the most famous and all-pervading visual images for a long while"
All-pervading my arse. I only know the angel because I've been there. And I only noticed the resemblance when you pointed it out.
Is this really such a big deal that it deserves it's own post? Surely it's only worth a small mention in a post titled "shit signs around town".
Reckon I should delete it then, Anonymouse? You a designer or an artist? If so you must keep your head well up your all-pervading arse. Otherwise the point doesn't apply to you, does it.
Seriously though, wanna help me draft up some guidelines on what deserves it's own post, and what is only worthy of an entry in a compendium-post?
You start.
to be fair stephen, i've never heard of that english sculpture before but have seen plenty of maori kite images when I was at school.
Hi Stephen. It was me who was anonymous last time. I'm tempted to write up a big passive agressive, nominally polite reply, but that kind of crap is just stupid and annoying.
This post is simply to note that I wasn't trying to be anonymous, I simply fucked up with the logging in and all.
"one of the most famous and all-pervading visual images for a long while"
Well, I certainly thought of Angel of the North when I saw it, but then again I spent a couple of years in the UK soon after that was installed, and I'm interested in contemporary art. While it's certainly memorable and much-parodied over there, the average Kiwi is much less Anglocentric in his or her cultural sympathies than a generation ago, and probably thinks that the Turner Prize has something to do with CNN.
To me, it's the proportions that are so Gormleyesque, but most people without a British or art-world connection are unlikely to make the same connection. Perhaps the logo designers were consciously ripping of the Angel of the North, but they probably would have been aware that the typical sweater-buyer wouldn't be more than vaguely familiar with it.
...
What?
What are you talking about?
Most famous? All-pervading?
I've never seen the Angel of the North, nor have a quick sample of workmates.
Great.
What's the bet many other people haven't spoken up for fear of the double bind of not looking like a cultural illiterate?
It's... not that famous.
Finally, I'm not seeing the similarity above any other angel design.
It's an Angel silloutte - how much variation can you get? Wings on a body shape.
How commonly used are angels? Very. :P
How similar are these designs? Not very.
The only thing vaguely similar is the wingspan, which is clearly taken from a maori kite, not a landmark in England (and isn't that a little english centric?).
It actually looks less like the Angel of the North & the maori kite displayed, in that it rounded off the wings, when the originals had neither.
Actually, it looks a lot like some cardboard christmas angel decorations my family had when I was a kid.
The body of course, is completely different in design, with the sylised legs like that of the Maori kite. I fail to see how it's more like the Angel of the North than a Maori kite, in any way, or how any of them really distinguish themselves from run of the mill angel sillouttes.
Cheers.
i always thought it was inspired by a maori kite, and never even thought of the angel of the north.
Maybe the angel of the north stole it's inspiration from that.
Looking at your post with my British eyes, I agreed with you Stephen, but now I've had look around at various examples of Maori Kites I'm more inclined to disagree. Much more along the lines of Kite shapes than the Angel of the (English) North.
Eg:
http://www.art-newzealand.com/Issues1to40/kites.htm
http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/wings/matauranga.htm
That doesn't excuse their poor sentence structures :) ... but I do like the typeface they use.
I'd always thought it looked like the Angel of the North too, and wondered if it was intentional.
We were in the UK when the Angel of the North was first unveiled, and it's pretty impressive (even if only viewed from the motorway into Newcastle). The big controversy at that time was how much it resembled a similar, giant commemorative piece done for the Luftwaffe in the 1930s. I've seen some comparative pictures in the past, but I haven't been able to find any online...
http://tinyurl.com/3of6w4
And so, skirting close to Godwin's Law, does that tell us anything about Untouched World? :-)
And so, skirting close to Godwin's Law, does that tell us anything about Untouched World? :-)
Well, Bill Clinton apparently bought lots of stuff from their Auckland branch when he was here for APEC, and you know who else was a democrat...
Hillary?
well here's a little bit of knowledge for you... the angel of the north was unveiled AFTER UW began... so that answers your questions about what came first!
Well then, show me that their logo was designed before 1994, and this member will quite rightly withdraw and apologise.
Just switch the names around Stephen, so you're whinging about Gormley instead.
Ding ding round 23- my vote for best wellingtonista post comments thread of the year to date!
Yeah whodda thunk that Stephen would make a controversial post?
Yeah, no, yeah, no. Nuh. At this point in the 21st Century this profile qualifies as an architype and I'll be hoosed if anyone should start licking the last biscuit in the packet and call it their own. My grand pappy was an aircraft designer in the 1940s and since the spars and struts on Gormley's piece riff on those found in an aircraft wing maybe Vickers should consider doing him for breach of patent or sommit... Hopefully or sommit.
I am quite certain that Maori kites were in existence long before 1994! So, why would a New Zealand company model their logo on something in England when inspiration is right on our back door step, so to speak?
Just a thought for those of you that enjoy criticising... don't you think it would be better to support Untouched World? It is after all a gorgeous, high quality brand from this beautiful country that we all call home? Why look for fault that simply isn't there? Let us instead celebrate and be proud of Untouched World as a label that is truly unique to New Zealand.
Dude, Anonymouse, if you're looking at us who like to criticise, don't you think it'd be more effective to say "why don't you criticise those generic brands made in sweatshops in China?"? You obviously haven't had any PR training. If you're correct in your belief that all we do is criticise*, then appeal to that side of our nature. Play to our strengths. Don't expect strong results from us doing a 180 on our viewpoints. Guide us into it softly. Duh.
* And you're really really not!
I can't believe then that no one has made a post about the frickin Havoc signage. The hell man? I know so many people who have that stick man tattoo. What would Pearl Jam say eh? WWEVD?
http://www.ratpony.com/havocnaughty.jpg
Get real, that type of symbol has been used by all kinds of cultures for hundreds of years. Antony Gormley didn't discover it. It is universal.
You people really are lining up and falling over yourselves to miss the point, aren't you. It's NOT some kinda trademark-infringement FAIL because the one looks like the other; it's a DESIGN FAIL because the logo looks like a famous work of contemporary public art. What's so hard to understand?
It's only a design fail if people do not form an emotional attachment between the logo and the brand. Whether it is original or not is irrelevant. It can actually pay for it to not be so original so it gains leverage off designs that already exist and have emotional resonance in society. It doesn't belong in an art gallery. It belongs on shopping bags, letterheads, advertisments, company cars, etc. You're the one who doesn't get the point.
Amazingly this is a free world people are allowed to think what they want.
your opinion can be different to mine and yet the world doesn't explode. In fact the world is a better place becuase we can disagree.
Missing the point WIN, Sue.
Or, wait... are you saying that you think it's a successful design because it's reminiscent of Angel of the North?
I say it is likely a successful design for this reason. If Angel of the North helps to establish an emotional connection to the Untouched World logo and brand that is good from a business perspective. It means less money the company has to fork out to establish a connection with the public. I think it is a fantastic design precisely because it connects me with things that have gone before it. Stephen, try establishing a brand in the marketplace and see how easy it is. There are always "experts" who like to tell you what's good for your company but they don't care if the public doesn't connect and you are left spending money to make up for their bad advice. This is about commerce, buddy, so stick to your knitting.
no Stephen, I do not agree with your opinion on this.
I believe that you have every right in the world to have your opinion regarding the logo design.
and I believe i have every right in the world to disagree, and have my own opinion.
I also believe that differing opinions are what makes the world a better place. And that it's nice to live in a world where freedom of speech and thought is awesome.
You know who else thought that it's nice to live in a world where freedom of speech and thought is awesome?
David Irving?
*snort*
Differing opinions make the world a better place but Stephen's opinion bores the testicles off me.
Have you heard of epoxy resin?
What an inane argument. Has anyone noticed how Nestlé based the design for Smarties on Phil Price's Protoplasm on the corner of Hunter Streets & Lambton Quay? http://www.sculpture.org.nz/engine/SID/10007/AID/1050.htm
Talk about design fail - they totally ruined the effect by introducing all of those additional colours...
Yes, and it really steams me.
I hope it's a good steam lew, like a steam pudding
yum!
I'm surrounded by Philistines.
I am slightly embarrassed that I just used most of my lunch break reading this thread.
Perhaps it's time to amend the 'About' page.
Post new comment