Most companies put plenty of thought, time, and money toward their logos. But have they thought about how others see that logo online?

Whether designing a brand new logo or redesigning an existing one, it’s important to keep in mind where and how that logo will be seen in the Internet age.

Think, for a moment, about all the possible ways your logo might be displayed online.

On Google search results, in various sizes.
On display ads; both elongated banners and squares.
As a tiny square box on a Twitter profile.
An even tinier square box for a mobile app.
As a mobile ad.
In a Facebook update.
On a LinkedIn profile.
In a press release or embedded in a blog post.

These are just a few examples, but the point is this: Your logo must be flexible to adapt to different sizes and situations. It also must be recognizable both large and small. If your logo contains your company name or slogan, the lettering must be legible even when it appears small. Your logo might look great elongated, in an oval shape, or composed of several small facets – but how will it look confined in a box?

Your logo also must “pop.” Simple lines and your company name might look great on printed letterhead, but it won’t stand out online where consumers are barraged with other interesting images that evoke a response.

If your company logo simply cannot be modified or adapted to fit in the digital landscape, consider making an alternate logo for digital use. Of course, it must be immediately recognizable as your brand and not stray from the parent logo. But, chances are good that, in this age, your logo will be seen online more often than anywhere else.

envisionit media would like to welcome its newest client, VOA Associates, to the agency! We are proud to have teamed up with Carolyn Grisko & Associates as part of an integrated marketing strategy.

For more than 40 years, VOA Associates has delivered award-winning design, architectural and planning services for an impressive list of clients in a wide range of markets, both geographic and sector-diverse. With offices currently on four continents and projects spanning the globe, VOA is unquestionably an elite and successful design firm that continues to shape our world!

We are proud to partner with them in their new marketing efforts!

We’d like to put a bug in your ear about our newest client, H.D. Hudson. envisionit media has partnered with H.D. Hudson as their interactive agency. Here’s the “buzz” about them:

H. D. Hudson Manufacturing Company is a long-standing, global company specializing in consumer and professional sprayers and dusters since 1905. The Hudson brand is recognized and known for quality, service and value throughout the world. H.D. Hudson’s company headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois with products distributed and sold worldwide. The lady bug sure can travel!

We would like to welcome the H.D. Hudson team to the envisionit family. You have inspired a new passion for our gardens this year!

We are very excited to announce that NTN Bearing Corporation of America has retained envisionit media as their interactive agency!

NTN Bearing Corporation of America manufactures and distributes throughout the U.S. a wide range of ball and roller bearings, serving the automotive, industrial and recreational markets. In addition to bearings of all sizes and types, NTN is also one of the largest producers of constant velocity joints for automotive front-wheel and four-wheel drive applications. Over 70% of the bearings sold by NTN in North America are manufactured by one of the seven manufacturing plants the company operates in the USA and Canada. The company maintains their primary website at www.ntnamerica.com.

Needless to say, we’re excited to get our ‘bearings’ around this new relationship!

Often the topic of heated debate, the Olympic logo and identity system is an important component of the way we perceive The Games. This year the Vancouver 2010 arena & spatial design is all about vivid, saturated blues and greens, graphic textures, and wavy, tentacle-like forms that intertwine and surround a figure performing the sport at hand. On the other hand, the Vancouver 2010 logo is done in bright, primary hues and speaks to the Inuit culture of the Canadian Arctic.

Named Ilanaaq, the symbol is a graphic, modern representation of the inukshuk – stacked rock forms that native tribes built to provide landmarks and direction throughout the Canadian landscape. Ilanaaq means “friend,” so the logo is meant to be “a friend that warmly welcomes the people of the world with open arms every day,” according to the official website of the Vancouver Games.

Um, what? OK, so I can absolutely see the resemblance between this Ilanaaq character and the inukshuk sculptures, and the rationale for this logo is totally valid. The host city should absolutely celebrate the culture of its country – that’s what The Olympics are all about! – pride in your country and the fact that you are going to kick your competitor’s ass in the name of [insert country here].

That being said, there is a very poor connection between this culture-rich mark and the rest of the Olympic identity system. What’s with the complete switch in style and the void-of-meaning free-flowing blue & green shapes that overshadow the logo? Sure, the friend-focus of the logo is a little cheesy (but who doesn’t love cheese!?), and it’s head kind of looks like a green Pac-Man (I wish I could take credit for that, but I read it here: http://www.topnews.in/usa/vancouver-2010-olympic-logo-under-eye-storm-23564) but at least there’s some relevant meaning behind it!

Don’t get me wrong; the blue and green designs are beautiful to look at, and there is obviously a nice big maple leaf reference in the poster artwork, but that’s it. Boo. I have to agree with Art museum curator David Ross, who pointed out on The Colbert Report that the 2010 Olympics graphic identity contains no strong reference to sports, history, or the spirit of competition. It is completely irrelevant to what it is meant to represent.

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We get it. Brands change. Sometimes because they have to, sometimes not. Brands change up their advertising, target audiences, CMO’s and even their corporate headquarters. But something about MTV officially removing ‘Music Television’ from their logo is bittersweet. For those of us who grew up in the first MTV generation,  gone are the days of staying up until midnight to watch the latest video on the family TV. Now we can watch a music video as many times, at any hour and in any location we want with a press of a cellphone or laptop.

According to MTV’s press release, the logo change was to further align itself with the Millenials audience and still stay relevant with its past, present and future. The change comes part of the channel’s ‘reinvention’ to stay current and cutting edge.

MTV should be commended for its effort to stay relevant in a TV environment that is highly competitive. Staying ahead of the pack is much easier than trying to catch up with it. And it’s not like MTV is completely omitting music videos or canceling the VMA’s. The logo is now inclusive of all channel content.

As much as we can appreciate a rowdy episode of “The Jersey Shore,” MTV will always be the pioneer brand that brought music videos into our homes.

Rock on MTV!

AspireUp, a local marketing consultancy dedicated to helping companies and their brands grow exponentially, launched a refreshed website with envisionit media last week. The new site features a new design look and updated content, positioning AspireUp as a marketing leader for both local and global clients. Client testimonials have also been added for further credibility and content texture.

AspireUp’s typical client projects include marketing planning, branding, new product launches, corporate training and many others. To learn more about AspireUp and their services, visit them at www.aspireup.com!

Congratulations to our friends over at Crimson Lounge in the Hotel Sax for making Chicago Magazine’s Top 100 Best Bars! What an honor to receive in such a competitive landscape here in the Windy City. We wish them much continued success in 2010!

Remember the old saying how the cobbler’s kids never have shoes? Well, we’ve been the cobbler for a couple of years now. After working so diligently on developing knock-out websites for clients, we didn’t have much time left over to redo our own. But after some heart to hearts (or should we say sole to sole) here internally, it was time to take the plunge. So we got busy cleaning up the scuffs, buffing the leather, adding new polish and giving the site one last good shine for the relaunch.

During all that buffing, we refined our agency positioning as well. We know clients love results, and we love providing them. We are now branding envisionit media as an Agency of Action, one that drives specific actions to achieve client’s desired results. To take it one step further, we defined the specific categories we drive action within: Interactive, Creative, Strategy and Technology. We’re even calling our internal team Agents of Action. We like it, and hope you do too.

Come on over and check us out at www.envisionitmedia.com.

Calling all green-minded readers….check out the new site launch for Ultralast Green batteries.

UltraLast Green™ Everyday Rechargeables™ are ready to use immediately for all your battery-powered needs. Better yet, they hold 80% of their charge for up to 12 months when not being used! A longer-lasting rechargeable battery means you waste less and save money – without having to change your habits.

Now that’s what we call green power!

www.ultralastgreen.com