I Guess Logo Design Isn’t That Good in Lexington Either?
Just a few posts ago I wrote Is Web Design as Bad in Your City as it is Here?, an article that discusses the dire state of web design here in Lexington, KY. Well, it looks like logo design in Lexington, isn’t much better.
Have a look at the image in this article to see what I’m talking about. The top logo is that of LexGo.com, which is portal for entertainment in Lexington and around central Kentucky. While watching television the other day, an ad for their site came on and I immediately noticed what I’m sure everyone else has noticed by now, the strikingly similar concept behind both logos.
It’s a Subliminal Message I Tell Ya!
For anyone not familiar with the concept behind the FedEx logo, which is one of the most popular logos of all time. The concept is that when you take the uppercase “E” and the lowercase “x,” an arrow pointing to the right is formed.
“The arrow could be promoted as a symbol of speed and precision.”
You can read more about the thought process that went into designing the FedEx logo from the creator himself at The Man Behind the FedEx Logo
Lets Get Original
Anyone working professionally as a designer, whether that be web design, or logo design, should know not to rip-off other people’s work. Easy rule, right? For some, I guess it’s no so easy.
Now, I talk about logo design in Lexington simply because LexGo is a Lexington based website. I have no idea who did the logo and for all I know the designer could be living in Florida. I’m simply bringing this up because the concept of the LexGo logo was clearly borrowed from that of the FedEx logo. At any rate, even if the designer doesn’t reside in Lexington, the state of logo design here is till bad! Just do a Google search for “logo design Lexington Kentucky” if you don’t believe me.
I’m sure the people doing the ripping would be the first to complain if their original work was to be ripped by someone else.
You Can Be Inspired, Just Don’t Copy
Sometimes the creative juices just aren’t flowing and I would be lying if I said I didn’t browse other designs looking for inspiration. I even have a folder created on my computer where I save screenshots of logos and websites and keep them packed away for a rainy day when I need some inspiration. The big kicker here is that you can definitely be inspired without ripping the main concept of the logo.
Your Turn to Talk
What does everyone think? Am I the only one that sees this logo ripping off the idea of the FedEx logo? Or am I just overreacting and jumping to conclusions?
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Comments
Sam: Yeah, I’m right there with you. As soon as I saw the ad on TV about the launch of the site I instantly noticed the concept. Was really shocked actually that someone would even try it considering how popular the FedEx logo is.
Posted on Fri Feb 8, 2008
I agree fully.
You can be inspired, but don’t rip.
You need to take advantage of all these design shortcomings! There are some big opportunities for you!
Best of luck!
Posted on Fri Feb 8, 2008
Goodness me, although familiar with the FedEx logo I’ve never noticed the concealed arrow, so I guess the logos’ similarity could be a coincidence.
However, it really does look like the LexGo logo’s designer has added the smaller white ‘x’ inside of the black, larger ‘x’ to make the arrow appear, because you wouldn’t make the letter ‘x’ look that silly by accident.
Posted on Fri Feb 8, 2008
Brian: Ha Ha, yeah, you’re probably right Brian. Believe me, it’s crossed my mind many times that I should offer my own services here in Lexington. I really believe I could offer more than is currently here, but I also don’t like to count my chickens before they hatch. 
After working in retail for three years before my current job and dealing with customers day in and day out, I really am just not a big fan of dealing with clients. There are some out there that are great, but in my experience, they are generally a pain, but that’s all part of a business I guess. Anytime you offer a service, you’ll run into this.
Thanks for stopping by Brian.
Posted on Fri Feb 8, 2008
Joshua: Yeah, I’ve now about the hidden arrow for a couple years now, but like you, before I knew I just didn’t see it. Once it was pointed out to me it was really obvious and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed before.
Yeah, I mean, it’s totally possible that it’s all a coincidence, but I don’t think so. If it is, I’ll be the first to apologize, but they will have a hard time convincing me. Like you said, they made the smaller white “x” so it stands out a little more and even colored the arrow green to make it even more prominent. Also, seeing as majority of people have no idea that an uppercase “E” and a lowercase “x” creates an arrow (The simple combo of those two letters won’t do it by default, you’ll have to adjust the text a little to actually get the arrow effect) it’s even harder for me to believe that the designer just stumbled upon the combination without first seeing it done in the FedEx logo.
Anyway, that’s what I think. I could be wrong.
Posted on Fri Feb 8, 2008
Wow Deron, like Sam, thanks for noticing this. This logo was designed by Landor and Associates, a world reknown branding firm. I’m quite sure there is some for of copyright infringement here. Maybe I’ll drop an anonymous tip to Landor.
Posted on Fri Feb 8, 2008
Adam: Thanks for the information Adam. Yeah, I’m with you, I’m sure there is some sort of copyright infringement going on.
Posted on Fri Feb 8, 2008
Oooo well I never saw that logo. Okay we don’t have FedEx here in the UK much (well I don’t see it anyway!) but I’ve seen the logo of course. It’s quite cool how you can integrate a type of hidden message into logos, especially when they’re subtle like that.
Posted on Tue Feb 12, 2008
Sarah: Yeah, when I first found out about the arrow I was really surprised. It seems so obvious once you know it’s there, but before you know you really have no idea.
Posted on Wed Feb 13, 2008
It does nothing for the site, has no branding persistence, and just looks amateurish.
Everyone repeat with me:
“Logo design is hard, and it is going to cost some money to do well.”
PS Come to think of it, Lexgo isn’t that great of a domain name anyway. They should have bought something better, even if it was on the reseller marketplace.
Posted on Mon Mar 3, 2008
Scott: Good to see some new Lexington folks chiming in here! I actually came across your blog a while back after a Google search, but had since forgot make my way back. I’ll bookmark your site!
Yeah I agree. Logo design is really hard. People have no idea what goes into a logo. They think you just pop open an image application and ten minutes later out comes an outstanding brand for your business.
As for the domain, I’m guessing the only reason they went with it was because it was short?
Posted on Mon Mar 3, 2008
I’ll buy you lunch sometime - it looks as if we’re in sync on some of our thoughts.
Posted on Mon Mar 3, 2008
Keep in touch.
Hahahah… Not only is that a rip off of a legendary logo but a very ugly rip off. Thanks for sharing that…
Posted on Sat Mar 8, 2008
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My name is Deron Sizemore and I am a web designer, web publisher, blogger and serial internet entrepreneur living in Lexington, Kentucky.
Kudos! Thank God someone else thinks so! I pointed it out to my friend Adam the other day and he couldn’t believe it either. A incredibly shameless rip. I’d love to hear the designer defend this!
Posted on Fri Feb 8, 2008