I received a letter to my email address from the higher-ups of the bank in question that I discuss below on Friday September 25, 2020, from their brand people. They requested that I cease and desist from using their trade mark on my website in regard to a student project that I had done some years ago to reimagine their brand for the future - this project was contained on one website page that was hidden in navigation. They can here note that I have used B's I's and 0's to essentially change the language of the bank, its trade mark and its slogan in the text below as noted thus differentiating their bank to one that I call TBD below. I also blacked out and contrasted the images, below, that contain this bank's logos and trade marks as per their request.
However I hope that they and you will note the following for observation and reflection in thinking about the much larger picture of the societies in which we live. I am a student of media. I do not say this lightly as both my bachelors and masters degrees are in media. I also hold a degree in teaching. I was born and raised in Canada during simpler times when I can remember that the society was more free and more socialist than it's current situation. Do not get me wrong, Canada is still thankfully a democracy however it has swung from being a more socialist democracy to a more capitalist democracy and that is something that needs to be addressed and discussed far more than is happening. You see, capitalist societies become more about money and bottom lines, about images and looks, rather than about people and communities.
For a company to control its image fully it must control all of its media. This takes time, money, and policing. People can do this too, but again they need time, money, and incredible resources to do so and this is not feasible for most every individual person. Companies wield a lot of control, they hold a lot of power, they have a lot of money and resources at their disposals always. They can, if they wish, hire someone to scour websites and other media forms, and for example go after an art student for a small brand re-imagine project. In my own humble opinion this is a great waste of their time, money, and abilities. But of course in their opinion this is hugely important, as they need to be able to control everything so that only they can have control over their image.
Many will think, well whats wrong with that with them controlling their image and story. The wrong in that is that these companies hire major brand teams of extremely bright educated individuals to create their stories through media production - stories that are built to entice customers, and to sway thought, and more, though subtle means. They are thus not playing on a level field to individuals, but playing a grand game of manipulation from the top of the pyramid downwards. They then have copyright on their names, trade-marks, logos, words, language, structures, etc. And retain top lawyers and policy enforcers to ensure that they control how they are always seen and understood.
And in my not so humble opinion I think we need to think about the larger implications of a society policed by wealthy companies that control their vast numbers of employees, images, etc. Policing over branding and 'trade marks' especially at this low of a level - looking online at student work - are steps in a capitalistic system of controls, checks and balances that when taken to extremes like this, are at once not only 'silly' but more deeply and insidiously the beginning of Fascism in attempts to control story, image, and media to the nth degree.
I am sure that I do not need to tell you to look at what is happening in the world today. Now the question is do we want to enable the world in this way that 'we' are? It may be our job, I understand that, to engage with students, dissidents, other people, to protect brands that we work for. However when our jobs require that we do things that are questionable, silly, and downright a waste of time in this fashion that is about control, it is also our job to question our role, to question the brand, and those at the top making such decisions. The reason this is important is that we need dissidents, we need pull and opposition so that we balance ourselves through debates and compromises, so that we do not become lopsided to an extreme.
ASIDE - It is comical that I am writing about the power of media when the project below is about brand redesign
However I hope that they and you will note the following for observation and reflection in thinking about the much larger picture of the societies in which we live. I am a student of media. I do not say this lightly as both my bachelors and masters degrees are in media. I also hold a degree in teaching. I was born and raised in Canada during simpler times when I can remember that the society was more free and more socialist than it's current situation. Do not get me wrong, Canada is still thankfully a democracy however it has swung from being a more socialist democracy to a more capitalist democracy and that is something that needs to be addressed and discussed far more than is happening. You see, capitalist societies become more about money and bottom lines, about images and looks, rather than about people and communities.
For a company to control its image fully it must control all of its media. This takes time, money, and policing. People can do this too, but again they need time, money, and incredible resources to do so and this is not feasible for most every individual person. Companies wield a lot of control, they hold a lot of power, they have a lot of money and resources at their disposals always. They can, if they wish, hire someone to scour websites and other media forms, and for example go after an art student for a small brand re-imagine project. In my own humble opinion this is a great waste of their time, money, and abilities. But of course in their opinion this is hugely important, as they need to be able to control everything so that only they can have control over their image.
Many will think, well whats wrong with that with them controlling their image and story. The wrong in that is that these companies hire major brand teams of extremely bright educated individuals to create their stories through media production - stories that are built to entice customers, and to sway thought, and more, though subtle means. They are thus not playing on a level field to individuals, but playing a grand game of manipulation from the top of the pyramid downwards. They then have copyright on their names, trade-marks, logos, words, language, structures, etc. And retain top lawyers and policy enforcers to ensure that they control how they are always seen and understood.
And in my not so humble opinion I think we need to think about the larger implications of a society policed by wealthy companies that control their vast numbers of employees, images, etc. Policing over branding and 'trade marks' especially at this low of a level - looking online at student work - are steps in a capitalistic system of controls, checks and balances that when taken to extremes like this, are at once not only 'silly' but more deeply and insidiously the beginning of Fascism in attempts to control story, image, and media to the nth degree.
I am sure that I do not need to tell you to look at what is happening in the world today. Now the question is do we want to enable the world in this way that 'we' are? It may be our job, I understand that, to engage with students, dissidents, other people, to protect brands that we work for. However when our jobs require that we do things that are questionable, silly, and downright a waste of time in this fashion that is about control, it is also our job to question our role, to question the brand, and those at the top making such decisions. The reason this is important is that we need dissidents, we need pull and opposition so that we balance ourselves through debates and compromises, so that we do not become lopsided to an extreme.
ASIDE - It is comical that I am writing about the power of media when the project below is about brand redesign
I personally feel that banks are way of base these days in regard to what they do and say. Ideally in a bank one looks for security, but apart from this people want transparency, helpfulness, and community building. XXXScotia Bank has a slogan that says "Y0u're richer than you th1nk" - This slogan is laughable as it feels like someone in a lot of debt who is in denial about that and wants others to be so to. But banks are in the business of making money and that means a bottom line with loads of fees and pushing people to go into debt. I personally find the logo and branding of TBD XCanada TrusX in Canada to be the worst. But they are my bank. And so I've created some new logos and slogans and even a mascot for them. But before I go into that here are some of my issues with TBD's logo and current branding. First the logo is boring, also its two shades of green - easily associated with greed and envy - not a fan. Second the "mascot" is a ugly green couch and their slogan says "bank1ng can be th1s c0mf0rtable." Pairing the couch with this slogan gives of the feeling of slob and lazy - not something I care for in a bank. Finally the TBD stands for T0r0nt0 B XD0mini0n - dominion referring back to power over peoples and lands - again not a fan especially considering Canada's history - but I'm guessing we are still a long ways a way from reconciling much of our language and its connotations - so maybe a name change is asking too much.
2. When turned upside down the logo becomes a make shift boat for the mascots who are sheep and an ant. I chose a sheep because often young people like myself who are not so comfortable with things like mortgages and GIC's often feel lost or follow the herd and so this would be a great mascot for TBD to use as a learning device for new bankers. The ant represents hard work and working together because "t0gether we are str0nger."
3. The slogans are now three slogans that are all about the clients and the bankers working together for a better future. The slogans also serve to remind clients that the bankers and tellers are there to help with all banking needs and that they also appreciate kindness. The second slogan also takes from the Obama campaign for presidency - Yes we can. The third slogan is directly taken from youth pop culture - Work hard, Play hard. Thus the slogans also serve to appeal to a much larger demographic audience, and shows this bank is with the times as well as being professional and collaborative.
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1. I decided to re-brand TBD with a new identity system one where it would seem like they were a strong community based yet powerful institution with good values, and still very approachable. I went with the T on its side with the D coming out of it that looks like a torch of Roman times and civil society. The D is also representative of the sun on the horizon. The red shows the strength of the sun. I chose a navy blue background to impart a sense of proper security. The logo on its side becomes more contemporary and certainly less boring. It also serves as a shelter to one mascot in times of need, and acts as a useful tool for the other mascot.
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4. This is an idea for a new store front for TBD based on the new logo designs. The ants become a feature of the banking machines adding some fun and warmth to an ultimately boring and cold transactor. Outside the bank on one feature wall is an electronic full wall monitor showing the weather at the top, news at adult eye level, a kind message of good wishes for a nice day at chest level and thus legible for children, the stock exchange info below that, and at the bottom for children's eyes some fun mini animations featuring the new TBD mascots. On the other feature wall beside the main doors to the branch would be a community bulletin board for community news to go up, and a community art board to revolve new artists on a weekly or monthly basis.
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