Botox on people, as with logos, leaves them a shell of their former self. Not much thought has to go into a design that’s been applied with a bubble and tweak filter. Take for example the UPS logo. Paul Rand’s clever device was inspired by his daughter’s comment upon recieving a parcel: ‘It’s like getting a present’. A non-commercial take on a very commercial service. But the thought evokes so much more than new ‘swoosh’ incarntion. It evokes care and thought, simple out-takes that companies now strive to bring back to their company mantra. I asked a delivery man what he thought of the new mark. His reply, straight from the company journal, ‘apparently we do more than deliver parcels’, was something he obviously found hard to swallow, whilst unloading boxes from his green van. Apple, even though modernised, has not lost its original inspiration. Chosen as a symbol of learning, the Apple still retains its very recognisable form. Now commonplace, people quickly forget this was launched in 1984 when technology companies, well, looked like technology companies. A very original thought, that stretched everyone’s imagination. As technology becomes more accessible and easier to use, designers should be concentating on their ability to think, rather than their ability to click.

Words from the theme song of Rawhide, one of the mid-century tv cowboy shows that provided a lot moral direction in my early formative years. Dressing up logos is for sissies.