News & Views item - June 2011

 

CSIRO Logo to Get Extreme Makeover. (June 23, 2011)

The Canberra Times' Rosslyn Beeby reported this past Tuesday: "The CSIRO has spent tens of thousands of dollars in recent months on marketing and design consultancies to update its [14-year old logo]".

 

CSIRO Staff Association president Michael Borgas told Ms Beeby: ''I think scientists are likely to see this as cosmetic change for change sake, at a time when people are struggling to continue good research on limited budgets. It will be quite a sensitive issue and will no doubt piss a lot of people off."

 

CSIRO management said that it had paid "about $10,000" to Ogilvy public relations and a Sydney market research company to conduct an online survey to gauge reactions to the new design. The cost of designing the new logo by a Sydney design studio has not be revealed. CSIRO's senior media spokesman Huw Morgan said the cost of the "Nice Idea" design brief would be reported in the agency's 2010-11 annual report, ''which is standard practice for consultancies''.

 

The old logo gave every indication of being inspired by that of the then Minolta Corporation, Ltd. (Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.) though as far as we know CSIRO was never accused of infringement of copyright.

 

The new logo Mr Morgan said would ''lend itself to 3D, video animation and other digital uses;" although why this is so remains something of a mystery.

 

On the other hand the old logo clearly indicated that CSIRO is associated with Australia even if the thin vertical lines are meaningless, while the highly stylised depiction of Australia by 6 vertical white bars and a white dot will leave many -- certainly most outside Australia -- guessing as to what is being represented.

 

 

 

 

Speaking for the CSIRO administration Mr Morgan explained: "It is planned that the rollout will be progressive and on a needs basis. That is, we do not plan on reprinting or rebadging anything until it is run out or worn out.''