Ikea changes font from Futura to Verdana

After 50+ years, the furniture store IKEA has changed it’s signature font from Futura to Verdana. For those of you who do not already know this (and why would you?), Verdana is a what we call web-friendly; this means that when you view it on your computer screen, it will appear as the designer intended and further, this will apply to all computer screens, using all browsers and operating systems.

With a font like futura, which was designed way before there was an internet, the words (or logo) will not look the same on the screen as it would in print. Then the designer must make a decision – what font would be a good replacement for the web?

Well, Ikea doesn’t need to worry about that any longer since Verdana is nothing if not consistant. Apparantly, this caused quite a stir on the internet. Google Ikea font change and you will see a host of articles from the Associated Press to Business Week and many assorted blogs.

Of course, I cannot present a piece of tech “news” without a little commentary.

While it seems on it’s face to be a somewhat insignificant news item, Corporate Identity is a really important component of any business. Ikea’s 50-year run with the Futura font has ensured that the logo and associated catalog, advertising and other printed media is instantly recognizable and associated with the Ikea brand.

Some of the online commentary has been in the vein of “who cares?” while others (typofile.com) proclaimed it “a bad day”. Change can be a very good thing, but when it comes to your corporate identity, you’d be surprised at how it can affect your customers and your bottom line.

Case in point – did anyone else notice the huge change in the Tropicana Orange Juice packaging? I did and I can say that it was lost on me. They have gone back since to get closer to their “roots” and it’s better now, but for awhile it was looking like the generic supermarket brand. Tropicana is a premium product and the package redesign simply did not reflect that. Consumers were in an uproar and so the decision was made to pull the plug on the new look.

Take a look and let me know which you prefer. No matter what your preference, we can all agree that the change was dramatic and the end result was not the desired one. No one wants their well-established brand to mistaken for something else.

A good lesson.

Re-designed Tropicana packaging

The preferred "oldie" version of Tropicana

Another Tip from Mutt Media NY

Several months ago I published a document for a lecture I gave at an event that circulated and got some attention (radio, Twitter, etc). This document is called 10 Tips for Marketing Yourself Online. This list was conceived as a tool to help those in search of a new job, whether they are currently unemployed or just looking to do something new.

I thought I would use this forum to share these tips. Hope you find them helpful.

Mutt Media Tip #1

1. Clean up your online act! Take a moment and “Google” yourself. You may be surprised at what you find. You should be aware that potential employers can and will do this as an extension of their due diligence on a prospective employee.

This guideline does not only apply to those in search of work. Anyone who is looking to make a move of any significance – whether professionally, personally or scholastically needs to know that these searches are now standard operating procedure when checking out any applicant. This includes College Admission staff, so to all of you high school students who have social networking accounts, this applies to you, too….maybe even moreso.

Ask yourself if the images posted by you or your “friends” are really ones that you want on the Internet for all to see. I cannot stress this enough! Your pages may look fine but what about your contacts that may have tagged you in a photo that paints you in an unprofessional light? For the time being, take the account down or go through and make appropriate edits – often. Consider YouTube. Your favorites?? Are they videos you are proud to affiliate yourself with or do they “dumb” you down?

Leave no stone unturned and treat your image like a valuable marketing tool because guess what? It is.

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This has been your Daily Bone
© 2009 Mutt Media NY LLC All Rights Reserved

I take it for granted that everyone knows this but the sad fact is, that our kids are not as “plugged in” as we’d like to think. Parents – take heed and pass this along.

We are all being watched, surveyed and judged and the sooner we wrap our collective arms around that, the better. I am attaching a clip of an interview I did earlier this month on the Mel Robbins show. I was asked to come on as the Expert in Social Media – pros ‘n cons. If you take a few moments to listen, you will find out that while the world is at our fingertips and we have access to unlimited information, pedulum swings both ways.

That means that you can’t lie about your age (your middle school class picture is probably on Facebook posted by someone else who tagged you), your work history etc. It also means that your prospective employer may not have the same sense of adventure or humor that you did when you bungee-jumped naked in Martha’s Vineyard. Get it?

Take a listen and learn a lesson.

This has been your Daily Bone. Mel Robbins Interview April 09

© 2009 Mutt Media NY LLC All Rights Reserved