

Simplify Your Brand - nimeshneema
https://blog.dropbox.com/2013/09/simplify-your-brand/

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kepano
This is the right move. Great brands have a logo that can be reduced to one
color, not only for faxing (as the blog post mentions) but for embossing,
stationery, signage, and many applications that would be overly costly when
printed in multiple colors.

The change happens to coincide with the "flat" trend, but I see it as a
necessary evolution for a brand that has grown into the mainstream and
requires consistency across different media.

Of course the logo itself leaves something to be desired, from the genericness
of the concept to the strange and inconsistent perspective of the flaps. But
remember, it's not just a logo, it's also an icon that sits in your dock or
toolbar. As a software company it makes sense for Dropbox to have a logo that
can also be a functional and iconic UI element -- another reason why 1-color
makes sense.

Dropbox much like Google acquired its customers through utility, not by having
a great logo. It will be a hard fought battle to make "the box" symbol
synonymous with Dropbox, but if they can own it, it's certainly a powerful
mnemonic.

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JulienSchmidt
I don't understand this "flat" design trend. Sure, complex 3D designs and
skeuomorphism are too distracting.

But why do we only use a few loud colors, which give me eye-cancer, if we have
16.78 million? Is it 2000 again? Are the flashing .gif coming back?

I really prefer "almost flat" UI, like Google's websites or slightly-3D like
Bootstrap 2.

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weego
Simplicity can be the outcome of good design, not necessarily always a
sensible goal in of itself. The right thing might be complex, or it might be
simple. The simpler it is, the less room there is for error, and in this case
I feel like the outcome is an ugly icon. Obviously the flaps for the box are
visually "off" by design, but why? It's not for me at all.

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Raphmedia
Makes it look and feel like movement, I would say.

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Raphmedia
They need to modify ALL of their company's design. Not only the logo.

[https://www.dropbox.com/](https://www.dropbox.com/)

Look at their home page. Flat logo in a skeuomorphist world. Gradient on a 3d
button. Pencil drawing.

The logo simply doesn't fit with the rest of their image.

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cliveowen
I personally don't like this flat take on logos lately. It seems like
designers are taking the easy way out. No shades, no shadows, no depth. It's
just a 2d logo. I like the new Firefox log thought, it's flatter but not all
the way flat-looking.

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larrys
The icon still needs the words "dropbox" which was dropped.

As a brand they are not "nike" or "apple" or an automobile. That aren't _that_
famous yet. And the logo isn't _that_ memorable.

Seeing that logo (w/o the words) has one effect on knowledgeable users and
another effect on newbies and people to whom dropbox means very little as a
company (people outside of startups).

As an aside the logo (imho of course) isn't that good and makes your eyes go
in different directions. It really could benefit from the words appearing in
proximity.

Above opinion based on my many years in the graphics business and observation
of business and branding over time.

