2017/10/09 01:21:24
GjB
What's with the purple logo (and rock image) on the Cakewalk social media pages?
They seem to have no style and no consistency with the Cakewalk or Gibson brands.
 
I think that the professional who does your product images, or Cakewalk or Gibson websites, should also do your social media banners and logos.
Then you'll have a complete consistent feel, and better promote Cakewalk and indeed Gibson.
 
I say this as I'm a huge fan of Cakewalk Sonar, and find it disappointing when simple things are obvious, stand out, and neglected, especially in this competitive climate. Or get an enthusiastic staff member to knock you up some better images/graphics for free.
 
Edit: The same with the blog! Even the original blog logo image isn't in focus. (Download it and see.)
 
I mean no disrespect to the hard working team members, and I myself struggle with design, but I believe it's beneficial to let people shine more where they are truly gifted.
2017/10/09 11:20:37
jamesg1213
I must admit that the branding is all over the place, the FB page, blog, YouTube channel etc have a white on blue (or purple?) logo whereas the website has the old logo with the meters over the 'l' and 'k'. Consistency of the brand is very important. 
2017/10/09 13:11:01
GjB
Actually, I see that they are looking for an Online Marketing Manager.
It makes total sense. I feel a bit bad now.
Tough love.
2017/10/09 14:46:07
bapu
This is my branding

2017/10/09 15:28:13
craigb
I've done branding for some companies and consistency is always an important factor.  Look, feel, colors, fonts, logos, etc.  In fact it's the first thing listed on the invert side of my larger business logo ('cause bacon starts with a "B" - yeah, I had to spell it like the uninformed are used to!). 
 

 
Next up, I have to create a real, professional home website like I have for others... 
2017/10/10 03:57:21
sharke
I gotta admit their Facebook branding is awful. I don't know where that purple "logo" came from (it's not even a logo, just Cakewalk written in white on purple). 
 
And then you have 3 inconsistent brandings within inches of each other on that page. The "logo" says Cakewalk Sonar, the page title is Cakewalk Software, and the URL for the page says CakewalkInc. I mean is the page just about Sonar, or about Cakewalk Software in general, or about Cakewalk in general? They really need to get their social media act together. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Cakewalk's general business problem is that their user base is aging and they're having trouble attracting younger users. You can see this by the average age of the people on the forum (myself included) and on the Facebook user group. Having a cover image which says "Ready To Rock" isn't exactly going to help matters  unless they're specifically aiming for the over 40's. 
2017/10/11 05:35:24
GjB
I notice that the Google+ link from the main page is 404, too.
I guess they will make another G+ page.
These are not complaints, by the way. I just really want to help Cakewalk.
As Sharke mentioned, having a few younger members on the team would probably help.
(I'm 48 and have quite limited design skills.)
2017/10/11 06:32:15
GjB
Maybe we can come up with a few ideas just for fun.
I'm challenged when it comes to design, but we can try to help:
Here is a very quick sample. The logo is a difficult one. Maybe they could just use the Command Center logo (as it appears in the taskbar within Windows).
Yes, I know I'm lousy at design, but it's just for fun.
Pull it apart all you want. Vent away.
https://www.grantbarker.com/xda/cakewalk-a.jpg



2017/10/11 19:53:32
sharke
Well that's certainly better than what they've got now. I suspect their decision to bork up the logo was partly influenced by the square format of the Facebook avatar. If they had Cakewalk written in its normal form, it would be quite small in order for it to fit the width and they'd have a lot of empty space. So I agree, they should have the same logo they use on their app taskbar icons.
 
Logos are a tricky thing. They have to be adaptable to a number of shape formats, i.e. logo followed by text, or logo on top of text, they have to be recognizable when small and they also have to work in monochrome. I also think the graphic part of the design should be recognizable as the company logo without the text if required. 
 
I got my company logo from 99 Designs, you offer up prize money and run a contest between designers. It made me realize how rare good designers are. About 95% of the designs that were submitted were positively awful - rank amateurs trying to make a few bucks on the side, and half of them looked like they'd just stitched some cheesy clip art together. Most of them ignore your design specifications, even when you make them explicit and say that any design which ignores them will be disregarded. Toward the end of the contest I was terrified that nobody would save the day, which is horrifying because if you guarantee the prize money (as I did) then you'd end up having to pay for a bunch of crap you didn't want. Luckily someone emerged with a good one but it was close!
 
Cakewalk's classic logo is fine, they just need to work out how to adapt it for social media formats, and formulate a consistent branding strategy. 
 
I think what they fail to realize is that the square Facebook avatar is not really intended for text based logos. It's more for headshots and symbols. Look at Ableton's Facebook page, they just have their simple little geometrical symbol. The cover photo at the top of the page is where you complete your branding. 
2017/10/11 20:06:24
jamesg1213
sharke
 
I got my company logo from 99 Designs, you offer up prize money and run a contest between designers. It made me realize how rare good designers are. About 95% of the designs that were submitted were positively awful - rank amateurs trying to make a few bucks on the side, and half of them looked like they'd just stitched some cheesy clip art together. Most of them ignore your design specifications, even when you make them explicit and say that any design which ignores them will be disregarded. Toward the end of the contest I was terrified that nobody would save the day, which is horrifying because if you guarantee the prize money (as I did) then you'd end up having to pay for a bunch of crap you didn't want. Luckily someone emerged with a good one but it was close!
 



Just curious - why didn't you just approach an actual graphic designer? They all have portfolios online these days.
 
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