Some people wonder why designers need to do research. Well, here’s my own experience in designing a logo for a magazine and not checking out its competitors!
This is a logo I did for a publication. The concept was:
Mix Magazine brings together a diversity of ideas and insight from around the world to students in Singapore. This is represented by the ‘little red dot’ that sits at the equatorial line of the blue globe.
Depending on the issue’s theme, the area between the world and Singapore becomes a canvas to allow Mix to playfully express a customised logo.
Alas, it turned out that one of its competing publication is The Straits Times’ Little Red Dot, whose logo looks like this:
So, my logo design was perceived to look too similar to a competing product, and it didn’t make the cut. Lesson learnt!
If its any comfort, your branding systems looks really unique with the customizable outside. Honestly, i don’t think its the same actually, its used in different context (one is a magazine and one is a newspaper magazine).
I feel that Its not really a case of “separated at birth”.