On logos and visual clutter

I've always disliked how companies treat us like walking billboards. Look around, and you’ll see logos everywhere: from cars to clothes to most everyday objects. As I write this, I can easily spot over a dozen logos on my desk: my water bottle, notebooks, pens, hard drives, desk fan, phone charger, monitor, laptop, keyboard, and even the desk itself. There's so much visual clutter everywhere.

I wholeheartedly second this sentiment. The thing I’ll add is I’m sometimes ok with a good logo as a compromise. I don’t mind the Apple logo on my laptop, or the Patagonia or Cotopaxi logo on my backpacks or clothing. The North Face logo on the other hand—well I refuse to wear any of their clothes or gear purely because of the logo.

This has always been part of the appeal of GORUCK, because the product is the brand, not some massive logo. With that said, they get way ahead of their skis some of the time.

The swag that is handed out by conferences is another blight on the landscape. I used to try and keep the t-shirts I got, but decided I didn’t like being a walking billboard for the companies that handed them out. Nowadays I own ten pair of identical charcoal gray t-shirts. They’re perfect.

From awos.