Even the Swedes like it

I’ve seen some approximations that are different enough to write off as pure coincidence. The Stopdesign identity is intended to be strong, bold, and memorable. But I will freely admit it’s a simple concept as old as Chinese Taoist philosophy and the Yin Yang symbol they use to represent harmony and equilibrium in the universe.

The Stopdesign logo represents multiple symbiotic relationships: client and designer, simplicity of form and intuitive function, problem and solution, creativity and craftsmanship. I like how something so simple can symbolize so many degrees of philosophy and thinking. The Yin Yang symbol’s influence shows up everywhere: from obvious similarities like the Pepsi logo, to more abstract representations in Pentagram’s Newsgrade logo, Landor’s Financial One identity, or Ogilvy’s Amara Raja identity.

A Swedish agency named Spinecom AB uses a near identical translation of the symbol as Stopdesign. Today was the first I had ever seen or heard of Spinecom, but the Wayback Machine proves they’ve been using this same form of the logo longer than Stopdesign has. Granted, the interlocking shapes are simple enough for any creative person to imagine. Given the worldwide influence of the Yin Yang symbol, and the simplicity of the interlocking shapes of our logos, I shouldn’t be too surpised to discover that creatives (including myself) have arrived — or will arrive — at extremely similar solutions. Regardless, I think this is a sign that it’s time to begin evolving Stopdesign’s identity.