Bandwagon Graphiks

As kid I always heard about the dreaded identity crisis in popular media. It was always something of comedy, usually manifesting in the form of a middle aged man trying to regain what he had in his 20′s and buying a crotch rocket. When I was a young teen – I witness that happening…only both of my parents bought motorcycles and dressed in head to toe leathers. It was frightening.

However the identity crisis I am referring to now is not personally related but business related. Your identity in the marketing world is the most important icon you have to hold dear. You’re logo or identity should always be held up against a certain level of standards defined when you start your business. It is key toward the success of your business and brand recognition amongst the public sector.

But what happens when your icon no longer represents your company? Or what happens when you change your company’s focus and it becomes clear that your icon is hurting your business?

This is the frightening part. Four years ago I drew the signature Bandwagon that blazingly adorns all of my media and obviously this website. It has been by all account a raging success of a logo – I have had nothing but positive happy smiles when my peers and clients see the wagon. It also represents my Detroit muscle roots and beginnings in automotive advertising. I love my logo, but I’m not chasing after automotive clients anymore and frankly I hate driving.

You all know I am an avid cyclist, one who rides nearly 5,000 miles a year and keeps her car parked most days of the week. I will find a way around town without a car. Consequently I am on the hunt for cycling industry work – and if you havent hear…bikey people don’t like cars! So what is a biker from Detroit to do?

I have been thinking a lot about this lately, some have suggested to add a bike to the roof rack of the car – ala Breaking Away – which is fun…but then my logo becomes really large, obtuse, and frankly hard to fit on a business card in an interesting way.

I also had the idea to make the header of the site a dynamic element that features several “Bandwagon” logo iterations – however that brings me back to creating a recognizable identity. I think I’m in a pickle.

The cool news is that I’m actively re-designing this site and have developed a look that doesn’t rely on the car logo so much. It’s looking great…I’ll show of the home page soon enough…problem is now that I am a much better web designer than I was 2.5 years ago when I launched this site….which makes me want to make a site that is 100 times better…and that takes time…unpaid time…guess I know where my Saturday nights will be spent this summer.