Koodoz Design

Firstly, I have to preface this post by mentioning that I’m not the type to go on a public rampage about the quality of a business’ brand, buuut… this one’s been buggin’ the hell out of me for far too long and something needs to be said. The owners of Lazy Moe’s restaurants need to be informed of their poor choice.

Now the only reason I’ve been driven to write this post is due to the fact that I see this ‘logo’ every freakin’ day and it grinds me to the bone.

At the end of our street, there is a Lazy Moe’s restaurant, which (about a year ago, now) gave itself a new ‘logo’. I’m not really sure if you can classify it as a logo though. As you can see in the image below, the new logo is near impossible to read. The hand-drawn typeface and the sketch of, whom I can only assume to be Moe, has clearly been done by a relative or work experience kid.

Old logo vs. new logo

Why they decided to change the old logo to start with is beyond me. Not that the old logo was a work of art, but at least it stood out and had impact! Perhaps the marketing team thought it was too comical and didn’t reflect the business and its ethos. Whatever the reason may have been, the solution for a new logo has not been met.

Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand the reason for this style of logo and its approach. They obviously wanted to be seen as a friendly and personal business with a laid back attitude. Somewhere where you can eat a massive meal, relax and enjoy the company of your friends and family. But in this instance the execution is so terrible and unpolished, that it ends up dragging down the entire image of the restaurant, ultimately affecting the perception (especially to new customers) of its products and services. I, for one, would never choose to eat there, purely based on the fact that I can barely read the logo as I drive past.

Here’s what is wrong with the new logo:

• - Logo is illegible!
• - Choice of type is too unpolished. there is no consistency in its style or shape
• - Sketch of ‘Moe’ is amateurish and most importantly does not come across as friendly. In fact he looks kind of angry
• - Drop shadow underneath type is not defined enough. The red type disappears completely against the red background making it difficult (near impossible) to read at any distance
• - Colour consistency. The logo’s colouring is pink on the website, red on it’s signage and multi-coloured on the Facebook group page

Solution to improve new logo:

• - Use a relaxed, hand-drawn typeface that has been created by a professional. There are many great sites for free fonts where you can find an appropriate substitute. Here’s one
• - Remove the character illustration completely or have a friendlier, more professional illustration created
• - Increase the depth of the drop shadow underneath the type so that it clearly sits above the red background and does not get lost. Better yet, choose a complementary colour to define the individual elements
• - Maintain the same colours throughout the marketing material. This will ensure brand continuity, consistency and confidence
• - Better yet, get a professional logo designer to create one for you – sorry for the shameless plug :)