Yesterday the Carolina Panthers caught fans by surprise by unveiling their new logo on Facebook.

Many of their Facebook fans did not take kindly to it. The vast majority of the hundreds of comments that I saw were negative — angry even.

Resistance to change? Sure. Some of that is to be expected.

But anger? I wonder if the Panthers organization anticipated the emotional reaction they were about to get.

Here’s my take on the new logo. From a design-professional perspective, I like the new one much better. On the Panther icon itself, the changes are subtle and I don’t think most would notice the slight differences. The major change, and seemingly the cause of the uprising, is with the typestyle. The old Baywatch-style font, trendy in the early 90′s, is now dated. But fans were attached to it. As a group they’ve probably bought millions of dollars worth of merchandise emblazoned with that logo.

For many businesses, a logo update can be a great thing. But there’s your average business and then there are institutions people hold sacred — like sports teams, colleges and Budweiser.

When it comes to sacred institutions, fans love them just as they are. They’ve bought into the brand, quite literally. For years they’ve put on their favorite jersey from their well-worn collection, and cheered their team to victory and cursed the losses in it. Dated font and all. And the sudden change left them feeling betrayed.

Will the fans come around? Yes, of course. But not before some clawing and growling.

New design

Old design

1990 called. It wants its logo back.

The why

Internet Explorer and other browsers keep copies of the pages you’ve visited and their graphics, and save them to your computer using a memory called the cache. The purpose of the cache (pronounced cash) is to speed up your browsing experience. The problem with that system is you might be viewing pages that are outdated, without even knowing it.

I run into this with clients and colleagues from time to time. If I update their website and they say, “But I still see the old information (or old graphic),”  it’s a telltale sign that they need to clear their browser’s cache.

The easy fix

If you’re using Internet Explorer (version 8), on the top menu go to: Tools, then Internet Options. Under browsing history, “delete.” And also be sure the box is checked for “delete browsing history on exit.” Click OK to save. Then exit, and restart Internet Explorer.

If using Firefox, on top menu go to: Tools, Options, then Privacy. Under history, choose: Firefox will “never remember history.” Then click the link to “clear all current history.” Click OK to save. Then exit and restart Firefox.

That should clear your cache, and you should then see current web graphics/pages instead of old ones.

I created this one online using a free code generator, and it couldn’t be any easier. Two to try are ZXing or Delivr. You simply select what type of code you want to create, fill in the blanks, and voilà! — a code graphic is instantly created for you. You then save the graphic for your own use.

While I’m not wanting to plaster these things everywhere, I have integrated QR codes into a few recent projects:

• On a business card: A code embedded with my contact information, that when scanned adds me to their phone’s address book.
• On a nonprofit’s donation solicitation: A code labeled “Scan here to give online” takes the user directly to the organization’s “Make a Gift” webpage.
• On the back cover of a magazine: A code placed beside a screen shot of the magazine’s website takes readers to the site.

Cool as it is though, this technology is still new. Many people do not yet know what these codes mean or how to scan them. Be prepared to explain that they’ll first need to install a free QR code reader app on their phone.

If you’re using a QR code on marketing materials, I suggest including a brief text explanation under your code graphic, such as “Scan with a smartphone to see a video of our product in action!”

And be sure to think through the user experience and the location of the code.

As the director of communications at the UNC School of Social Work for the past five years, I launched us into the world of social media and continue to manage and grow our presence there.

In 2008, the School was among the education world’s early adopters of Twitter as a vehicle for promoting the School, distributing our news stories, and connecting with people. Our social media efforts have since expanded dramatically, and our leadership in social media has attracted national attention in the social work community.

Read full article (pdf)

The Dress for Success boutique in Durham, N.C.

I am proud to volunteer with a wonderful organization, Dress for Success.

The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

Founded in New York City in 1997, Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization offering services designed to help clients find jobs and remain employed. Each Dress for Success client receives one suit when she has a job interview, and can return for a second suit or separates when she finds work. In addition to the suiting program, ongoing support is provided through a career center where clients receive expert advice from career coaches.

Last summer I completed training as an image coach and career coach, and now work regularly with clients at the organization’s Triangle-NC Chapter in Durham.

Graphic Design USA is a monthly news magazine for creative professionals. The American Inhouse Design Awards competition is the original and premier showcase for outstanding work by inhouse designers. These awards bring recognition to talented design, marketing and communications departments—within corporations, nonprofits, associations, government, education and other institutions.

According to Rachel Goldberg, awards director, this year there were more than 4,000 entries from across the country; a highly selective 15 percent were recognized with an Awards Certificate of Excellence.

I am extremely excited to have won this award for the third time, having also garnered it in 2007 and 2008 for Contact.