The new Windows logo has finally been unveiled to the world, sparking a lot of debate, some declaring it genius, others completely loathing it. Unfortunately I have to say I agree with the later.

The principal director Sam Moreau explained, “If you look back to origins of the logo you see that it really was meant to be a window. Windows really is a beautiful metaphor for computing and with the new logo we wanted to celebrate the idea of a window, in perspective”.

A good explanation, however I don’t think it quite redeems the logo enough for me. It’s not only that I have issues with the design itself (for example, I don’t instantly see a window, I see a blue version of the St. George’s cross) but it also seems to have lost everything about it that signified Windows, even their trademark colours!

I can see Windows were going for a whole new brand approach. It appears they wanted something clean, fresh and minimal as it is currently more on-trend and stylish, but in my opinion this style of branding is far too similar to that of Apple.

Attempting this minimal look but not as successfully as Apple is a risky idea. Windows have a lot of loyal fans and have a good reputation for many reasons but being slick and trendy is not one of them, so why does their logo try to portray this?

So, for me it’s a case of ‘out with the new, and back in with the old!’

I’m sure by now everyone has heard (or more to the point, seen) the 1-minute long Bakers dog advert that was shown on ITV1, Monday night.

The advert consists of special high frequency whistles that only dogs can hear, that in theory should lead to a dog’s reaction when they hear it, almost as if they are being communicated with.

Without a doubt this advert has caused quite a stir within the media, with a real mixture of opinions, not to mention what the dogs must be thinking!

The company responsible for this controversy are Bakers, who provide “dog meaty meals” for canines all over the UK. Therefore it surely makes perfect sense for them to aim an  advert directly at their targeted audience – dogs.

Well unsurprisingly this concept has been completely slated by a lot of people, with some saying the advert had no affect on their dog and therefore was a waste of time.

I think these people are completely missing the point, whether the advert makes dogs want to eat Bakers food or not the fact that everyone is talking about it is what makes this advert so clever.

Before this advert, Bakers were not a well renowned dog food brand (compared with Pedigree for example), however now most of the country are talking about them. This will lead to the brand name ‘Bakers’ sticking in people’s minds and possibly swaying their dog food decision when they next go shopping. Especially if they think that Bakers, really are in touch with what their pets want!

Lets be honest, a car park is the last place you’d expect to see bright colours and an innovative design, however an underground car park in Sydney has recently been converted from a dull and dark hollow space to exactly this.

The two people responsible are Craig Redman and Karl Mairer. When asked of their motive, the design and illustration duo explained, “The objective of the project was to breathe new life into the space (the underground car park of an award-winning residence in Sydney’s Darling Point by architect Marsh Cashman Koolloos) which, having been rendered in concrete with little inlet of natural light, felt quite dark and heavy,” clarifies Maier.

As the design of car parks is usually based around location, convenience and accessibility, I find it refreshing that two designers have looked past the fundamentals of a car park and have used the geometric architecture to drive their design with sharp angled shapes combined with vibrant and complimentary colours.

However there is a more logical side to this argument. Although the car park presently appears aesthetically pleasing, I do have to admit that the practicality of it does not quite match the visual in terms of success. The fact the floor is the main focal point of the design means that not only will it rarely be seen but in a year or so it will inevitably be left covered in tyre marks. This, in my mind does make the design slightly “floored” (excuse the pun) but does it matter? At the end of the day it’s refreshing to see new ideas in regard to day-to-day design. Car parks are so bleak and dull, anything to make them look more appealing can’t be a bad thing!