I think the cunningly enigmatic is given too little weight in our society; it’s not what is boldly pasted on the foreground that attracts the critical thinker’s elusive attention, but the cleverly presented hint at depth and meaning.

Just my eight dollars.

(adjusting for inflation is a killer)

I think you’ll find that the lowest common denominator is who pays your wages.

There are plenty of examples of clever logos that might have a play on words in them, but they’re still visually simple and very effective. So they’re still easily recognisable or iconic, but if you look a level deeper there’s something else there.

However, having dealt with clients from many walks of life, there are times where I’ve deliberately made a logo or name difficult to read (like the Netmark.co.uk logo above), because the target market are intellectuals who like puzzles and challenges.

The Netmark logo stood out to me for this reason – I had to focus on it and concentrate to work out what the name was. In that sense, the logo did its job very well – it got my attention, and made me focus on it for several seconds while I puzzled out the name, thus causing me to think about what the company behind it does.

The point is, simple, plain and clear is not always best. Just like the current trend of “minimalism” in web and logo design; you take so much out of the design that there’s nothing left that challenges the viewer. It is important to consider your target market, and what your chosen demographic like seeing and doing, that should play more of a role in logo design, than merely following trends or appealing to the lowest common denominator.