euro + organic = nil points

I was intrigued when I heard there was to be a new European standard logo to label organic products. I was even more intrigued when I found out the logo would be decided through a Europe-wide design competition (open to design students and recent graduates only). Unfortunately, I discovered all this long after the entry deadline (and 3442 entries), and after the likes of typo-god Erik Spiekermann had judged the results and the winner had been selected.

So imagine my disappointment when I unearthed the winning entry. It's not that it's a bad idea - putting the stars from the European flag into a leaf shape makes sense and forms a simple, easily understood symbol. It's just the execution of the mark I'm totally let down by! For one, I'm not even sure it's a leaf. Second, why the dodgy perspective? Surely a simple flat and graphic design would have been more successful? And please don't get me started on that badly drawn 'stem' of the leaf shooting out from the star. I'd be tempted to give douze points for the simple idea, but I'm afraid it's nil points for the crafting.

Interestingly, there's a page on Facebook where a lot of the shortlisted entries in the competition can be seen. As you'd expect, there's a lot of shockers in there, but also some real gems - see what you think...

Create the new EU Organic Logo!

Nik, Creative Director