I saw this logo while riding my mountain bike crossing some railroad tracks in Northern Idaho – The Great Northern Railroad. It is a great image representing of the feat that Railroad Companies had to overcome laying track across the Northern Rockies. Although the use of animals is common among logo creators, few use the Rocky Mountain Mountain Goat.

Consider the ubiquity of animals like lions, bulls, and eagles in logos. They certainly share a common meaning with us all. But the risk that companies take when using animal representations in logos is that they compromise uniqueness in branding.  Other companies selling bicycles and outdoor apparel have used the mountain goat image, but none are as strong the Great Northern Railway logo.

Here is a cool simple icon or logo for Girl Friend that was made at Mikons.com.  This is a good symbol because it draws off some iconic images that we already relate to.  The initials like are reminiscent of the “CK” of Calvin Klein.  And pink is obviously feminine.

Make your symbols and start your own iconic communication at Mikons.

The lore of St. Patty has it that this patron Saint would roam the Irish countryside wearing the common three-leaf clover to symbolize the Christian Trinity.  Saint Patrick has a fascinating story.   It is claimed that he died on March 17, 493. 

The Irish call the common ubiquitous white clover the Shamrock.  In fact, the Irish Government has registered the Shamrock as an official trademark.

Was the shamrock lucky?  Well, if you happened to pick on of the rare mutant four leaf clover  it was.  It was lucky because it was rare.

Here is Luck O’ the Irish to you!

Do you see that logo?  What comes to mind when you look at it.  Witness what you think as look at it.  Notice that you bring all your biases to bear as you take inventory of your feelings while you look this now iconic logo.

Now, move your political disposition aside and watch this video by Bill Whittle fo PJTV.  If are attached to the polarity of our contemporary political scene then you will either rejoice at the message or revile it.  But if you put yourself in the place of an observer, then will understand the point of the title of this post.

Whatever your biases are beware of what you believe.

Explore the power of icons for yourself at www.Mikons.com and www.MikonMixers.com.

Mona Lizard

I subscribe to Seth Godin’s blog.  I have read many of his books and am always taken by the simplicity of his insights.  This blog post by Seth dates back to late January, but has stuck with me.  It is about Courage and being Brand You.  Being YOU happens when you exercise the courage to stare down our own biology and begin to become YOU.  Here is what Seth has to say.

How can I explain the never-ending irrationality of human behavior?We say we want one thing, then we do another. We say we want to be successful but we sabotage the job interview. We say we want a product to come to market, but we sandbag the shipping schedule. We say we want to be thin but we eat too much. We say we want to be smart but we skip class or don’t read that book the boss lent us.

The contradictions never end. When someone shows up and acts without contradiction, we’re amazed. When an athlete just does the sport, or when a writer just writes the words, we can’t help but watch, astonished at the purity of their actions. Why is it so difficult to do what we say we’re going to do?

The lizard brain.

Or as Stephen Pressfield describes it, the resistance. The resistance is the voice in the back of our head telling us to back off, be careful, go slow, compromise. The resistance is writer’s block and putting jitters and every project that ever shipped late because people couldn’t stay on the same page long off to get something out the door.

The resistance grows in strength as we get closer to shipping, as we get closer to an insight, as we get closer to the truth of what we really want. That’s because the lizard hates change and achievement and risk.

The lizard is a physical part of your brain, the pre-historic lump near the brain stem that is responsible for fear and rage and reproductive drive. Why did the chicken cross the road? Because her lizard brain told her to.

Want to know why so many companies can’t keep up with Apple? It’s because they compromise, have meetings, work to fit in, fear the critics and generally work to appease the lizard. Meetings are just one symptom of an organization run by the lizard brain. Late launches, middle of the road products and the rationalization that goes with them are others.

The amygdala isn’t going away. Your lizard brain is here to stay, and your job is to figure out how to quiet it and ignore it. This is so important, I wanted to put it on the cover of my new book. We realized, though, that the lizard brain is freaked out by a picture of itself, and if you want to sell books to someone struggling with the resistance (that would be all of us) best to keep it a little more on the down low.

Now you’ve seen the icon and you know its name. What are you going to do about it?

Are you looking for that symbolic iconic image of YOU?  Go to Mikons.com and create the Brand YOU!

Vote for the Best Team Logo – and don’t be a homer.

You can make your own fun sets of mikon choices and “personality profiles” at www.MikonMixers.com.

Who will win the AFC Championship?

Colts or Jets

Send me a note and I will tally the Vote.

You can make your own fun sets of mikon choices and “personality profiles” at www.MikonMixers.com.

The Flag of the State of Arizona consists of 13 rays of red and gold (the conquistador colors and of the flag of Spain) on the top half, representing the 13 original counties of Arizona (there are 15 counties today), as well as symbolizing Arizona’s picturesque sunsets. There is a copper colored star in the center representing Arizona’s copper-mining industry. The rest of the flag is colored blue, representing liberty.

In 1910, Colonel Charles W. Harris, head of the Arizona National Guard, designed a flag for the Arizona Rifle Team when they attended the National Matches at Camp Perry.

(taken from wikipedia)