I don’t think I have to go too far into the new Gap logo fiasco as I’m sure you have read about it on blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about this article posted on Under Consideration will fill you in.

With all of the controversy around Gap’s new logo and the fact that they are now turning to crowdsourcing to find a new logo has really got me thinking. Gap posted on their facebook that they are currently searching for a new logo design and they are opening the doors for anyone to submit a new design.

In today’s world social media is the coolest thing since sliced bread. Everyone is raving about it and everyone is doing it. It is very common to see major businesses and companies tweeting away and their facebook updates appearing right under your best friend’s status update.

Are some companies taking social media so far that their actions are no longer defined as being a part of social media? Or are we living in such a fast paced world that the meaning of social media is evolving right in front of our eyes? Is crowdsourcing considered a form of social media?

Let’s have a look at what social media and crowdsourcing both mean:

According to wikipedia social media is a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, which allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content.

Crowdsourcing on wikipedia is defined as the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, to a large group of people or community (a crowd), through an open call.

So we have established that social media and crowdsourcing have a couple of things in common. Their first similarity is that users are creating content viewable by the public, and their second similarity is that a large group or crowd of users are participating in the discussion (or contest in terms of crowdsourcing).

So, is their actually anything that makes them different? Is crowdsourcing actually a form of social media?

I am choosing to leave this question unanswered because I truly believe it depends who you ask. I would love to hear everyone’s view on this topic and crowdsourcing in general. Considering you are reading this post I am assuming you all have an understanding of what social media is. Does crowdsourcing live up to your expectations of what social media is?

Here is my two cents:
I do not classify crowdsourcing as a form of social media. At first glance it certainly has a few crucial symptoms of social media, but at the end of the day crowdsourcing is an easy business solution to bypass dealing with professional designers. When companies choose to use a crowdsourcing approach they are choosing to ignore a very crucial and important part of logo development: the process. Even though I am not jumping for joy over the new Gap logo, I can appreciate all of the steps that the creative team put into the process of reaching the final product.

Another reason I do not define crowdsourcing as social media is because of the competitive edge it puts on a community of people who should be interacting with one another, not competing against each other.

Logos that utilize negative space effectively are always exciting and inspiring to look at. I really enjoy spotting elements created within negative space alone. Negative space is very important to any composition because it creates balance. It takes a designer’s very keen eye to be able to balance positive and negative space in any composition, and that is why it is a true talent when a designer is able to utilize that negative space to convey a message.

Here are 45 logos that I believe utilize negative space effectively:

A couple months ago Jacob Cass of Just Creative Design introduced a new inspirational logo design site to the public, Logo Designer Blog. It is a great blog full of inspirational discussion and information pertaining to branding, logo, and identity design. I recommend subscribing to this blog as well as taking some time to read through some of the great articles written by an assortment of other designers.

Jacob has published an article I’ve written for Logo Designer Blog and I’d like to share it was all of my readers: The Power and Meaning Behind Bank Logos. If you find the article interesting in the slightest bit please feel free to join in the discussion by commenting on the article. I’d love to hear what some of my readers have to say about the featured bank logos and any other opinions pertaining to the topic.

On another note, Brian Hoff of The Design Cubicle has also done an amazing round-up article. It is an article featuring 50 Creative Business Cards of 50 Creative Graphic Designers. I was very honored to be featured on this list right along with other amazing designers. It is quite the collection of business cards and chuck full of inspiration. The diversity of the business cards range from large to small, letterpress to diecut, solid color to multicolor, and so much more. The diversity of these cards is inspirationally overwhelming and is worth browsing through once or five times! Be sure to check out many other useful articles posted by Brian. While you are there go ahead and subscribe to The Design Cubicle.