A great warning to those that buy logos – from last Sunday’s Postsecret.

I always recommend not listening to any of the spiel from the brand and logo designers when a new logo is introduced. Forget about the rhetoric – what does this look like? What does it look like upside down? What will engineers and other cynics say about it? What does it look like to those with dirty minds? How does it make you feel?

Here are a few logos. Look at them dispassionately, and ask yourself what you see.

The Google Chrome logo is stunning – very simple and it manages to stand out in my OSX dock. It uses the main Google logo colours and is instantly recognisable as a Google product.

For me the Telecom logo is not bad – but neither is it good. It feels like it cost too much and I don’t really understand it. It is certainly a big improvement over the corporate look of the previous logo, and it seems younger and cooler, but still too expensive and trying too hard.

The Chanui logo is simple – a Camellia sinensis plant along with the brand name. Although I am involved in the company I had nothing to do with the logo. I like it a lot.

The Air New Zealand logo looks a little dated, but they have taken to putting it in front of wonderful pictures of destinations.

The various flavours of AirNZ’s websites have different backgrounds, and the result is excellent. No need for a redesign.

I’ve grouped the bank logos.

There is only one that stands out for me, and that is KiwiBank. The logo and slogan combine well, and it is the only logo with the word “bank” in it. BNZ’s and the piggie campaign looks childish, which is dangerous in these uncertain financial times. ANZ’s looks vaguely disturbing and Westpac NZ is making the most of life but out of sync with their Australian parent who have an updated look. All in all ANZ and BNZ look to have spent far too much money, KiwiBank comes across as serious yet thrifty and Westpac just looks old.