Dear Entourage

30 Rock. The Office. Parks & Rec. Entourage. The Emmy’s.

All some of my absolutely favorite shows, all of which have either started or stopped in the past few weeks. While we patiently wait for all of our NBC shows to begin their new EPIC season this week, we sadly said goodbye to Entourage with their season finale.

One of the things that I LOVE about the marketing mind is that it NEVER turns off. (We are always so concerned about how things look and come across, and as superficial as that sounds…. That’s what marketing is.) During the season finale of Entourage Eric Murphy comes to terms with possibly giving up his newly found PR & Talent company he started with his business partner Scott Lavin to move to New York with his ladyfriend. Unfortunately instead of being able to focus on the touching, and sappy storyline (which is so rare for Entourage plotline) I found myself distracted by what a terrible logo HBO gave the Murphy Lavin Group seen here:

Here’s my quick and easy rules of thumb for why this DOESN’T work…..

1. When merging two last name keep your logo lines simple. Murphy Lavin’s logo is so aerodynamical, that it makes it look like a maze.

2. I would have inverted the color. Again, keep your color simple and modern while using a pop of color to attract the eye. I’m afraid to look directly at the logo for fear my eyesite might dim from the overwhelming tones.

3. While I understand “Entourage” is a manly show the fact is that this logo is suppose to be used in the talent industry so the theme and font should be softer and more artistic to balance what it is they do. This font and theme is more appropriate for a law firm.

Bottom line: Your logo and brand should be an equal part of trends and industry appropriate while still finding the right touch of personalization to make you stand out. That is what will make your brand both boutique and dynamic.

With that said, I give you my version of Murphy Lavin Group:

Cheers!