By bbr

“I don’t want to tell you how to do your job, but….” This line ranks high among the least favorite of professionals in all kinds of fields. Though it’s intended to be polite, it is invariably followed by advice that, quite frankly, is probably terrible – in addition to doing exactly what the speaker claims not to want to do.

For graphic designers, web developers and marketers, the most common ending to that awful introduction is “…can you make the logo bigger?” If you’ve ever wondered why people drink after a day at the office, this is it. (It’s not the only reason but it’s definitely a major contributor.)

It turns out that Burn Back has taken these awful words and made them into something catchy. Never have headbanging and a common client request fit together so perfectly, offering the design world much-needed relief in the form of an earworm that’s both soothing and oddly satisfying.

Pure delight! But for those who innocently make the request and don’t understand quite why this might provoke concern, here are a few reasons that you might not want to make the logo bigger:

• A great logo is recognizable and meaningful at a small size.
• Logos look best with space around them. This helps them stand out.
• Crowding actually detracts from building brand identity associated with the logo.
• Balancing the scale of all the different design elements in the page or product is important. Enlarging one element out of proportion with the rest makes the whole thing look awkward and unprofessional.

As for the story behind this musical gem, I can’t offer you any solid information. It appears the song was created for Portfolio Night events several years ago held by IHAVEANIDEA, but that’s hard to prove since the organization is on hiatus, leaving only their archives for interested readers to peruse. It’s also possible that the name of the band honors or refers to influential creative director William Bernbach, founder of DDB (a major global advertising agency).

Whatever its true origins, Make the Logo Bigger is a great tune beloved by those in creative professions. The next time you think of making such a request, pause for a moment to consider whether it really, truly needs to be bigger or if perhaps it’s just right the way it was designed.

Did you giggle a bit or tap your feet along with Make The Logo Bigger? If your profession had it’s own anthem, what would it be? Let us know in the comments below.