Reno Can Do
Some people are going to be upset with me for being snarky but I’ve been so good lately. I saw this announcement and felt like Michael Corleone in Godfather III–someone’s always pulling me back into the snark. What was EDAWN thinking? And here’s the new website for the brand. Could our new brand be any less sophisticated? I was hoping for something a bit more urbane, not the Reno equivalent of “Let’s Get ‘Er Done.” Are the damn Young Professionals responsible for this?
On the positive side, I do like the overall design of the logos–very modern, crisp, and young. I also like the sort of individualist, participatory message that seems to be a big part of the brand. But “Can Do?” Its just so, I don’t know? Midwest? Southeast? Just in the car driving home I thought what about “Greater Tahoe-Reno, Right Now?” And that took me thirty seconds.
There is an opportunity for some good natured fun (keep it clean and humorous). You can add a reason you like greater Reno/Sparks to a list others have contributed to here. I posted “I love the drunk guys who yell “whoop” during wine walk.” Do your worst.
I smell a new poll. Look to your left and don’t forget to add your own answer.
Update: Elko’s new advertising slogan is excellent: “Nevada with Attitude.”
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[...] Reno and Its Discontents»Blog Archive » Reno Can Do On the positive side, I do like the overall design of the logos–very modern, crisp, and young. I also like the sort of individualist, participatory message that seems to be a big part of the brand. But “Can Do?” Its just so, I don’t know? Midwest? (tags: reno nevada can+do blogging branding greater+reno-tahoe tahoe) These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
[...] And here is a follow-up to yesterday’s Nevada E. Coli Conservatism post. Has the U.S. become the can’t do nation under conservatism? If so, Bush should talk to the brand geniuses who helped Reno become the Can Do city. I bet they can help. [...]
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To: EDAWN
From: Bill in Henderson
Re: no can do “Reno Can Do”
Glad we didn’t come up with this in Henderson. I much prefer our new slogan: We’re Hendertastic!
Hendertucky is good too.
Reno is cool, but it’s not the freaking Rivendell the PR guys writing half those comments make it out to be. I’d like to see that discussion going on in blogs or forums. Or I’d like to see Reno featured in national lifestyle magazines for our amazing urban trails, or killer bicycle transportation infrastructure, or forward thinking mass transit…
can do isn’t as good as have done.
They deleted my comment. Did you see it?
And that logo isn’t a logo, it’s just type and colors. But better colors than Renown got.
-M
I’ve heard that, Myrna.
But really, it’s more like Orange County now that those dang Southern Californians have gussied up the place.
LOL! I was with a friend at dinner tonight who had attended the unveiling and she said the audience was almost perfectly silent when they saw the new slogan.
I told her that I thought it was a good slogan for local government if they actually have a “can do” attitude toward business development. However, I did like the colors …just thought the slogan was like a deflated balloon falling the hype.
And then there is Elko …I swear …I really need to write a book …Attitude …I’d call it more like the dyin Conservative reign. The last of the Bush huggers.
I was at the luncheon yesterday as well. I attribute the perceived silence following the unveiling of the logo to the sheep mentality this place suffers from… every hold perfectly still and nobody will ask my opinion.
I think the logo is strong (although this blog displays the wrong version). The sheep will have a hard time with it because its not blue, does not have mountain peaks in it, and therefore doesn’t fall into the sea of forgetful logos this regional constantly generates.
Well BigRenoFan,
from one sheep to a giant tool, I think you’re going to have trouble finding people backing you up on that one.
Thanks for your opinion though.
-SL
The logo doesn’t mean anything. If you change the type it could apply to any city, or business. There’s no identity. And nothing to recognize. It’s just a rectangle and a circle. And when you print it in b/w or scale it down and put it on a T-Shirt it’ll disappear. There are better logos coming out of intro Graphic Communications classes @ TMCC and flyers for Alleycat races.
-M
Dear SL,
When you design the next big logo that creates emotion and inspires a region, let me know. Don’t forget to include three mountain peaks, the shape of Nevada and the color blue. That’ll bring ‘em running, always has.
I don’t design logos for a living.
And maybe you shouldn’t either.
-SL
What I do for a living doesn’t matter. What does, is my ability to see the bigger picture. If it were up to people like you, our economy would still rely on nickel slots.
Stick to crumbcake Sara.
Something about it screams 1998 to me.
Can do. I think its too close to canned doo maybe? LOL All kidding aside it seems silly they paid $250,000 for two words. Generations of grammarians and teachers have insisted that ‘can’ should be used only to express the capacity to do something, whereas the word ‘will’ indicates actual intention. Perhaps it should have been ‘will do’ if they felt compelled to go down that path? If I were a developer or event planner or business owner I would ask myself not ‘Can the City do this for me? but ‘Will the city do this for me?’ I dunno, just a grammatical note.
My dad said that–”canned doo.” Yikes.
Rambler, it screams 1958 to me. I makes me think of Leave It to Beaver and Howdie Doodie.
BigRenoFan–hey–I got the logo off the official website. It may not be the main one, but its official and works best on this site.
YAWN.
1. “Can do” is the best they could buy? The sixth-graders I teach could come up with something more creative than that.
2. I’m dreaming of the days when those nickel slots powered our economy. I miss my town.
Mike Van H – comments like yours show exactly why efforts like this are so difficult. To take a huge study like Target 2010, and all the other research done on this effort, and boil it down to two words can’t be easy. A bargain at $250,000 if you ask me. Not sure where you came up with that number, but it it’s correct, its a steal.
By the way, since when has grammar mattered in advertising? This aint a term paper. Ever heard of a catchy little tag that went something like “think different?” No grammar there but it brought Apple back to life.
why does the logo look like a big fake credit card?
Oh, my God! Photoshop 101 called…