Blackwater switches to ‘less threatening logo.’
By on Oct 22nd, 2007 at 10:26 am
Blackwater switches to ‘less threatening logo.’
Blackwater’s infamous logo — “a bear’s paw print in a red crosshairs, under lettering that looks to have been ripped from a fifth of Jim Beam” has “undergone a publicity-conscious, corporate scrubbing.” Branding experts say that the new look is “far less ‘kick your butt’ and much more ‘quarterly report.’”
Blackwater insists that it had been working on the redesign before the Sept. 16 shooting in Iraq that killed 17 civilians, but the new logo didn’t appear on the company’s website until afterward.
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ArchivesBlog Roll
Bigpoot’s underwear has the new logo.
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:28 amHow is adding the word “worldwide” supposed to make Blackwater any less threatening?
Branding experts say that the new look is “far less ‘kick your butt’ and much more ‘quarterly report.’â€
Oh yes, because making it look more corporate makes it so much more warm-n-fuzzy, doesn’t it?
</snark>
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:29 amAh — and this new logo (a kinder, gentler Blackwater), is supposed to go over better with the Iraqis?
“Blackwater is killing our civilians”
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:30 am“Oh, how could any organization with a cool logo like that be killing innocent people?”
seems a better move to lighten the image would be
to lose that bear paw…
and the red graphic? you say it’s “crosshairs”? i don’t see that…
especially in the new logo… looks like stylized crescents to me…
hmmmmm…
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:31 am.
Blackwater, killing innocent civilians with disregard, because it makes us lots of money.
-GSD
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:34 amWhen you want to reach out and kill someone – Blackwater Worldwide.
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:34 amif it looks like poop, smells like poop, and if conservatives are flinging it…. well, its POOP!
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:35 amand the red graphic? you say it’s “crosshairs� i don’t see that…
especially in the new logo… looks like stylized crescents to me…
hmmmmm…
Comment by katy — October 22, 2007 @ 10:31 am
I see Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter myself, but that just shows what a big nerd I am.
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:40 amHow about, instead of something that says “kick your butt”, or “quarterly report”, they come up with a logo that screams “under indictment”?
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:43 amThe new one looks like a bumper sticker.
toasterhead
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:48 amI see Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter myself, but that just shows what a big nerd I am.
Yes, yes it does.
Blackwater should use a Skull and Crossbones as its logo – much more fitting.
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:48 amNew logo? LOL Who gives a crap? Repackaging a bad product does not change the fact that the product is bad.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:09 amNew logo? LOL Who gives a crap? Repackaging a bad product does not change the fact that the product is bad.
Comment by EvilPoet — October 22, 2007 @ 11:09 am
You’re obviously forgetting New Coke.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:11 amThe new one looks like a bumper sticker.
Comment by Squegeeboo
I agree, Squeegee.
Expect them to show up on the rear bumpers of large pickup trucks, at a backwoods beer infested hunting camp near you!
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:13 amWhat the HELL kind of name is “Black Water” anyway!?!?!?
They sound like a cartoonishly evil group of people!!
Like something out of the Legion of Doom or something.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:15 amHmmmm. See, the new bear paw looks a little like it’s dancing. So it’s more festive and less threatening. And everybody in the biz knows that serifs are scary, hence the new typeface. I feel much better about Blackwater already.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:16 amNew logo same as the old logo. Different graphics placement that’s all. SSDD. Both of them look foreboding to me.
SSDD = Same Shit, Different Day
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:16 amWhat the HELL kind of name is “Black Water†anyway!?!?!?
They sound like a cartoonishly evil group of people!!
Like something out of the Legion of Doom or something.
Comment by YouCantHandleDaTruth — October 22, 2007 @ 11:15 am
Or Doobie Brothers fans.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:16 am//laughs at 8 and 18
On a serious note, however, Erik Prince clearly understands that image is what counts, not substance.
That’s why Reagan is still, inexplicably, revered in America.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:23 amOr Doobie Brothers fans.
Comment by gummitch — October 22, 2007 @ 11:16 am
LMAO
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:26 amokay — I LOVE THIS SORT
of TRIVIA — there, disclaimer
done. . . now, check out the
COVER of the fall 2007 edition
of the blackwater ALUMNI news-
letter. . . i am crappin’ you nega-
tive! — the “truth” is always far stranger. . .
why did they set the word “truth” in
quotation marks, in reference to erik
prince’s testimony on the hill on october 2,
2007? because he has already repeatedly
“corrected” it? or is in an inside joke?
i dunno — but it is hilarious!
my gift to the relaity based blogosphere!
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:31 amNew logo? LOL Who gives a crap? Repackaging a bad product does not change the fact that the product is bad.
Comment by EvilPoet — October 22, 2007 @ 11:09 am
You’re obviously forgetting New Coke.
Comment by toasterhead — October 22, 2007 @ 11:11 am
Nope, I remember that very well.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:35 amhttp://www.snopes.com/cokelore/newcoke.asp
Blackwater, ‘doing what Rumsfeld wouldn’t’.
Remember when the State Dept. couldn’t get any career ‘lifers’ to go to Iraq?
Condi asked the Marines to ‘cover’ about 300 positions that State folks were declining to fill.
Rummy didn’t like Condi. Rummy wouldn’t allow military personnel to cover Condi. Rummy did not play well with others. Rummy took his ball & went home. Bye, Rummy.
See Rummy rant.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:43 amSee Rummy curse.
Bye, Rummy.
Meanwhile, Waxman isn’t letting up on Blackwater, despite the kinder, gentler logo.
Blackwater may have engaged in tax evasion.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:46 amBlackwater around here stink’s…..Everyone know’s what black water realy is, call the pumper truck’s out to suck it up, flush and repeat….
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:47 amA better logo would be to replace the bear claw with the dancing bears-ala the Grateful Dead(but they would sue for copyright infringement).
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:49 am“ripped off from a fifth of Jim Beam”
What a stupid comment from someone with less than zero knowledge of design.
The new logo isn’t any softer – but it is easily just as shitty.
This is hardly news.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:56 amClinton had “whitewater”
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:59 amBush has ‘blackwater” and “black sites” with “waterboarding”
“The new logo isn’t any softer – but it is easily just as shitty.”
Comment by DaveRywall — October 22, 2007 @ 11:56 am
It’s true that Blackwater hired a very poor design artist to come up with that logo. The words “BLACKWATER” and “worldwide” should be aligned on the right. The red rifle-scope viewframe of the old logo has somehow morphed into red parentheses, meaning…what, exactly? And don’t even get me started on the Gothic oblique in all caps. The layout, the use of white space, the alignment of the elements — it all sucks.
Yes, the logo looks less like it was designed by Soldier of Fortune readers, but it has a long way to go before it looks like it was designed by a pro.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:24 pmBlackwater around here stink’s…..Everyone know’s what black water realy is, call the pumper truck’s out to suck it up, flush and repeat….
Comment by Witch1 — October 22, 2007 @ 11:47 am
You make a point that illustrates more irony than most of us realize.
A friend of mine who speaks Arabic told me that “qaeda” (as in Al Qaeda) is a word with multiple meanings. Yes, it means “base” as pointed out on Wikipedia and other sources (also “foundation”), but among its meanings is a colloquialism for “toilet”. This has been pointed out on a few blogsites, as well as this site:
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/fakealqaeda.html
If it’s true that “qaeda” means “toilet”, we have “water contaminated with human waste” battling “toilet”. Somehow the general sh!ttiness that suggests is descriptive of this entire war.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:36 pm“Yes, the logo looks less like it was designed by Soldier of Fortune readers,”
Comment by missmolly
It still has to be readable by Soldier of Fortune readers.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:40 pmSimple, no thought required, everything in black and white… and red.
A better logo would be to replace the bear claw with the dancing bears-ala the Grateful Dead(but they would sue for copyright infringement).
Comment by Uncle Ho — October 22, 2007 @ 11:49 am
Unka Ho,
But then, the remaining Greatful Dead members might be targets for some of that BlackWater special Cheney “wetwork”.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:52 pmIf it’s true that “qaeda†means “toiletâ€, we have “water contaminated with human waste†battling “toiletâ€. Somehow the general sh!ttiness that suggests is descriptive of this entire war.
Comment by missmolly — October 22, 2007 @ 12:36 pm
I’ve never heard this before, but it’s possible. The qa3ada root does indeed mean “to sit” in MSA: http://dictionary.sakhr.com/idrisidic_2MM.asp?Lang=E-A&sub=قَعَدَ
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:54 pmNew logo, same crimes.
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:29 pmHiya upside; Regional demonstration in Chicago ( & other cities) Saturday.
hope you can make one.
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:32 pmClinton had “whitewaterâ€
Bush has ‘blackwater .
Comment by PatrioticLiberalChristian — October 22, 2007 @ 11:59 am
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I was LITERALLY just about to post this. I think the American Public would prefer 50 White Waters to 1 black water.
October 22nd, 2007 at 3:30 pmHell, even if the crazy right wing conspiracy theorists are right, one one person was murdered as a result of white water, that’s a black water lazy afternoon.
October 22nd, 2007 at 3:31 pmThey can change the logo all they want but it will not bring back the people they killed for no reason whatsoever.
Nor will it bring back the hundreds, if not thousands that one can assume they killed and we just don’t know about.
I can only imagine how much the Iraqis must hate us. This country will never be safe again thanks to Bush and Blackvenom.
jack jett
October 22nd, 2007 at 4:14 pmYes, a new logo is the answer. This entire administration, its minions, its believers, its contractors — they all like to polish their turds. Make them real shiny and people will forget that they stink.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:41 pmBlackwater 2.0, Check out our new Facebook Apps!
October 23rd, 2007 at 4:12 amBesides the obvious ‘how do you make a mean defense contractor look nice’ issue…
Does anyone else see the resemblance to your high school’s mascot and logo? I mean, come on… a paw? Takes me back to middle school even. All day track meet anyone?
October 23rd, 2007 at 10:33 am