A Logo Is Never Just a Logo
What Still Matters
What Still Matters
There’s a restaurant in Santa Cruz, CA that used AI to help create its logo. It didn’t turn out well. The backlash was immediate. The owner replaced it after a wave of criticism and one-star reviews. She later said a lifelong dream had been crushed.
That is a lot of weight for a logo to carry. But maybe that is the point. It was generic, soulless, and completely devoid of the character you hope to feel in a neighborhood restaurant.
A logo is never just a logo. At its best, it carries meaning, belief, care, and sometimes the emotional weight of someone’s dream. That is exactly why designers, and design thinking, still matter.
And that’s why I’m starting a new series called What Still Matters.
Not because AI isn’t important. Because understanding what AI can’t replace may be even more important. Taste. Judgment. Meaning. Wonder. Human understanding.
These are the things I want to explore. Not what is changing. What endures.
