Two things come to mind when I look at this logo: Pokemon and Captain Planet (AUDIO). If you’re not familiar with Pokemon, all you need to know is that they are fantastical creatures with special powers that kids capture and later use in a battle arena. The Pokemon are classified into categories based on their unique powers: water, electric, fire, earth, psychic, etc. The Captain Planet connection, for those who didn’t enjoy a similar childhood to mine, comes from the battle cry that the Planeteers use to summon the Superhero, Captain Planet. “Earth. Wind. Fire. Water. Heart. By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet.”
Very nostalgic, very moving. This logo, however, is not. It’s unfortunate, really. Amaris is a Minneapolis, MN based green building contractor that builds high performance homes to LEED standards. The kicker here is that as much as this logo is a crime against logos, it quite astutely encompasses many of LEED’s areas of focus. The leaf stands for sustainable site choice, ecosystem and materials. The flame represents energy, heating and lighting. The droplet is, of course, water and the swirls of wind represent air quality, heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
I’m actually a little dumbfounded by that depth. A poor execution, mind you. But still…