In 2007, blogger/photographer Thomas Hawk had his portrait taken by photographer Bill Wadman as part of his 365 Portraits series. Hawked noticed something he couldn’t help asking about:
when I met Bill I noticed that he had all the Canon logos on his gear taped off with black tape. I asked Bill why he did that and he said for two reasons, 1. Because he wanted to make his camera gear look less expensive (and hopefully less interesting to steal) and 2. Because, what had Canon ever done for him and why should he give them free advertising.
And so those are probably the exact same reasons why I do that now myself.
I read this and thought to myself, “Goodness, that sounds a lot like something I would do.” Maybe I will.
In general, I have little problem with a manufacturer putting their own name/logo on a product they make. They make it, after all, and what they do is part of the product. I have been known to remove or obscure logos, but there’s usually a specific reason for my doing so.
What really makes me cranky is when others put their logo on products. Witness the unfortunate incident of my local VW dealer putting their own licence plate frame ad on my car. They service cars. If they want to advertise using my car, they need to first show me the money.
The only time I’ve ever covered the logos on my camera is when I smuggled the camera into the Montréal date of Rush’s Snakes & Arrows concert tour. I did it because I was hoping that black hockey tape over the white logos and white portions of the lens would render it less visible. I don’t know if it made any difference, but I didn’t get caught.
_don
I don’t mind the logo or name being on the product for the most part. I mean, how else would you tell one product from another? Its a method of adverstising and distinguishing brands in the store. And how many times have you seen a certain car drive by and wonder what kind of car is that, and quickly look for the logo or manufacturer’s name. Yes, my marketing education is bleeding through.
Of course, that being said, I won’t wear clothes with a logo on it. So go figure.