The title of this article surprised you? Well, it is indeed an issue to be surprised. The entire THING about Google and Uno came to my mind all of a sudden when I came back home last night and saw my kids playing Uno. As I was aware of Google buzz services, I got really stunned when my eyes met the logo on one of the cards that were held in my younger kid’s hand, it just looked like the Google buzz logo at the very first sight!!!
As a kid, I always loved playing Uno with my friends and siblings but as I grew up I totally forgot its logo, but at this time I had a flash back which made me realize how much Uno’s logo resembled the Google buzz logo!
The very first thing that makes you think that Google buzz logo is a copy of the Uno logo is its colors. The colors; red, blue, yellow and green are the same colors which are used in Uno’s logo only with a slight difference in the arrangement. And the speech bubble closely resembles the Uno’s logo circle. Is it just a co-incidence or Google deliberately picked up Uno’s logo to use for their brand endorsement?
Google launched Google buzz in the beginning of 2010 for the purpose of social media networking, where as the card game Uno was launched by Merle Robbins, back in 1971 for the social gaming purpose as Uno was a multiplayer game involving so much social interaction, it falls in the same social network category. Is it a co-incidence too or there is something that is hidden beneath the Google buzz logo? To find out, we have to look at what we have got in the defense of Google;
First off, The 4 colors which are used in Google buzz are the primary colors for every logo and Google buzz is not the only one to use them. There have been many companies who have used these primary colors in their logos; Simon (the famous game) and Microsoft are 2 of them. Secondly, the arrangement of colors is different too. Thirdly, the symbol of Google buzz is not a circle but a speech bubble which separates it from the Uno’s logo. And lastly as a strong point, there is no white border used in the Google buzz logo unlike Uno’s logo! Are these points strong enough to defend Google? Or you think Google has copied Uno’s logo?
For me, it’s really hard to believe how a multi billionaire company like Google can copy a logo of someone else. Consequently, in my opinion it’s just a co-incident. What do you think?
14 comments:
That what's I first think about Uno when I saw the google buzz new logo :)
March 23, 2010 at 5:39 PMOnly coincidence,'cause the colors of Google Buzz logo are the same used in the main Google logo. Or can the main logo be a copy of UNO logo? I don't think so.
March 23, 2010 at 5:39 PMIn my opinion and stance... Yes !! it’s just a co-incident.
March 23, 2010 at 5:42 PMAs you've already cleared so many raisable points against the buzz logo.
"First off, The 4 colors which are used in Google buzz are the primary colors for every logo and Google buzz is not the only one to use them. There have been many companies who have used these primary colors in their logos; Simon (the famous game) and Microsoft are 2 of them. Secondly, the arrangement of colors is different too. Thirdly, the symbol of Google buzz is not a circle but a speech bubble which separates it from the Uno’s logo."
With Google-sized talent and resources, they could have researched and developed a unique "Buzz" logo.
March 23, 2010 at 5:45 PMAs you report, it may very well be an innocent co-incidence. We shall see.
Yes, they do look very similar.
March 23, 2010 at 5:52 PMI'm not sure. It wouldn't seem to make sense, normally ripped off logos tend to have some sort of link in industry or concept. I'd give them the benefit of the doubt. However, as we all know, anything is possible, we have seen some wild copy-cats.
March 23, 2010 at 5:58 PMI don't think anything will come of this. It fits in well with googles brand, doesn't seem to stick out, conceptually it works.
Maybe Google does not have good logo designers that's why they just played with UNO's logo and modified it?
March 23, 2010 at 6:15 PMGood find by the way :)
One of my professors handed one of my papers back the other day with a Nike swoosh on it. She claims its a check mark.
March 23, 2010 at 6:16 PMI think that if you try hard enough you can see what you want in almost anything.
I say co-incidence.
hahah really nice, hope it wasn't stolen... thanks.
March 23, 2010 at 6:17 PMI dont think its the same, one is a circle cut off, the other its a dialog balloon. The order of the colors its the same but the distribution its different, and I think they have been using those colors for other marketing elements.
March 23, 2010 at 7:54 PMWow, nice catch. That's an interesting take. Obviously it's not a direct steal, but it is very similar.
March 23, 2010 at 8:20 PMIt is probably a coincidence. The colors used are from the official Google logo...n that just happens to match with that of UNO.
March 24, 2010 at 5:36 AM@ João;
March 25, 2010 at 12:06 AMI agree, as there is no resemblance among the main Google logo and the UNO logo, the Google logo itself can’t be a plagiarized material. As far as the Google Buzz concerns; there are chances.
@ Paul Sanduleac @ Nate;
Nice to know that I am not the only one to come up with the skepticism that Google may have plagiarized UNO’s logo.
@ Windtee, @ Youssef Sarhan, @ Shikeb Ali, @ Jahangir, @ Rahul @ Adium;
That’s true, I do believe myself that companies like Google don’t need this kind of plagiarism act as they can hire the best logo design professionals from any part of the world, but nothing can be said with a certainty because history has witnessed bizarre incidents of logo plagiarisms, However, I would like to stand for Google :)
-Thanks everyone for the nice comments
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