Image problem = opportunity

Problem

Have you ever visited a translation vendor's website? Seen flyers advertising a localization conference? Tried to find a cool image to represent the language industry? Well, if you have, odds are that you've seen something like this:

In fact, odds are that you've used this exact image on a blog post or flyer of your own! It's boring, it's cliché, and as an icon it doesn't really communicate what localization is all about.

Not exactly what we are going for, I think. (Click the image for a stirring rendition of the song we all know and love.)

Some localization organizations (including MIIS Lion, a student-run company I helped create) have cleverly adopted lions in their iconography and branding because, well...L10N is the widely adopted shortcut to writing out the word localization every time you want to use it. This has resulted in some interesting attempts to spice things up a little bit:

This is clever. And it's definitely a breath of fresh air. At least it was...when it was a new idea. While definitely a step in the right direction--toward clever and effective brand awareness--comparing a localization company and its services to a lion is a bit esoteric. This is especially true for an industry that no one seems to have heard of.

Opportunity

Marketers and creative localizers rejoice! You have before you an excellent opportunity. The localization/language industry consists of many, MANY small- to mid-size Language Service Providers (LSP). They all offer more or less the same services, and they all have a hard time differentiating themselves from the others.

I think the company that successfully projects a hip, modern image of itself, complete with a fresh design and brand will appeal to clients in a way that will help them grow their business better. Naturally, the company should actually be hip and modern. Many LSPs do their jobs extremely well, especially considering sometimes extreme client demands. But I haven't seen any LSPs with an ingenious marketing strategy. And that, in my opinion, is what it will take to stand out in on ocean of LSPs. And you can start by designing a catchy logo that has nothing to do with lions or globes.