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Why did the 2012 logo cause so much debate - and so much of it hostile? Apart from the obvious answer here in the UK, i.e. it was featured heavily on the BBC news, I think it's because of the increasing obsession with logos and their appeal (or not) to people.

Last weekend, I went to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. I hadn't been before, but I came away absolutely amazed at the fantastic way in which it delivered on it's brand promise.

What do you think of the new Apple homepage?

I think it's excellent and here's why:

1. It's designed for its audience, and Apple knows theirs. Most people love or hate Apple, so why bother trying to convince non-believers? Just show them the product. They'll make up their mind or not to buy. Apple doesn't mix up values with features. The iMac value is elegance, design and power.

2. Its simple. One product and six nav buttons above "the fold". No confusion, no proliferation of products or services messing up the message.

3. Clear user focused navigation. This speaks for itself.

4. Brand value. People purchase Apple because it works right out of the box, is simple and is truly beautiful. The new front page reflects this: simple navigation, industrial looking design reflecting the product family (I'm struck by the leanings towards the iTunes interface in the new design) and lack of obvious hard sell messages.

5. Use of images to push the sales message. Look at the home page. One headline, "You can never be too thin.Or too powerful" instead of lots of techspeak about RAM, processor speed etc. The image pulls the user in and within 1 click the info on teshnical data is available to back-up the message. But the look will sell.

OK they can do this because they have a multi-billion dollar marketing and sales budget right?

Correct. But by applying some of this to the average website, improvements can be made. Think about your marketing message, is it simple? Does it come through obviously on your site? Are your customers seeing what you want them to see? Do they realise what the value of your service is rather than being confused by the features? Know your audience, communicate directly with them, and simplify the message.

It'll work. Better.

If you read this blog (and you know who you are...) then you know that I read Seth Godins blog regularly. I do this not just because I agree with most of what he says, but because even when I don't he always has a slant on a topic that makes you think differently about something that maybe previously you'd had a fixed view on. This post is a great example of his worldview.

Now in the international education marketing world, maybe its difficult to move the goalposts in the way he suggests - after all we're dealing with smaller budgets, longer term decisions and a more complex marketplace than the world of FMCG.

However, think of the move from the pre-Education UK marketing environment, and then the new launch of the Education UK brand. Isn't this the type of thing that he's talking about? Moving away from something that was (arguably) still good enough to something that spoke directly to international students?

Sure, the cost of doing this is huge and the outputs are inevitably difficult to judge (at least in the short term) and the whole venture is risky. But that means that if successful it does change the world in the way that Seth talks about - both for potential students and educational institutions.

And that means the pressure is on to continually refine the message and deliver better results, but that is what needs to be done in any case in the competitive marketplace we operate in.

And thats got to be a good thing. Hasn't it?

Heard a story on the BBC this morning regarding a first time published author whose book "Olympic Mind Games" (print run approximately 300), is aimed at children. So far so what?

But he's been contacted by the brand police at London 2012, who have told him that in order that his book is not mistaken for "an official" publication, he cannot use the word "olympic" in the title...