4 December 2008

Panthers get it wrong

| johnboy
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There are many many reasons why graphic designers are not to be trusted.

High among them is their proclivity for lifting stock images, tweaking them a bit and selling them to the client as originals. Which is bad enough at the best of times.

When you’re a top flight rugby league team trying to market memberships under the tag of “Belong, Believe” some might think it best if the imagery is of your own team.

The Herald Sun reports that the Penrith Panthers’ designer grabbed a picture of Canberra Raiders celebrating an extra-time penalty goal against Wests Tigers in 2006, and tried to make it their own.

Panthers fans are divided as to the seriousness.

UPDATED: From the BBC website, and for the purposes of comparison and discussion, this appears to be the image it came from:

UPDATED: And here’s the apology to Panther’s fans from Max Cowan, son of club kingpin Roger Cowan (errors as published):

    Hi guys
    I’m not sure what sort of official response you need but it is embarrassing that the image used with the words “Belong Belive” turned out to be a treated version of a photo involving Canberra players.

    I certainly accept te responsibility for this error. The reason it is embarrassing is exactly because it detract from what is a very good publication. The creative concepts for the publication were there result of a lot of good work and good thinking from Shaun. And it is Shaun’s efforts that are most damaged by this error.

    I will apologise to him personally.

    It also detract bfrom a very good history and body of work that has been delivered by the Panthers marketing and sponsorship teams.

    Thier sustained effort is also damaged.

    Clearly the fans are embarrassed and I am very sorry for anyone who feels that pain.

    In saying that, it is a bit rich for newcastle noel to say that such an error is typical of this club … it is not.

    Nevertheless, there is an official response – I am sorry it didn’t come earlier but I’ve been a bit too busy to read through the forum in the last few days.

    Whoever would like to start casting stones … pick them up and aim at me.

    cheers

    max

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EnglishRaider7:28 am 11 Dec 08

Obviously the marketing staff, and Admin thought Withers, Smith, Schifcofske and Purtz had followed Elliott, Jennings, Nathan Smith.

http://penrith.panthers.com.au/Forum/To … -18-8.aspx I just love the Penriff fans defence!

Vic Bitterman9:23 pm 04 Dec 08

At least that’s an honest no-bullshit apology.

Haha, that’s gold! Obviously the Panthers didn’t have enough triumphant shots to be of use to the designer…

I imagine the artist neither knew nor cared anything about League and no-one up the food chain could contemplate anyone not knowing or caring.

Worlds collide and heads, no doubt, are going to roll.

Comprehensively pwned by the mighty raiders for the second time this year.

Holden Caulfield5:06 pm 04 Dec 08

This is quite funny. It’s pretty poor that the design would have been signed off by somebody at Panthers before going to print. Did they not think to ask where the image came from?!

Back to the studio involved, why did the designer not think this might be a dumb idea? Or was it a case of quickly grabbing an image for a concept that just happened to find it’s way through to sign off?

Great cock up though, haha!

Pretty funny though . . .

It’s Mark Geyer’s forearms in a thoughtful pose.

You can see it whole here:

http://www.panthershop.com.au/Default.aspx?id=4&ProductCategory=56

(top right)

The scrutiny you people put images to terrifies me.

I think mutley is suggesting the torso in the background is enjoying the moment in a manner similar to that recently described by dexi.

mutley said :

Is it just my dirty mid or is the background image somewhat ‘questionable’?

I think the marketing guys just left off the caption “please don’t make us play in front of this many empty seats”…

This is along the same lines of the new interior design at Fairfax offices a few years ago.

Problem was that the designer had no clue who Rupert Murdoch was and why the Fairfax team wouldn’t be happy with his image peering at them on every floor as they worked away.

So funny. I believe that image belongs to another team.

Good to see other clubs trying to get some mileage out of Canberra’s reputation as golden point specialists.

Is it just my dirty mid or is the background image somewhat ‘questionable’?

DarkLadyWolfMother12:20 pm 04 Dec 08

I wonder if he got permission to use that picture…

Hilarious.

I’d say that fugly logo is going to be gracing the signature block of some Raiders fan in the Greenhouse forum before long.

I bet the “artist” who came up with it didn’t consider the notion that the source image really should depict the client team’s players. He probably just googled “rugby league players celebrate” or something like that.

Sprung. They do it all the time. We got a design company to come up with some logo ideas for a gov’t website (youth orientated), and one we rejected turned out to be the logo for a US fast food chain called Sonic. Logo only patented in the US, I guess.

Jeebers! Thomas Marsdon have blown their claim to being the most respected advertising agency in Sydney’s West with one ill-considered action!

colourful sydney racing identity11:32 am 04 Dec 08

you know you’re in trouble when you’re aspiring to share the recent successes of the Raiders

Haha! You can even still clearly see the stripes on the sleeves of the number 6 and number 2 (Jason Smith and Adrian Purtell I think).

That’s pretty funny. Poor panthers, first they get Matt Elliot as coach, and now this happens.

Thats understandable. Pentrith haven’t had a lot to celebrate in recent years.

colourful sydney racing identity11:22 am 04 Dec 08

Oh dear…

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