Ok. I understand the rationale. Best Buy’s current logo looks a little cheap and very, very yellow.

It’s not surprising they’ve decided to update their image:

Sans-serif font? Check. Accent-colored icon next to text? Check.

Wimpy, nondescript logo? Check!

Don’t get me wrong. Their new logo is attractive, sharp and professional. I wish I could design logos that nice. But it’s a conservative choice (ala Walmart or Xerox) that threatens to undermine their curb-appeal.

Like many other Best Buy fans, I’ve been conditioned to salivate at the sight of that big yellow tag. I can spot ‘em from a mile away, whether I’m zipping along the interstate or navigating a strip mall parking lot.

I’m worried that the new logo, while snazzy, simply doesn’t stick out.

Undoubtedly, they are trying to project a more professional, high-quality image. But at some point, doesn’t the store affect the logo more than the logo affects the store? In other words, hasn’t Best Buy successfully overridden the apparent “cheapness” of their current logo, by simply being a quality store? So, isn’t it better to stick with the iconic image customers recognize, trust and like?

P.S. Speaking of logo changes, check out Pepsi’s new look

For years, SAGrader has been helping students learn more through writing and saving time for instructors.

Now, we’re giving teachers the chance to use it for free in their classroom this spring.

Why? We want your opinion and suggestions! We’re eager to learn how we can improve SAGrader to make it the ultimate learning tool. In exchange, you and your class will get full access to SAGrader for the Spring ‘09 semester.

Those of you who have been waiting for a commitment-free chance to try automatic grading, now is your chance! Sign up deadline is November 17th.

To learn more and to sign up, visit www.sagrader.com/beta.

Meris Stansbury of eSchool News recently wondered how students’ reading and research habits have been influenced by our Google-centric culture.

She cites research commissioned by the British Library and the Joint Information Systems Committee that says:

[Web users] tend to seek information horizontally–meaning they skim, or bounce from page to page, without reading in depth and rarely return to a previous source. About 60 percent of electronic journal users view no more than three pages, the study found, and 65 percent never return.

The study also reveals statistics about students’ preference for web researching. For instance, 89 percent of college students use search engines to begin an information search, the study found–while only 2 percent start from a library web site.

Are students to blame for this? Or is it a design issue?

In my experience, students don’t use library web sites for research because they are more difficult to use. While libraries contain richer, more reliable information than Google, they aren’t designed as well. Students can’t find relevant data as quickly as they can with Google.

The depth of information a reader seeks is also a design issue.

Good designers can present large amounts of information in an intelligent way, that encourages users to read all of it. Perhaps students are skimming more because information sources aren’t designed to encourage in-depth reading.

Ask any student to compare/contrast their favorite textbook with their least favorite. I’ll bet each textbook presents the same amount of information. But the good textbook packages their data better.

Library web sites (and other rich sources of information) aren’t losing the popularity content because they have lots of data. They’re losing because they’re poorly designed.