“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
When we began business in 1972 as Missouri Network, Inc., I created a logo (which is short for logotype) for the new company using a stylized “M” of Missouri as its foundation [top logo]. Pretty ugly. I really wanted something better.
One day when making sales calls in Omaha, I went to Bozell and Jacob’s home office in a corporate park there. When I drove past the corporate park’s identity sign, I knew their logo was perfect for my company. So, I pulled my car to the roadside and on the back of an envelope I roughly copied the “logo”. I brought it back to Jefferson City and gave it to Jack Allen a creative friend who designed what became our logo. It has gone through several iterations [bottom logos] through the years, but basically remains.
It represents what advertising does: exploding products and services. It represents how media reaches the multitudes. And, it represents expansion and growth.