There ought to be some sort of corporate cultural heritage law to prevent companies from tossing away their heritage in return for a few approving looks from some Wall Street analysts.
Neville Hobson has the scoop on the ‘new’ Kodak. Gizmodo has its own take.
I’ve got a complete darkroom in my garage, so take this all with a grain of salt (or selenium as the case may be). Kodak has spent the better part of the past two decades pissing away its heritage any any goodwill it has among the still very large community of artists and others working in the film medium. There was a time when artists like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston made regular treks to Rochester to get first dibs on the latest and greatest paper and film. Kodak products, like Tri-X and Verichrome Pan, were key parts of some of the most important art of the 20th Century. Without Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner, Adams’ Moonrise wouldn’t have half the impact.
There are plenty of smaller, nimble companies willing to move into the market that Kodak is abondoning in a wild quest to play catch-up to a digital imaging market it’s already lost. Wanna take any bets on who will still be around in ten years?
If you think there’s no market for tradition, spend a Saturday afternoon at Michael’s. Or ask Thomas Mahon.
Update: Adrants is leaning towards the old logo, pointing out a little thing called brand equity that Kodak seems to be forgetting.
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