CBC blog
posted by Amil Niazi, December 12, 2009

Logos: Does banning images go too far?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, can a logo be a catalyst for change or resistance?

Two recent stories suggest an image may be as powerful as any action.

Greenpeace T-shirts have been banned from Parliament after the organization staged a demonstration on the Hill this week.

The ban is due to "recent events," a security guard told a reporter from The Canadian Press who entered the Parliament buildings as a visitor Thursday wearing a Greenpeace shirt.

The reporter put on the shirt to confirm reports that security was searching visitors for Greenpeace logos.

The T-shirt was brought to the attention of nearby officers, who told the reporter she could not enter the buildings. They relented after she agreed to turn the shirt inside-out.

Full story.

An art gallery in Vancouver has been ordered by the City of Vancouver to remove a mural hanging outside the building showing the Olympic rings as four sad faces and one smiley face.

The gallery has been displaying outdoor murals for 10 years and has never before been asked to remove work.

The order was issued under a graffiti bylaw, but the gallery owner questions the motives, citing a recent sign bylaw that targets anti-Olympic displays.

Full story.

What do you think of banning logos and images? Do they have the power to incite protest and does a ban dampen freedom of expression?