Companies across the city are being forced to reconsider their corporate logos that feature images of the World Trade Center.
Variety, the entertainment trade publication, yanked the logo from its Gotham edition shortly after the terrorist attack that felled the towers.
“That is no longer the skyline,” the publication’s spokeswoman said of its quick move.
Others are also facing the heart-wrenching decision, including Disney-owned Miramax, New York Summer Restaurant Week and NYC Insider, an online site for tourists.
None could be reached to say how they plan to deal with the problem, but marketing consultants have plenty of advice.
“My own personal feeling is these companies should keep the logos,” said Marc Balet, creative director for Mixed Business, a creative-marketing company.
The World Trade Center “is a symbol – an enduring sign. I’d be proud to have that in a logo.”
“The Twin Towers should continue to be used in a tasteful way,” said Gregory Thomas, author of “How to Design Logos, Symbols and Icons” (North Light Books).
However: “I would not like to see profiteering from it. To stop using it says we’ve lost.”
“The question is if the towers, because of events, have transcended being just office buildings to being an icon meaning ‘freedom,'” said Marc Gobe, president and CEO of the Desgrippes Gobe Group.
The author of “Emotional Branding” (Allworth Press), Gobe drew parallels proving that the towers have, indeed, become that symbol.
“If the Statue of Liberty was destroyed, we would continue to use it as a symbol,” he added. “Some people are still using portraits of people who have passed away” in logos and corporate identities.
Neither brand specialist believed the incidents of last week negatively impacted the image of the towers.
“I wouldn’t associate it with doom,” said Balet. “It is an enduring sign. If it was a symbol of their company [before], why would they run away from it?”
However, Jack Trout, president of Trout & Partners, which specializes in developing corporate identities, disagrees.
“Unless its fairly subtle, these companies need a new logo,” Trout said. “People will look at it and say, ‘What’s with these guys?’ It will conjure up bad feelings.”
He added, “With the buildings gone, the logo is gone. It doesn’t make sense anymore.”
Trout suggested companies that show the downtown skyline in shadow should change the logo slightly. “They could change the skyline to reflect Midtown,” he said. “In a way, people probably wouldn’t even notice.”
Gobe, originally from France, strongly disagreed.
“The Twin Towers qualify as a symbol of pride for people, and should be kept.”