Yikes. This one has been making the rounds as of late, and I couldn’t help but echo everyone’s thoughts here. Here we have a logo, fine as you would hope any logo could be. It’s for a new blog run by the Smithsonian about “people and ideas that likely will shape the way we will live one day."

Look closely at the logo. Three gears. It evokes industry, mechanics, engineering – smart people doing smart things. Or so you’d hope. If you’re perceptive, you’ll see that all three gears interlock in such a manner as to prevent them from actually moving. Locked in place. The irony is not lost on me. The point being, as Christian Palino puts it at the Brand New blog, it’s a “great reminder that creating good logos begins with understanding your subject matter and ends with great craftsmanship — neither of which were present here."

The logo has since been updated.