Logo a no-show on Forbes cover

Came across something interesting in the newspaper the other day.

It seems Forbes magazine actually has a policy prohibiting company logos from being shown on its cover.

This sounds particularly crazy to me, being with a magazine which has an informal policy of showing logoed products on its covers as frequently as possible.

Found out about this Forbes thing by reading a column in the Rocky Mountain News explaining why Qwest CEO Dick Notebaert appeared on the April 26 cover of the business magazine wearing a plain gray button-down shirt with no visible left chest Qwest logo. Inside the magazine, Notebaert was shown wearing the same shirt with a Qwest logo.

I can't believe they digitally altered their own cover image to remove the logo from his shirt. I'm sure dead college journalism professors everywhere are rolling over in their graves.

Forbes is not a fashion magazine. This was not like Vogue airbrushing an image of a model to remove any imperfections or add curves in places where no curves exist (a common practice of dubious journalistic ethics in itself). This was the CEO of a very big telecommunications company pictured on the cover of a prominent national business magazine. He chose to wear what he, by all accounts (the newspaper column even related a story about Notebaert's wife drawing the line over his wearing Qwest PJs to bed), usually wears - a shirt which displays his company's logo - on the day he was to be photographed for the Forbes cover story.

While the magazine's editors determined Notebaert was the best person to picture on its cover for a story about "Riding the New Wi-Fi Wave" and how the Internet will wipe out old phone service, those same editors also determined his everyday business attire was not proper for its cover.

What, are they worried about people thinking they're selling their cover? Please. I can't imagine a journalism professor anywhere who would advocate altering the appearance of a newsmaker's apparel to put on a cover. If that person shows up wearing a company logo, that's how it is. Removing the logo is like removing a mole from his face.

Why not let the readers see things as they are, Forbes? If you have a policy against showing company logos on your cover, then don't put a picture of a guy who always wears his company logo on your cover!

Most days I read the newspaper, and in the business section in particular you tend to come across photos of various company founders, presidents, CEOs, etc., who are usually in the news for something like introducing an interesting new product or service, or just being very successful at what they do. I would venture to say that more often than not, these executives are shown wearing apparel adorned with their own company logo.

I love it when I see these photos. These guys know they are having their picture taken for the newspaper that day, and they choose to wear apparel with their logo on it instead of a suit and tie.

Most days, these executives probably don't wear their company logos to work. But it's interesting that on days when they know they'll be a center of attention - whether it's a press conference, a shareholder's meeting, or to be photographed for the local paper - it's not a business suit they opt for. They show their belief in their organization by wearing its logo proudly on their chest.

Perhaps Wearables Business will be able to get a logo-wearing Notebaert on our cover someday. We promise no airbrushing. Even if he shows up for the shoot in Qwest PJs.