Pokemon are cute. Pokemon know how to win battles. Pokemon are excellent entrepreneurs.
Wait, what?
We all know that playing the numerous incarnations of the Pokemon card and video games is serious business, but did you ever stop to think that maybe Pokemon could actually run their own companies? OK, probably not, but whether or not this was something you were ever curious about, one design agency took the time to imagine it for us, and the results are amazing.
Pictogram created corporate logos for some of your favorite Pokemon, and they are glorious. The San Francisco-based design shop imagined what would happen if the Pokemon Corporate Personhood Act of 2015, with the support of Professor OAK natch, allowed Pokemon to start their own companies.
Pictogram gave Zubat a very Batman-like symbol, Bulbasaur got a hook-shaped piece of green ivy and Pickahu's company has a perky lightning bolt representing it, but of course. But the design shop doesn't stop there. It also gave each Pokemon little descriptions of what their companies do. Tentacool sells celebrity-endorsed eyewear. Beedrill is a honey company. Electrabuzz powers homes up.
It's just too bad none of the logos in this collection represent the people of the Pokemon world. I'm just dying to see a fierce and flamboyant Team Rocket logo come to fruition. And don't we all want to know what cool design Pictogram would make out of Ash Ketchum's hat? Yes, yes we do.
These logos are the brainchild of Pictogram's founder Sebastiaan de With, who played the Pokemon Gameboy games as a kid. (But who didn't, really?)
"Back in 2009, I had a shower thought of sorts of how Pokémon would be branded if they were companies. Things kind of escalated from there as a late night design project," de With told Co.DESIGN.
And I'm sure glad de With decided to make these logos a reality. Their modern and minimalist designs are gorgeous enough to be more than just clever representations of Pokemon. Any company, real or fake, would be lucky to have these logos adorn their pamphlets and social media profiles.
If you're already a Pokemon Master IRL, you've probably already got the business cards to prove it anyway.
Head over to Pictogram's Pokemon Branding site to check out all of the Pokemon business ventures.
