In a post on the Electric Facebook page company CEO Eric Crane said the following to what appears to be employees of the company:
An unmistakable similarity of our logo to a logo used by an extinct racist/nationalist group has been brought to our attention. We first becme aware of this comparison through a post to our Facebook site, it then showed up on a few other blog threads. Although it is not a registered hate symbol, the logo appears on an 80 year old pamphlet in a photo depicting a man dressed in racist garb.
In no way is ELECTRIC connected to, or inspired by anything related to discrimination, racism, or otherwise . . . and we will never be. The ELECTRIC mark’s resemblance to something that was used by a select few in an ugly part of America’s heritage is purely coincidental. Our logo was developed as a product of design refinement of the original volt, with simplification as the goal.
The ELECTRIC brand has been built over the last 15 years using the image of a lightning bolt to represent the positive and creative energy harnessed in the products we make. The logo has come to represent the shared passion of our international team of athletes, employees, and ambassadors to improve the experience both in and out of the water, on and off the mountain, and life in between.
The ELECTRIC brand stands for so much more than just a logo, or someone’s perception of what we are about. The energy and effort that have gone in to the company over the years have been extraordinary, we have a lot to be proud of.
Please reassure all that any connection implied of ELECTRIC to anything racists is preposterous and at best unfortunate. We have been discussing the issue internally each day and addressing the few inquiries we have gotten from our family, friends, and customers. Please don’t let this get you down!
If you or anyone you know has any questions regarding this issue, please feel free to let me or your manager know.
And yes, it all sounds reasonable though unfortunate.
[Link: Electric Facebook]
