The new Yahoo logo is an interesting choice for a tech and communications company, demonstrating that when everyone is zigging it's time to zag.
There is a lot that is retro about this design - the chiselled typestyle, the large and small caps. It is almost something Eric Gill would have approved of. (if you don't know of Eric Gill, think Gill Sans).
It's as if Yahoo has moved it's identity from the fun loving 50's to the power dressing 80's.
The old Yahoo logo brings to mind the popular afternoon TV shows from the 50's and 60's; The Flintstones, Top Cat, Leave it to Beaver, and Bewitched, while the the logo below is more Dynasty and Dallas. It signals the arrival of a corporate contender that's ready for business.
In the video below it is interesting to view how this logo was constructed. But no amount of precise font construction can substitute for visual placement by eye, and there is something about the letter spacing and placement of the 'Y' that seems not right.
More on the logo can be read here.

The design of Sydney's new public transport ''brand'' - a hopping ball with a multi-coloured shadow - might have been arrived at with a few strokes of a calligraphers's pen.

To be fair the design part of the budget was 'only' half a million, or $599,500 to be exact. The remaining was taken up by research and consulting fees.

Having worked for government departments and knowing tortuous route, and the endless committee meetings it takes to come to a decision I understand how the time and costs can quickly add up.
Still, a couple of swooshes with dot and word mark does seem a little extravagant at that price. 
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/bouncing-ball-branding-cost-transport-1mplus-20130819-2s7bc.html#ixzz2ceFwq0Sv

Sometimes this is the t-shirt I feel like wearing to a meeting.
Often one of the first questions a prospective client will ask of a designer is "how much will it cost?"
This usually comes up even before there is any comprehensive brief. It's a bit like saying to an architect. "I need a house built, how much will it cost?" In the case of a house there are many variables - the number of bedrooms, the number of bathrooms, the structure; concrete, timber, glass. etc. etc. Likewise in the case of a new brand design there are many variables. But because many of these variables are intangible they are not understood or given the full recognition they deserve.
Some of these include:

• What went before
  
• Target market
  
• Size of business
  
• Future of business
  
• Personality of business
  
• Competition
  
• Usage
  
• Naming
  
• Budget
• the list goes on…

Budget does come into costing as a consideration, but it is only one part of the equation. All the other information has to be considered by the designer. And this weaving together of information doesn't just happen when the designer is sitting at their desk, it is going on continually while the project is in progress. But I know from years of experience that I will continue to be asked the same question.
"How much will it cost?"
There's no easy answer to that.