We've been following discussion of the newly-announced 2014 Winter games logo on one of our favorite blogs: LogoDesignLove. We'll leave the design critique to that capable forum. We will, however, offer that falling too in love with your branding can sometimes do more harm than good. When you follow the logo's instructions and visit sochi2014.ru, you're treated to the Sochi 2014 brand video, which closes with this resounding final still: 4 questions come to mind:

1. Who, besides disgruntled citizens and branding wonks, reads websites explaining/justifying/rationalizing brands?
2. Is it really an effective use of your website's visitors' minuscule attention spans to wax rhapsodic on your brand, or would it be better to let them experience it through images and/or content that might actually be compelling to them?
3. If you tell people that you are Proactive, Fascinating and True (branding professionals like 3 personality traits - no more and no fewer), will they have any idea what the hell that means for an Olympic destination, and aren't you probably really the opposite anyway?
4. And perhaps most importantly, is the Sochi logo only slightly better, moderately better or vastly better than the London 2012 train wreck?