It’s time for readers to make their marque

What makes a good company logo? Being instantly recognisable? Having striking colours that stand out from the crowd? A memorable tagline? All these factors have their place, but the most important single attribute of a logo is, quite obviously, that it can be replicated using the most basic office equipment.

The Diary has photographic evidence of this: pictured is the Atari logo, made out of nothing more than Post-it notes. And that convincing HSBC symbol? Created using an envelope and a red pencil.

The Diary would, therefore, like to lay down a challenge to readers. The best brand logo sent to mw.editorial@centaur.co.uk, made using whatever stationery you find on your desk (so apples with bites out of them and the like will be disqualified immediately) will win a half- bottle of Bollinger champagne, a deck of cards and a kaleidoscope, as well as a lovely Aquascutum calendar-cum-photo frame. Entries should be marked “Diary Competition”. So what are you waiting for? Get your creative juices flowing.