What Does Your Banner Say About You?

"Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight" (gizmoq)
03/21/2014 at 19:20 • Filed to: Cadillac Elwood banner Emblem Jake

Reading the issues Blake Noble had with his banner, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! got me to thinking what does your banner say about you and what do other think about it? Why do they care? Why do you care what they think? And what's Tiger's problem? (OBTW, how do I find out what tiger thinks of my banner and what's this blue box around it mean... OPPO minds want to know?)

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O.K., I'll start. My banner started life as a modification to an existing decal. I called the owner of the copyright and asked him to make a few changes for me and sell me the decals with a chrome finish to my specs. I then replaced all the emblems on my car with them from the front grill to third brake light, the wheel caps and the steering wheel. Cool, I had a one of a kind car with one of a kind emblems. All of a sudden, my design became the number one selling decal from that company. The company owner and I joked recently that he would rename the artwork to the name I gave it, but it is so entrenched now that it would probably hurt sales so my consolation prize was he gave me credit in the new copyright.

This is the latest iteration of my banner:

It follows the outline of the Cadillac crest but take some cues from the Corvette mascot, Jake (intentionally so). The cheeks and nose use the XLR silhouette as cutouts and the eyes are C6 corvette flags. I did this initially as a joke during car corrals for ALMS and PWC where there were always a few cars dressed out with the Jake theme. So I gave them a glimpse of the Elwood theme. I thought it appropriate since both professional race teams, Cadillac and Corvette attended many of the same race venues together and the Corvette shares components with the XLR, XLR-V, and CTS-V. It was the CTS-V guys that are buying all the Elwood decals mentioned above.

Not everyone got the joke and some hated it. Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O'Connell (Team Cadillac Racing drivers) thought it was hilarious as well as most of the Cadillac Marketing folks at the races. Purists turn their noses up at me, but the Hot Rod Caddy and Corvette guys get it. And, no, I don't care what other think about my Blues Brothers (Jake and Elwood) joke. I love sitting back on the sidelines watching folks try to figure it out. Those that don't - oh well. Those that do - you can see when the light bulb comes on and its quite entertaining.

So I took it a step further and spelled it out for the masses. (I love this picture of a Corvette fanboy trying to figure out what Elwood means)

Then my race team banner just took everything completely over the top.

So what does my banner say about me? I dunno. I'm an ass? I like satire, parody, intellectual jokes, and old movies? I got too much time on my hands in my retirement? I try not to think that deep. As a footnote, the car was officially christened "ELWOOD" by the Team Cadillac Racing Director and that's been my car's name ever since.

So what's behind your banner?

DISCUSSION (10)

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight
03/21/2014 at 08:19

I got the Crest as soon as I saw it. As a Corvette guy, I love Jake, and everything he stands for. And to me, the Cadillac Vs will always be the upscale Vette, or in the case of the CTS-V, a 4-door Vette.

Love the design!

Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
03/21/2014 at 12:09

Thanks, so what's the story behind your avatar?

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight
03/21/2014 at 12:58

It's an Acura symbol of course. And it goes along with my SN, which is because my first car was a 1994 Integra GS-R. My favorite car, and I still wish to this day that I still had it.

Sn210 > Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight
03/21/2014 at 19:37

I wanted a Delorean for my first car, so I had this GIF as my AIM avatar back in high school, when AIM was all the rage. By coincidence, I found the file on my laptop and thought I'd use it for Oppo

Forgetful > Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight
03/21/2014 at 19:38

I forget.

HammerheadFistpunch > Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight
03/21/2014 at 23:03

its a shouting squirrel, that about sums me up.

Axial > Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight
03/22/2014 at 03:53

Mine says I like BMWs in orange...especially vintage ones.

I have never driven a BMW of any sort and I'm a Corvette nut.

So mine essentially means diddly. :D

DoktorZombie > Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight
03/22/2014 at 08:19

It's some guy from the early 20th century wearing a futuristic TV/Radio visor thingy. It's like a metaphor or something. I wanted something that could work across the entire Gawkerverse.

Stef Schrader > Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight
03/24/2014 at 13:54

Kinja'd!!!

Puffalump!

On a McLaren!

...

PUFFALUMP!

Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 > Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight
03/24/2014 at 18:33

I like Blipshift and I own a 2k2