TORONTO—To announce it’s recent move to Liberty Village in Toronto, 12-year-old design studio Pylon launched a mini campaign in a visual language that parodies ubiquitous Scandinavian furniture retailer IKEA.

Its humorous, black-and-white mailer mimicked an IKEA instruction manual by describing how to build a pylon. The booklet also directed people to the agency’s microsite and reminded them to update their address book.

Pylon's moving notice was in breach of IKEA's brand

IKEA, however, didn’t find it very amusing. Five days after the campaign launched, Pylon received a cease and desist letter from its lawyers, who, as it turns out, were on Pylon’s mailing list and received the package directly.

“Everyone uses IKEA when they’re moving. We weren't being detrimental to IKEA, we love IKEA,” says Pylon president Scott Christie, who adds he spent $10,000 on new office furniture at the modern home furnishings mecca.

(Interestingly, IKEA has recently come under fire from designers who are aghast that it changed its catalogue text font from Futura to Verdana, a typeface designed for the web.)

Christie had seen other design agencies spoof logos in a fun way to much success, such as U.K.’s now defunct The Designers Republic.

In this instance, however, IKEA perceived Pylon’s use of its brand characteristics as exploitation for Pylon’s own commercial gain.

Christie says his story should be a warning to other designers: “If they’re thinking of parodying a well known, recognized brand, [don't] do it.”

This is not the first time that Pylon has been reprimanded for trademark infringement. Several years ago it designed a cover for Canadian Underwriter magazine about blood banks. It featured a red cross draining blood. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, which called the magazine, you’re not allowed to use its symbol without permission. Contact: pylon.ca