It's not just people that are social distancing. Brands are doing it too. [Source: CNN]

It’s not just people that are social distancing. Brands are doing it too.

McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Audi and Volkswagen are just a few of the corporate conglomerates that are interpreting “social distancing” with logo redesigns.

The term has become popular recently because of the spread of the novel coronavirus. Social distancing means standing 6 feet apart from others in an effort to lower the risk of contracting the illness.

The messages and logos created to promote social distancing have pros and cons, according to two experts in the design field.

“Our current global situation is no joke. It’s a serious matter,” Douglas Sellers, executive creative director for firm Siegel+Gale told CNN Business.

“And brands designing social distancing logos have the potential to diminish the severity of what we are going through. The creativity, passion, and thought that goes into wanting to help, educate, and be part of the physical distancing movement is a worthy note,” Sellers said.

Brian Braiker, the editor-in-chief of Ad Age, says its time for brands to provide a “real, meaningful service,” referencing companies like the Gap (GPS) making masks for healthcare workers or LVMH, the parent company of Christian Dior and Givenchy, manufacturing hand sanitizer.

“Understanding the situation, shutting up and doing something helpful is really the only way to go here. When you see brands like McDonald’s or Coca-Cola spacing out their logos in ‘solidarity,’ it strikes a sour note,” he told CNN Business.