Find out what’s been going on in the world of logo design this past month! August brings us a sharp looking revision of a distressed icon, an official new logo for a sweet company, and a lesson in revising on trends.
The month of August saw a lot of noteworthy redesigns. I would like to cover five that stand out from the rest for more than just their accomplishments in design. You can look at them and see changes in our culture. How we view things now compared to how they were viewed ten or twenty years ago. Reviewing changes like this will help us to understand what elements will last and what elements will date the designs we are making now.air max
The WWE Network
Industry: Sports logo design
As a kid I grew up watching wrestling with my dad, and WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) was the big one. This month they have officially expanded their WWE Network logo, launched this past February, to encompass their company as a whole. The WWE Network is a subscription based streaming network that shows wrestling matches from the WWE library and their famous Pay-Per-View events.
The old logo his scribbly and rough, I’m sure to match the hardcore image of a majority of their wrestlers. This new logo is a modern evolution of that image, sharpness and solidity replacing the erratic scratches. It shows an interesting transition in our society as to what toughness represents visually. The pointed edges and clean lines replacing the random grunge look. While the “WW” looks good with the bold, red swoosh underneath, I can’t help but notice a missing “E” from Entertainment or even “N” from Network.
The Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar
Industry: Restaurant logo designair jordan 8 retro
Designed by MiresBall in San Diego, CA, comes a rebrand of The Brigantine Seafood and Oyster Bar. From MiresBall’s website: “The Brigantine wanted to reboot their online presence, and was also updating their interiors and menu offerings. We recommended using the opportunity to clean up what had become a mishmash of legacy logos, often displayed together. Inspired by the sea, the overhauled brand identity positioned the restaurant as a classic destination for a new generation of seafood lovers.”
The old logo certainly reminds me of something from the early 90’s. I’m a huge fan of this update. Overall, it looks classed up and has a sense of history. The anchor creates an attractive second circle around the “B.” Because the triangles on the lower half of the anchor are so subtle, they also remind me of another nautical item: the compass. The fonts work well, the serifs of BRIGANTINE remind me of Copperplate and compliment the anchor design well.
McGrathNicol
Industry: Consulting logo design
From Sydney, Australia, Hulsbosch released this redesign for McGrathNicol, an independent boutique advisory firm. Their website describes them as “a market leader in Australia and in New Zealand, with more than 30 Partners and 300 people across the region. McGrathNicol has earned a reputation for achieving innovative, high quality results by providing technical excellence, responsive advice and sound execution capability.”
Their previous logo was interesting, but doesn’t really grab my attention. The new one, specifically the icon, has a lot to look at. The “M/N” monogram is well done, both are easy to see. My eyes actually bounce back and forth between seeing them individually, showing a good balance. Adding to its significance is the line work inside of the monogram. It could have easily been in solid black, but the addition of the lines helps show the “M/N” shapes and does more to pique my interest. The font is a nice choice, my only complaints are that the “G” doesn’t seem as circular as the lowecase c’s, and I like to see the circular lowercase a in modern companies.
Newspring Church
Industry: Religious logo designair max 97
A Baptist Christian megachurch with ten locations throughout South Carolina, NewSpring Church has redesigned their previous logo in-house. In the past 14 years they have had 7 re-designs. The previous logo has been used the longest, for about 6 years, and even then has started to look dated. This new design freshens things up taking cues from trends that are firmly grounded in this decade. Because of a greater public awareness in design, I hope this means it will be able to last longer for NewSpring and all other modern logos.
The new “n” icon is simple and symbolic. The teardrop shape that holds the “n” resembles both a leaf (calling to the eco-friendly green movement) and a location marker (found on modern, digital maps). Perhaps my favorite part, the shape of the lowercase “n” is modeled after the entrance of Jesus’ tomb. I like that it breaks away from the traditional cross symbol. There’s only so many innovations that can be done with the cross shape, so it’s refreshing to see a new approach.
The Hershey Company
Industry: Food logo design
The Hershey Company updated their logo this past month to a more corporate version. The original featured the word mark from the Hershey Chocolate bar packaging with a photo-realistic image of a Hershey’s Kiss and a very elderly looking serifed font. I’m sure you’ll recognize the Hershey brand from sweets such as the Kiss, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, Almond Joy/Mounds, and Bliss among others.
The new logo is clean and simplified, very corporate. I like the shape of the Kiss and signature flag, both are very recognizable. That is where the controversy comes in. Some viewers note that the logo on white has the Kiss colored in brown, meaning that it’s unwrapped, therefore the flag should be removed. Some went as far as to complain that in brown, the Kiss looks like poo. I can easily dismiss the poo remarks, just keep your mind out of the gutter. As for the “floating flag,” I would keep the Kiss the same gray as the flag when on a white background. Problem solved.
_________________________
When major companies rebrand or update their logos, they are rarely met with unanimous praise. There are enough nitpickers and naysayers around to point out any flaws or mishaps, even if they are a stretch. I hope you’ve enjoyed my picks from August. While not above scrutiny, I think they demonstrate some important ideals in design. Namely, they all have a story behind them. There are reasons for the design decisions beyond “it just looks good.” Stories and symbolism give a logo character, much like virtue does in people.
If you’re ready to give you logo an update with some character, you can start a contest with Logo123 today!