Posts Tagged ‘identity’
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01October
- Channel Surfing for TV Network Logos
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It seems to happen all the time. Most of us have access to hundreds or even thousands of channels depending on your cable provider, and you click through them and never find anything worthy of your time in front of the TV. Quality programming can sometimes be hard to find. I am notorious for channel surfing, but I began to take notice of specific TV networks and their logos and marketing concepts. I found that there is so much variety and they are all so interesting. Take a look at these and notice how there is no specific style to them. They all vary so much depending on the channel’s general content. What’s your opinion on these?
The major networks use very simple ideas but have progressed a lot over time. Often, their changes have included creating 3D concepts and adding more modern graphics. The BBC added a blue back light to their HD logo and I had seen a few versions of a 3 dimensional NBC peacock.
The Syfy channel changed their spelling and their logo. They dropped the Saturn symbol and adopted a new font instead. I think I will miss the Saturn symbol. It added a futuristic presence.
I think people often take TV channel logos for granted. They appear as tiny icons at the bottom corner of the screen and are more overlooked than noticed. They at least tell you what channel you are on if you land on it, but a lot of work actually goes into their design, just like any logo. Next time you are surfing for that perfect show to watch, take a look at the network logo and you may appreciate it a bit more.
-Nora Reed
Tags: branding, design, graphics, identity, Logo Design, logo IDs, logos, TV Network Logos
Posted in Logo Design Tips | 3 Comments »
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18August
- Get in the Game: Game Logos Part II
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Board Game Logos
I personally never really liked board games for most of my life until the last few years when I took a major interest in them and realized that they are a lot of fun. There are many really great ones out there that are both challenging and enjoyable, however I usually find the classic games to be the best. Its got to be hard to try to come up with games that can top monopoly, scrabble, yahtzee or clue. They are just too good, which is why they have stayed popular for such a long time.
My interest in games lead me to assess the logos and box art that is displayed so proudly on the game’s cover. It seems that most of them are simple designs such as a manipulated font or just colored text. I found it difficult to find pictures of the logos themselves, so you get to see the entire box cover for most of them, but you can get the idea.
This is actually the cover of a Nintendo DS game, but the game is based on a few of the original board games, so it was a good example of a bunch of their logos all in one. Most of these seem to be simple text with few flashy graphics, but I believe that is because high quality graphic design was not as convenient at the time when these board games were fresh and new.
The Monopoly design is very simple with just the name of the game in a red banner. Other versions of the game’s logo had the same design, but with Mr. Monopoly popping his head out of the center. This same design was later modified in which higher tech graphics were used to give Mr. Monopoly a more 3D look. A shadow was added behind his hand and he is in color. The letters themselves are also more 3 dimensional and emerge a bit from their red banner background.
The Scrabble Board game logo has gone through an update as well. The original was very formal and classy, using a lot of curly ends on the letters. The “S” and the “E” had a handwritten script look to it and the “R” only came down below the “A.” In the new version, the “R” extends below the entire rest of the word. It also lost the red scroll in the background and gained an abstract, bubbly design behind the letters. This version has a much more modern look, which may help it appeal to the current generation.
With simple capital lettering in blocks of color, the game of Life always keeps its logo, but changes backgrounds according to different themes it has taken on over time.
Candy Land has the perfect logo for its title. What better way to demonstrate a world of candy, but with lettering that is made up of peppermint sticks? It’s just a preview of the peppermint forest that you travel through while playing the game.
Blokus is quite an enjoyable game if you get a chance to play. It is one that I think every gamer should try out if they haven’t already. It is a basic strategy game, but is a lot of fun. Their logo isn’t bad either. The square design is right from the game and the four colors represent the four players.
I enjoy this game, although I think there should be an apple somewhere in that logo. The lettering and colors do seem to suit it, but with a picture of an apple missing, it just seems incomplete.
I think that board games have been pushed aside a bit with all of the newer technologies that are available, but I still find them to be great pass times. They are something to do that is social and can bring people together. A party just isn’t the same without breaking out a game of Balderdash or Apples to Apples. If you haven’t tried it yet, its a great way to get a party going.
-Nora Reed
Tags: board game logos, board games, brand, classic games, gamers, identity, logo designs
Posted in Graphic Design, Logo Inspiration, LogoBlog | 2 Comments »
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01April
- Logo theft happens all over the world
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I received these photos in an email and thought it would be interesting to post them. Take a look the vast popularity of the logos for some major companies. Some logos are so famous the consumers know exactly what they are without words. That is ultimately the goal of any company’s marketing department: to create a “signature” for the company that stands out in the consumer’s memory. Take McDonald’s for example. The simple golden arches are so famously known that the name of the restaurant is not even needed. Once we see that large, yellow “M,” we know exactly what that stands for and begin thinking about juicy hamburgers.
Apparently these logos are known all over the world and with people having knowledge of a logo’s fame; they sometimes use this to their advantage. A logo that is already known is easier to market rather than starting from scratch. Some sellers may even just change the logo slightly to avoid a copyright issue, but other just steal the idea anyway to sell more of their own products. Is it ok for people to do this without giving necessary credit to the original designer? Or, are they already offering credit by displaying the logo everywhere? I found these photos interesting and wanted to share how logos can gain so much popularity globally that they are used even for imitation to try to sell a product.
Although these may be comical, they clearly show how a brand identity transcends the global market. It doesn’t matter how developed or sound a nation’s economy is at the time, a famous logo can still sell a product. It comes down to popularity once again when the whole idea is selling and people know that familiarity sells because people can trust what they are buying, or at least think they can. That’s what branding is all about.
Tags: branding, foreign countries, global logos, identity, Logo Design, Logo Theft
Posted in Logo Design Tips, Logo Theft | No Comments »
