The Washington Nationals, based out of Washington DC, have had a few logo representations in the history of their team. Sometimes the letters “DC” are used to represent them on their hats or other merchandise and other times their full name appears over a baseball in their main logo image. They also have a curled “W” as their third representation.

During a recent trip to Israel, Tyler Allard, an assistant to Representative Jim Cooper, proudly wore a Nationals baseball cap throughout the airport. He didn’t give the cap a second thought until an Israeli airport security guard pointed to the logo on his hat with utter hatred and disgust, asking why he would wear such a hat. With laughter, the ensemble assumes that the guard is referring to the terrible performance of the American baseball team.

Their further experience of being quizzed over and over and having every inch of their luggage ravaged and searched is the reason I wouldn’t want to travel by plane very often. Apparently, green is a Palestinian color and the curly “W” of the Nationals logo closely resembles a Palestinian extremist symbol.

It makes you think twice about what to wear in the airport of a foregin country. A little thought into his clothing, and Tyler Allard could have saved himself the embarressment of having Israeli guards go through his unmentionables.

Along with their new logo design, Kraft has also added a slogan, “Make Today Delicious.” The slogan, which is something they never had before, sits under their name, leading into the logo. The logo itself is a tilted red smile ending in seven colorful “flavor bursts,” each standing for a different division of the company. The company feels that their change is about evolving and taking the next step to bigger and better things. It seems that, that is a common thought with most companies today. When times are tight, change can be beneficial.

I think that the logo is nice, but not necessarily for them. A little too “meh”. It is a softer look with the lowercase text as opposed to the large bold lettering it had before. The original bold, capital letters had a fierce, strong feeling. The company is large and not afraid to show it. The new text is not bad in any way in promoting the company, but it does open up to a lighter, less serious feel. It’s a nice design, but it looks more like a logo for a daycare than for a food company. I think it’s the colored flower-like look that gets me. It just doesn’t make me want to open a box of Oreos and that’s not a very hard task.

Barack Obama has not had a whole lot of time in his new position as the American President, but he has a long road ahead of him. The American people are looking to him for both hope and leadership to get us out of this mess.

As I mentioned in my last post, No We Can’t: No Hope For Obama’s Hopefull Logo things have not changed much since his inauguration. Although it has been a short span of time, the American people are notoriously impatient and fickle. Have we already lost hope in his ability to lead? Has the ideals of Hope and Change collapsed like Lehman Brothers and AIG?

I also threw it out to the logo community to see if anyone could come up with a new logo concept for Mr. Obama that is a bit more pessimistic then the logo we have grown to know. I didn’t get any responses with logo designs, so Logo Blog decided to make its own changes to Barack Obama’s logo. Here at Logo Blog we all wish success for the new president, however here are a few zings on his logo for those who are not so happy with the current administration.

Let’ s bring a bit of light-hearted humor to a situation that is terribly bleak. Enjoy. I hope you find these humorous and we can all try to laugh in dark time. Hope is still out there and in order for things to get better, we need to have it. Take a look at ours and send us your examples! And Dont forget to vote in our poll!

As I was watching the most recent episode, I got to thinking about the marketing aspect of the show and of course, the show’s logo. I must say I am sure they wont be using a travel logo to advertise this show. Advertising is of high ranking importance to all TV shows and since “Lost” is a show that has an abnormal season length, ABC must pay for more advertising to ensure that its fan base can hold out for the next, exciting episode.

The show’s logo has become quite distinctive. There isn’t much to it, just capitalized letters in a very plain text with some cracks to look like ruins, but the surrounding images add a great deal to it as well. There are so many variations to the surrounding images and yet major fans know them all very well. The above is a classically seen version where the main cast is standing above the letters surrounded by palm trees and some ominous clouds. Beneath the letters is the ocean water with a very distinct reflection of the L.A skyline, in which the majority of the characters strive to revisit.

Other logo variations include the cast in a desert like silhouette or an island setting with no cast at all, although each one has a very dark sky with what looks like a brewing storm. The dark clouds are not always present though. Sometimes there is a brighter sky, however this doesn’t work as well to describe the nature of the show. The show is not always set in darkness, but the island itself is a character which takes on a more villainous personality. It does sometimes allow good things to happen, like in the case with John Lock’s ability to walk, but it is more responsible for horrific deaths and mind games.

Another logo within the show is the dark 3D logo which separate airtime from commercials. It’s a slight change from the show’s still logos, but is a quite classic image to fans. Dharma is also a big symbol. The Dharma logo is an example of a more internal logo. It does not represent the show itself, however when seen, fans know what it means and who bores the symbol.

The lost logo seems to be a quite successful part of the show, but not all TV shows share its success. Is it a logo that makes or breaks new shows? After all, if it doesn’t catch your eye from the start, why would you watch it?

Below is the 2009 Inaugural Patch for their new stadium.

Sure it’s clean and not overly flashy, but we have grown accustomed to certain basic elements in a design for this purpose. For instance, if you showed this logo to an unknowing bystander, what would their response be? First, it is very difficult to determine what the logo is for. It really could represent any sport, for any gender, in any city. The only thing we truly know is that in 2009, there is a first season being played for some team, somewhere.

Other teams have taken alternative routes. The Yankees for example:

Now here is the curve ball. The Mets weren’t so different not too long ago. Take a look back just to last year.

The Shea Stadium commemorative logo is similar to the Yankees. You know exactly what is going on. I am a fan of the observer having to do a little thinking, but the new logo seems more like a puzzle than a logo.

Either way, we’re in for a great season of baseball. While the uniforms, patches, and color schemes make little difference in the score, I hope these players perform better for the Mets than their logo did. Thanks to a federal bailout, it looks like we all have a stake in Citi Field.

Due to the anonymous nature of the internet, online review sites, and lack of time and resources, I cannot always be 100% sure about the accuracy each reviewer and review.

From dissatisfied customers and competing logo companies, to people who have a grudge to bear, it is a difficult task to moderate and verify the accuracy of each claim made here at LogoBlog.

Since one of the main points of LogoBlog’s mission is to provide fair and independent reviews it would be unacceptable not to give every review the time and attention to detail in deserves. LogoBlog will get there someday, but that day is not today.I thought it best, to just remove the reviews and scores, and concentrate on other portions of the site.

So, while the scores, and reviews may be gone, we are not going anywhere. LogoBlog will continue to exist as a resource for logo news, logo design tips, and logo design resources.

First lets take a look at the Pepsi logo. With a new CEO and branding image, Pepsi has certainly shaken things up. Watch out for the fizz. There has undoubtedly been a lot of change around Pepsi.

Speaking of change, Obama’s logo which was released after the Pepsi logo appears to be very similar. Is it possible that our president-elect is guilty of logo theft? Not exactly the best example to be setting in the beginning of your presidency. Here are the logos side by side.

YES WE CAN see similarities. Clearly the shape of logo is the same, but also take a closer look at the color scheme. It may help if I flip the image around.

As you can see the two logos are very close to reversed images. The circles are almost identically broken up into three similar color divisions. Now I don’t know for sure, but I would say either Obama loves Pepsi more than the average citizen, or he was trying to secure the Pepsi drinker vote. Maybe McCain would have had more luck if he had based his logo off of the Coca Cola logo.

Reebok and the NHL are bringing a new type of attention to logos. They can never have enough! In a competition to be held at the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, fans both watching TV and in attendance will have the opportunity to win Stanley Cup tickets. There will be one athlete on the ice without the Reebok logo on his jersey. If fans can identify that player and text the answer into a designated number, they will be entered into a drawing.

I have never heard of a competition so directly affiliated with paying such close attention to logos and their branding implications. While subtle, most professional and collegiate jersey include these little logo sponsorships. Nike’s logo is king at this practice but it is gaining more and more amongst other companies. Usually located on the left breast, the logos often go unnoticed. Here are some more examples:

Depending on the publicity brought to Reebok through this contest, I wouldn’t be surprised if other companies, teams, and sporting venues realized the extra marketing potential that can be yielded by logos. Gone are the days where you have to hope your target customer spots your logo somewhere. Now, they can benefit from searching for your logo? You’re happy, your customer is happy, your logo is probably happy, can it get any better?

Nothing tops a good old fashioned logo search.

Rock the Vote has been a common theme in elections since 1990. By hosting concert events Rock the Vote works hard to bring the youth of America to the polls through music. These concerts and events stress the importance of political activism. Their logo is downright awesome. Well one of them. The above image is complex and busy, but for some reason I just love it. I like the intricate designs mixed with the old fashioned microphone and sound symbolism.

The second logo is not quite as interesting. Sure the check mark looks like a V and also represents selecting a candidate but…snore… excuse me. Nothing at all is interesting about this logo. No matter how hard I try I can’t stop reading it as Rock The OTE.

The controversial Vote or Die, as best remember from P.Diddy’s involvement in the 2004 election, also has a simple to the point logo. I think it may even be more boring than the second Rock the Vote design. Don’t get me wrong, I want the youth to vote, but I don’t get why they’re drawn to the polls with logos like these.

Vote or Die

Now here is a logo that would motivate me to go to the polls. While the graphic is small, you can see the clear difference between this creative image and the previous text dominated attempts at creativity. This logo actually identifies with the cutting edge, creative age group that it is attempting.

I don’t understand how organizations focused solely on targeting youth voters for the presidential election could possibly use such boring brands. They must be doing something else right, because the youth vote in this election helped make American history. Congrats to all, however you did it. Way to vote U.S.A. Just for fun, found a pretty cool poll voting graphic for this momentous event.

This trend is included in some of the world’s largest companies. I guess with global stock markets striking uncertainty into the hearts of even the world’s most successful businesses, change is imminent.

Best Buy, the American electronic superstore is currently running a trial marketing campaign featuring a new logo and store “feel.” This is taking place in the Mall of America store location. Notice the European simplicity, and understated color.

I am personally a fan of the current Best Buy color scheme and logo, but the new look and feel seems to follow some of the other 2008 trends that we have been seeing.

Best Buy New Logo

Best Buy Old Logo

Again, this logo is certainly cleaner. The color scheme is a little less in your face, which may not necessarily be a bad thing. I always try to think of all the possible color schemes and logo options that companies can choose from, and what things would be like if they had gone a different route. I truly like both logos, but the newer option is growing on me. It less tacky, and in my face. It isn’t shouting at me. Maybe it reflects the somber economic times? I wonder if I would have spent all those thousands of dollars at Best Buy over the years if they had always branded this way.

Apparently there is a push by Pepsi Co. to change its branding image in a slight way that makes a big change.

Possible New Pepsi Logo?

Pepsi Logo

This new Pepsi Logo shifts some lines around and dulls out the colors a little bit. The change is all in the smile. Notice how the new logo appears to create a smile. This design seems to regress into an older style of logo, so we’ll see how this pans out. It looks like an old ABA basketball, which I guess is a good look albeit dated. All rumors right now anyway.

The Essar Group however has officially made a change.

Old Essar Logo

New Essar Logo

The logo is the new style that Essar has been looking for. Notice the cleaner text and new image. I personally like how the image in the top left incorporates two colors, a hidden arrow, a dynamic cross, and even possibly a flying feel all into one. It is important that a company of this scale with its hand in so many markets maintain a unique but interesting logo.

Are there any new companies that you have seen changing lately? Send in some links and I would love to look at them.