Logos of the World, Unite! .:. grubbykid.com

Logos of the World, Unite!

Recently there a spate of companies have, for no good reason, updated their corporate logos. Two notable companies are DC Comics and Kentucky Fried Chicken. This follows the lead of UPS, who updated their logo two years ago. All three have taken their Mid Century Modern logos under the knife, no doubt to "update" or "freshen" them up for today's marketplace.

What "update" apparently means in marketing circles is to take previously well-designed logos and morph them using elements which can only be addressed as, "bubbly", "streamlined", and "ugly." Curiously, many of the corporate logos which are being updated are 30-40 years old, and were originally designed during the second wave of Modernism - or at least American Modernism which successfully ignored any social (or socialist) precedent of the first wave of Modernism (Bauhaus, et al). Regardless, the Zeitgeist is no longer interested in Gesamt Kuntswerk, but rather bubbly curvaceous and vapid design.

For your viewing pleasure, here are side-by-side comparisons of DC Comics, KFC, and UPS:

logo KFC logo

logo DC Comics logo

logo UPS logo

While these new logos are both distasteful and ugly, at the very least the teams who redesigned their respective logo did not create a "Frankenlogo." The FedEx logo, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. The ignoble butchering of the original FedEx logo, designed by Lindon Leader's (of Leader Creative fame), is pure travesty. The new FedEx/Kinkos, a company match made in heaven I'm sure, has done what the previous three examples didn't do: take two individual corporate logos with strong, admirable, and independent design; combine them; and then make the resulting new logo absolutely hideous, and ultimately worse, than the the original.

See for yourself:

logo FedEx logo

Look at it! Look at the majestic shades of blue! At what point did the designer's decide that something was missing? They had enough letters - that wasn't it. They had already added some bold type - so that wasn't it. What was needed was something to really "punch up" the logo. The answer was long in coming, and few thought one would even emerge.

Then one day, deep in the bowels of MegaDesignCo, a designer stood up and proclaimed, I've got it! A star! Yes! A star was needed! Congratulations were proclaimed to all, drinks were tossed, and all were merry. For there was much rejoicing; a Son was not born, but rather a new, and better, logo! Because, of course, no logo is complete without a polychrome faux star.

All of this belies a fundamental insecurity languishing inside American Corporate culture. If you look at Graphic Design USA's Logo Trends Report, what you see are companies and brands which are so insecure about their design that they have resorted to cheap design motifs: "stars," "weaves," and (I can't make this up) "puffies."

For example, Travelocity (Travelocity!) is redesigning their logo! How old is Travelocity in the first place? I believe that the original UPS logo was alive for longer than Travelocity even existed. It is just too much.

Compare this with some European brands and companies, who have created long-lasting and enduring corporate logos and are quite comfortable with the continual use of them (thank you very much). British Rail and Deutsche Bahn are two examples which jump out as enduring images.

Below is the British Rail, perhaps the most beautiful logo ever designed:

logo British Rail logo

What is it about American, and American-based companies, who seem to be changing their logo? Why are they so insecure in their image? This is a non-trivial matter, and I'm not sure why so many companies have undertaken this costly change.

Anyone with some insight on this matter?

Comments

jw says:

I have a few comments.

1. Having designed two identities for the same company in the span of 14 months, there are a few valid reasons to transform a logo that hasn't even had time to soak in. For instance, I couldn't even tell you if Travelocity had a logo before this new one. When those travel sites started popping up, there was little to NO branding being done. Expedia was the first to really hone in on it's own style, in my opinion.

In my circumstance, when I designed the first logo, the group did not yet have a mission statement... they were still evolving but needed something strong and memorable. Once they developed a true plan and style strategy, we redesigned their logo to match the new interpretation. At first I was against the project, because everyone LIKED the first logo and it was strong and effective, but in the end, I agreed that it needed to be done to match the feeling of the place.

2. I am NOT going to validate the UPS/KFC/DC/FedEx bullshit, but I will say this- There is pressure. If you look at all of these companies (Kinkos more than FedEx) you will see waning sales, more competition, and media that seems insistent on dragging corporations down. When's the last time you heard a NICE article about a company? So, DC Comics sales are BLOWING. What's the solution? Consultants will tell the client to present a new image to the public... light bulb over head says "logo". Then this new logo is designed by committee for the least amount of money they can spare. No true designer would ever design that UPS logo- I don't care what firm did it, the person in charge is a crack addict. But in an effort of validation, there's a reason that when a girl dumps you you might shave your head. You need be able to look at yourself in the mirror and not see the same thing you did when you were with her. Same goes for companies... sometimes the road to success starts with a cleanly shaved corporate noggin.

3. Why do US logo's not match the foundation and purity or Euro logos? That's like asking why we tear down 30 year old buildings and many europeans live in structures older than our entire country. US is built on fad, transience, the next big thing. Shoot first, ask questions later. We drive fast, eat fast (food), talk fast, and react fast, all of which can be hazardous. The media (again) is all to quick to point out how BORED people are with something, or how OFFENDED people are that that Kentucky Chicken is FRIED (how awful!)... instead of staying the course and saying "F*ck them, they'll eat it no matter what that guy is wearing", they knee jerk and "revamp" on a whim.

in then end, I blame us, the public, for buying into and feeling that we NEED to judge a company or product based on the color or shape of the name of the company ON that product- the DB or Brit Rail didn't have a commitee of assholes trying to "hippify" their logo when it was being designed.. those logos come out of core functionality. When have we ever done that in this country?

Posted by: jw at June 9, 2005 1:10 PM #

plemeljr says:

Excellent comments all the way 'round. I'm pretty busy now, but I think I have some more to say on this later.

Posted by: plemeljr at June 9, 2005 2:54 PM #

Jw says:

I'm a logo-head... I look forward to hearing more- this is an endless topic of wonder for me.

Posted by: Jw at June 10, 2005 5:07 PM #

Candy says:

Hi, I was looking for the original UPS logo but you don't have it here. It is an Eagle carrying a package. The ones you have here are newer versions. My friend bought an old UPS truck and he wants to have it painted with the original symbol just like it looked in 1933.

Posted by: Candy at July 11, 2007 10:39 AM #

The Grubbykid says:

Check out this page: The UPS Logo: A Brief History.