New Logo, New Identity

The Oakland Museum of California is creating a new identity for itself, starting with a change in their logo. Whereas the older logo seemed to give off a traditional and professional feel, the new logo is more young and modern – but not necessarily in a good way.

One thing that surprised me about the new logo is that it is completely different from the old one. The font is different; the spacing is different; the emphasis on hierarchy of words is different; the colors are different. In fact, it’s hard to imagine that the two logos are representing the same brand at all, as if the designer wanted the new logo to have absolutely no associate with the old one.

The old logo, with its blue and white colors, looked a lot more reputable. It gave people the idea that OMCA was a museum dedicated to enriching visitors about the history of California. However, when I look at the new logo, I get the sense that it is not a historical museum, but a museum for modern art. The emphasis the old logo placed on “CA” disappeared in the new logo because the letters “O” and “M” are given the same exact treatment. This makes it harder for people – especially visitors who do not live in California – to realize that the museum is about California. I would think this would be one of the more important details of the logo, but it seems as if the designer assumed that everyone already knew what OMCA was and did not take into account the people who may be unfamiliar with it.

Another disappointment with the new logo is that it is hard to read. In an attempt to emphasize OMCA, the designer made those letters bigger and bolder. However, in the process, he split up the word museum into two lines: “mu” and “seum.” Although this may not be the case for everyone, when I first looked at the new logo, I didn’t realize that the two lines were supposed to be combined to spell out “museum.” Instead, “mu” looked like it was supposed to be one separate word, “seu” another word, and the letter “M” looked like it had been placed there randomly. I am not very fond of the way the designer spaced out the name of the museum or emphasized the hierarchy of certain letters. Instead of giving it the modern look that the designer might have been going for, I feel that it makes the logo look like a jumble of random letters that don’t make sense.

Telkom Indonesia Logo - the good, the bad and the ugly

Telecom New Zealand isn't the only telecommunications company with a spanking new logo. Say hello to the new logo of Telkom Indonesia! 

At first glance, I preferred Telkom's new logo. But after taking a longer time to observe both logos, I can't decide which one is better - or worse! The old Telkom logo reminds me a lot of the AT&T logo which plays around with the idea of connecting everyone in the world hence the globe image. However, I felt that the stripes diagonally across the globe of Telkom's old logo did not have any meaning to it therefore making it come across as a very bad imitation of AT&T's logo. In addition to that, the colors didn't complement each other very well and the font used was rather bland. If the whole objective of the logo was to make the brand stand out, the old logo certainly did not do a very good job. 

Telkom's new logo has some major differences from its previous one although some changes weren't necessarily any better. I like the typography used in the new logo which is Gotham Rounded. It has a softer look to it which made it look more modern. The logo made the brand appear friendlier and more approachable too. I also liked the different contrasts of blue compared to the previous blue and purple because the different shades of blue matched well. What I didn't like though was the imagery used in the logo. The whole globe idea is still there with the use of the circle image, but what is up with that yellow shape that sits on top of the circle? Telkom Indonesia probably had a significant meaning behind the ambiguous looking yellow shape but to me, it seems like a crown sitting on a person's head or as BrandNew stated, "...looking like a rooster." 

Indosat is Telkom Indonesia's main competitor and personally, I like it a lot better than both of Telkom Indonesia's logos. To me, Indosat's logo is a combination of modern and funky and will definitely appeal to most people. 

So, the bottom line is: can Telkom Indonesia's new logo tackle its competition? You tell me. 

Image source; Brand New 

Logo Project

Visual Message: I really like turtles because they are sort of like underdogs of animals and I’m always a friend to the underdogs in school/society. I like that they are plain and simple. I feel that they have a lot of determination and always persevere even though they may be slow. Perseverance and determination are two qualities I have; I will do things the long way to get it perfect even if it takes me extra time. Turtles also have a hard shell but inside they’re soft. I think that represents my personality. People say that I have a tough exterior but I’m not like that inside.

Audience: I created this logo and stationery set for personal use. I would use this for friends and family. I would also use it if I had an unconventional business or an organization for kids.

Design Strategy: My logo and layout is clean and simple.

Someday I would like to participate or start a program for underprivileged children especially those that grow up in fatherless homes. I grew up in this kind of environment, which may explain how my tough exterior came to be. I think a turtle would speak to those children as they may hide out in their “shell” a lot while growing up in an unstable home and also develop a tough shell for the outside world. Turtles also represent how these children feel that their environment slows them down and feel behind their peers but I made this turtle on a little tilt to indicate movement. This, and italicized text would encourage these kids to keep going despite what they were born into.

I used Flora Std and Futura because they were more personal and youthful. I used Flora Std because it also communicated swiftness. This contrasts the concept of a slow turtle.

Style Sheet:
Stationery Name: ITC Flora Std Medium, 22/26.4, Metrics Kerning, tracking 0
Stationery Address & Email: Futura Medium, 10/ 12, Metrics Kerning, tracking 0
Business Card Name: ITC Flora Std Medium, 13/15.6, Metrics Kerning, tracking 0
Business Card Contact Information: Futura Medium, 5/6, Metrics Kerning, tracking 0

Extra: I used green because my family and friends know that my favorite color is green and that I like turtles. Green is also a peaceful and calming color, which is what I would hope to communicate if this were for an organization.

And just for fun:

Looking At Logos

Since our current project is about designing logos, I couldn't think of a better time to share some really creative logos that may just give us the inspiration we need for our own project. One of the popular ways to design a logo is by only using typography - we've seen many popular brands such as Gucci, Vogue and Sony do this. Typography may seem like a simple tool therefore many people underestimate what typography can do. However, this article proves that you can be creative and effective by using typography when designing logos.

Among the 72 logos that are shown in the article, these are some of my favorites:

I know that the name of the brand is hard to read by using this sort of typography but this is a very interesting typography because it reads the same when it is rotated: beeq. This name logo has a very minimalistic look to it yet its simplicity achieves so much.

I know many of us can't live without our caffeine - so here's one for the coffee fans! I find that this is an extremely quirky typography that we typically won't use but the 'f' from the 'coffee' cleverly brings out the aroma from the cup of coffee. From the logo, it seems that you can almost smell it just by looking at it!

Now when we hear the word 'motion', I think of things that move and transportation is definitely one of them. This logo uses the 'O' as wheels which implies motion and the typography has a flow to it causing the letters to join together adding more weight to that motion effect.

I also really like this logo, the 'i' from 'Tic' and 'O' from 'Toc' joined together forms a pendulum that reminds me of a sturdy old-fashioned grandfather clock. Ironically, the logo is about a brand that sells clocks yet the typography and color scheme makes the logo timeless.

Ultimately, in our brand-conscious world that we live in, logos should definitely be innovative and more importantly, eye-catching and effective enough to leave a long-lasting impression. Which logo is your favorite, and why?

The Forbidden Fruit: Your Logo is Too Apple-y

About a year ago Woolworths, an Australian based retail companay, came out with a new logo that they say is "stylized 'W' or fresh produce. Apple, a popular US based technology company, claims that Woolworths' new logo is too similar to their own. Apple filed this claim to IP Austrailia, an agency that deals with trademarks, and wants them to reject the new logo.

The designer Hans Hulsbosch says''Based on this logic, they would have to take action against every fruit-seller.''

This isn't the first time Apple has accused a company of ripping off their logo. Just last year they accused Victoria School of Business and Technology for copying their logo, also an apple. Back then they said

"Your business logo…reproduces, without authority, our client's Apple design logo which it widely uses. By doing so, you are infringing Apple's rights, and further, falsely suggesting that Apple has authorized your activities."

Apple declined to comment on the issue with Woolworths.

I think Apple is going too far in protecting their brand. I wouldn't even associate the company Apple with Woolworth's logo. I like how they incorporated a W in their logo and thought that was clever.

It's also a little hypocritical considering the Beatles' record label, Apple Corps, sued Apple three years ago for stealing their apple concept and logo. However, Apple won that court case (link) so I guess they feel that it's "theirs".

So to all designers out there, apples are off limits. God Steve Jobs said so.

~Christine