Logo New(s) 2
by Bennett Holzworth, (10 comments)
New logos for the University of Kansas, the Beijing Olympics, NBC Bank and Visa. Nothing too controversial in the following post, just a legal dispute and a few logo comparisons.
The International Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad recently unveiled their new environmental logo. (link via logolounge) The logo is a little too small in this online incarnation to give it a full critique, but you can at least get the basic idea of it. I would assume that this logo was not created via a contest (unlike the Canadians).
The University of Kansas rolled out it’s new identity and logo, only to discover that the logo that Kutztown University has been using for two years is strikingly similar. Weren’t we just talking about the overuse of Trajan. While Kansas has had the KU letters trademarked since 1938, Kutztown has a trademark on their entire logo. It doesn’t seem like a big deal since the school’s are in completely different leagues and they are over 1,000 miles away, but I guess that is for their lawyers to decide. Original link via logolounge.
It is fascinating to see how the Visa logo has evolved with the company and it’s brand. I like the continued simplification and the birdesque symbol alongside the tagline. Does anyone else think that the yellow flag on the “V” is very similar to VH1 (although Visa’s is a much stronger mark)?
The National Bank of Commerce, a regional bank in the south, recently received a new name (Cadence) and logo, compliments of the Denver branding firm, Monigle Associates. I was initially skeptical of the logo, since I have never liked the work that Monigle did for a regional bank in my state. On further review, the logo isn’t revolutionary, but a bank logo probably shouldn’t be.
The red logo on the right is one done by Landor for Cadence Design Systems. No legal implications here I’m sure, but I found the similar use of the rectangle above or below a single vowel very interesting. Is it something inherent in the word cadence or is it just coincidence?
Comments (10)
ctipton said:
Glad to know I’m not the only one that didn’t like the newer TierOne (regional bank) branding. Although the execution of some of their TV spots with the new look is above average.
About the KU logo. I’ve had to work with their new identity at work and I’d have to say, overall, the new mark and all 53 pages of their identity guidelines are well thought out and executed. As far as folks confusing KU with KU … who the heck has ever heard of Kutztown U?
And as for Visa, when did they change to their 2nd newest logo? Doesn’t seem that long ago. The swooshy underline always reminded me of the Sears logo.
Thanks Bennett. I always enjoy these logo posts.
Posted on October 19, 2005
DC1974 said:
Well as someone that got into KU (in Kansas) but ended up going to school on the East Coast. I can tell you that Kutztown as KU is not only more well known but also a little bit more understandable. No one ever thought the University of Kansas would be KU and it’s not something that is obvious to people outside of the midwest. (Although, the reverse is true with U.Va. and U.Md. not really making a lot of sense to people back home in Chicago either.)
Posted on October 19, 2005
Bennett said:
Kutztown maybe more well known on the East Coast, but I doubt that is true for the entire country. Kansas has long been called KU, hence the trademark more than a half a century ago. Kansas being a very large, division one school also makes the case that it is much more well know. I realize not everything revolves around sports in college, but the non-academic world’s primary interaction with colleges is through their sports teams. If you have every watched March Madness you would most definitely heard the University of Kansas referred to as KU. Refer to their sports logo to see the proof.
Posted on October 19, 2005
JonSel said:
Is the purple rectangle with the centered tab part of the logo, or just part of the website design staging? It’s all very generic anyway. Incidentally, the Cadence mark from Landor placed the horizontal macron over the ‘a’ to emphasize proper pronunciation of the word. The old Westvaco mark was similar, in that it had a macron over the ‘a’, so you would pronounce it as “West-Vay-Co” and not “West-Vah-Co”.
The Visa swoosh came long before the Sears swoosh. I think Visa could have lost the swoosh and just maintained the typography. I guess they felt they had enough equity in both colors that they needed to maintain them both somehow, resulting in a weird letter V.
What is the origin of an Olympic environmental logo? Did all previous games have this? Am I correct that this doesn’t replace the Beijing 2008 red chop mark?
Posted on October 19, 2005
clinton carlson said:
I’d say KU is regionally known. Personally, I’ve never heard of Kutztown, but I’ve spent my whole life in the Midwest, Northwest and now western Canada. And would be suprised if Kutztown appeared very regularly in (1) March Madness, (2) the College World Series, or (3) a major football bowl game. Which, for better or worse, is where many schools gain much of their national recognition to the general public. It may be that KU uses “KU” because the University of Kentucky uses “UK”. But, DC1974 highlights what is an interesting regional/cultural dilemma for universities. For instance the university of Washington is well known as the “UW” or just “U-dub” on much of the west coast, but what about Washington University of St. Louis? Are they “dub-U”? Wouldn’t KU be better off to reinforce “Kansas University” for an easier recognition among a broader audience?
I think the retaining of the gold in the Visa identity is important, whether or not it had to be a part of the logo itself could be debated.
Posted on October 19, 2005
Bennett said:
I assume the purple tab is part of the website design. I haven’t seen the logo by itself, just on the website and the picture of the sign on the website (also on the purple background). I do like the pronunciation meaning in the Landor logo. I assume the Cadence bank rectangles are derived from the “E” directly above it. Looking through Monigle’s identity portfolio, it is not their best.
JonSel, I’m in the same boat as you as far as the Olympic logo. I’m not sure what the history of the “environmental” logo is. Maybe someone can help me out on this one.
Posted on October 20, 2005
JacksonRae said:
I actually checked out Kutztown as an undergrad and ironically enough their design program is certainly prided as one of the best in at least Pennsylvania if not extending further. Regardless, it really doesn’t matter if you’ve heard about them or not, that holds no weight. The designs are similar. Period.
Posted on October 20, 2005
clinton carlson said:
I don’t think we’re debating whether or not the KU logos are similar. That’s pretty hard to miss.
Posted on October 20, 2005
Design Dump said:
I love these logo posts. It’s amazing how many logos look similar these days. I guess the old saying holds true that everything has been done before. It’s just how we can munipulate it and make it better. The KU is so obvious, I would never have gone with that. Regardless of popularity or location. Their both colleges for crying out loud. One image google search probably would have picked that up. For more great history about logos check out the book by Per Mollerup called - Marks of excellence. It’s awesome. You can read more about it at DesignDump.com Review Design Books
Posted on October 20, 2005
Business Woman said:
I think it’s following the leader policy. And if they care about the image they should have better thin of the consequenses.
Posted on December 1, 2005