On track for winning, or maybe not. A looping logo meets a loopy design. It’s been more than a difficult year, and still no end in sight. The Covid19 Coronavirus has not just killed hundreds of thousands of human lives; it’s solely responsible for an…
On track for winning, or maybe not.
A looping logo meets a loopy design.
It’s been more than a difficult year, and still no end in sight. The Covid19 Coronavirus has not just killed hundreds of thousands of human lives; it’s solely responsible for an economic recession like no other. It also killed off every type of sport, entertainment and social gathering on the planet. What a dismal and depressing way to start a blog post.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Alas, we have been rationed with a much-needed crumb of positivity (at least in the colourful, crazy old world of design), with the inaugural LA Creators launch of the LA 2018 Olympic Games logo. Plus, Graphic Designer, Tamotsu Shimada, unveiled his slogan for the Osaka Expo 2025. That’s two new brand marks for two of the world’s largest upcoming events…
But don’t get too excited.
So what’s all the fuss about? At first glance the LA28 logo looks quite bland, agreed. It’s a bit basic when compared to previous years, its font is godawful… Hold on, is this a joke? Nope. And half, if not most, of the Twitter community have come out in droves of disgust.
Some artists on Twitter have even suggested a complete rethink, with ideas and options being posted online – after all this is more than a logo, this is the rebrand for the biggest ‘Games’ on the planet. That’s massive. And if you consider this isn’t something that’ll come and go in two years or so – this is the proposed signage for something that’s an incomprehensible eight years away. And as we all know, a lot can happen in the world of tech in a year, let alone eight (oh yeah and the logo is in supposedly line with the digital era we live in?).
Perhaps I’ve done the logo an injustice here by not quite explaining that the everchanging ‘A’ of LA will sport 28 (28 days, get it? Now that’s clever. Not.) different images from a randomly selected bunch of actors, sports people, and even a tattoo artist. So we have a logo on a 28-image loop. Why – apart from it being a digital way forward? It’s supposed to signify the diversity of Los Angeles, of course. It’s different-ish. And at least they’ve eight years to change their minds, or at least appease an unconvinced, but not all, nation. Shucks, the US taught the world democracy!
The LA Olympics quickly followed in the footsteps of another logo that was launched under some heavy debate. Before I continue, however objective this post turns out to be, I would like to subjectively say I love this logo – I don’t love the LA thing quite as much.
Shimada’s rendition of the logo – “an irregular ring of red circles that appears to include five cartoon-like eyes.
Shimada’s winning logo, called Inochi no Kagayaki-kun, is a rough outline of the Japanese city of Osaka’s shape, realised in a circle of red blobs. Five of the circles have been filled with white and blue to give the appearance of blue googly eyes.” (deszeen.com)
I’ll leave it there, because that is a fun thing to end on.
But so is LA28 in their own unique way – both projects have managed to somewhat brighten possibly the bleakest year we’ll ever know. I choose the word ‘brighten’ carefully as it could refer to happiness, ingenuity, revitalisation or even comical (many feel the logo(s) are bizarre, childish and even beyond a joke).
If in doubt, give Helvetica a shout.
The person who’s really responsible for Helvetica as it is today is the late, legendary typographer, type designer, type consultant and type historian – Mike Parker.
Life And Saul Of The Party
Ad man. Graphics guru. Iconic logo creator. Title designer. Academy Award-winning filmmaker. Saul Bass was all of these things and more. Yet, although his most memorable movie posters for Vertigo (1958) and Psycho (1960) are instantly recognisable, his name may not be.
Elizabeth Line
Designing the Elizabeth Line: Modern branding and design ushers in a new age for TfL Just in time to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee marking 70 years of service, the Crossrail Elizabeth Line is now officially open. Designed to make London a more connected city,…