Quick Rant: The TF Logo

[Rev]

Originally Posted by CanBot

Yet each one I mentioned has kept the essence of the older logos...in literally every single one, Rev. The new TF logo has very little in common with the old one, that much is obvious.

I understand that logos can change and do change. I just thought TFs were a big enough brand that they didn't need to do so, or in such a different way. It's not a dealbreaker of course, but just my observation after looking at the Metroplex box in comparison to the recent Combiner Wars stuff.

We must be looking at different pages. MANY of those are as radical of a departure from the original as is the Transformers logo, often more so.

[Metroplex79]

New bland logo to represent current bland products?

[Scrapper6]

Might I direct you to the following. http://shop.lego.com/en-CA/

The largest toy company in the world has a simple, elegant logo for same, it has evolved over time in subtle ways, removing the System of the old 80's and early 90's brands, but it still has that distinctive look. Things that have existed from the 80's can change their logos in meaningful and impactful ways while maintaining the charm of the past.

Hasbro unfortunately don't see that all the time. Perhaps that's why they are not the #1 toy manufacturer in the world these days.

[CanBot]

I think the tri-colour thing is cool in the same way I like the old WWF logo from the late 80s...lol, but where I can see that logo is all about nostalgia, they basically had to change because the company was in such a state of flux by the mid 90s.

Rev, I see what you mean by the earliest iterations of logos on that page, like your Ford and Nokia (well, just about all of them)...but I am likening the ranges to something along the lines of TFs, and most of those logos have stayed the same for decades once they found one that worked. Apple is a prime example of what happened to our TF logo until the relatively recent departure to the new one. Were things that bad for our line?...I don't know, but considering the old one was so iconic and could be manipulated in ways much like the Apple logo (check out the font on the Platinum Predaking package of recent times: kept the shape, lost the colour shade but kept the impact and retained the brand overall).

Finally, Hasbro isn't the biggest toy manufacturer in the world?...I'm surprised. I would have thought they were just by the sheer number of properties they own and manage/license.

I must agree that the Lego logo is one of the most iconic things I've ever seen. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Rev]

Again, I'm pretty sure if you look at the logos from the 80's most of them have changed just as much as Transformers. But I'm done driving this point home because it doesn't make for a fun read.

I think we ought to bear in mind that nostalgia doesn't sell to kids. It doesn't sell to anyone born after 1990. So they have to make it look relevant for today.

That being said I think the MP line should use boxes that recreate the 1980's packages, replete with old school logo. Because for the most part it is driven by nostalgia, and disposable income.

[mcfmullen]

Originally Posted by UltraPrimal

Flat colors are the way to go these days. Which is why the new one works.

This is why we can't have nice things. Trends are for people that lack originality and individuality.

Trends are for companies that have lost their way.

[CanBot]

Originally Posted by Rev

Again, I'm pretty sure if you look at the logos from the 80's most of them have changed just as much as Transformers. But I'm done driving this point home because it doesn't make for a fun read.

I think we ought to bear in mind that nostalgia doesn't sell to kids. It doesn't sell to anyone born after 1990. So they have to make it look relevant for today.

That being said I think the MP line should use boxes that recreate the 1980's packages, replete with old school logo. Because for the most part it is driven by nostalgia, and disposable income.

As much as I don't like it, you're absolutely right about the nostalgia factor. If a cool transforming toy doesn't appeal to young kids, I guess it doesn't really matter how flashy the logo is (or how well it's designed)...either kids will like the toys or they won't.

My quick rant is done! Thanks to all for your thoughts.

[Einstein]

Originally Posted by UltraPrimal

From a typography and modern design perspective, the old G1 logo is terrible. The kerning is off: the R, A, and N are overlapping while all the other letters have a distinct space between them. The N and M look like they should be lower case. The 2 S's are different, not unlike in the Star Wars logo. And gradient? Yuck! Not only are gradients out of style, but the gradient they use is...wavy. That, along with the bevel, would make it virtually impossible to create a brand style guide for.

Flat colors are the way to go these days. Which is why the new one works. Aside from the weird reflection/glint on the Robots in Disguise portion, it's just red and black. It also really helps that all Transformers packaging uses the same colors(red, black, and white), same font, same layout/placement, etc. Combiner Wars is black, red, and white while RiD is white, red, and black. It provides a unified look while still making a clear distinction from the kids toys to the adult collectors toys.

Overall, as a nostalgia thing, the G1 logo will always have a place in any Transformers fans heart. But from todays artistic standards, the new one is a win.

As someone who has been trained, worked, and educated in graphic design I would disagree with you 100%. The new logo is flat and boring and does nothing to catch the eye.

[Shock]

Originally Posted by UltraPrimal

From a typography and modern design perspective, the old G1 logo is terrible. The kerning is off: the R, A, and N are overlapping while all the other letters have a distinct space between them. The N and M look like they should be lower case. The 2 S's are different, not unlike in the Star Wars logo. And gradient? Yuck! Not only are gradients out of style, but the gradient they use is...wavy. That, along with the bevel, would make it virtually impossible to create a brand style guide for.

Flat colors are the way to go these days. Which is why the new one works. Aside from the weird reflection/glint on the Robots in Disguise portion, it's just red and black. It also really helps that all Transformers packaging uses the same colors(red, black, and white), same font, same layout/placement, etc. Combiner Wars is black, red, and white while RiD is white, red, and black. It provides a unified look while still making a clear distinction from the kids toys to the adult collectors toys.

Overall, as a nostalgia thing, the G1 logo will always have a place in any Transformers fans heart. But from todays artistic standards, the new one is a win.

All those typography criticisms are valid for typography but this is a stylized brand/logo, not a style-guide professional font-family, or typeface designed for ease of reading. This is an icon.

I find what they did with the S' brilliant (Star Wars did the same thing and that's totally iconic) and the gradient effect was completely manually painted and supposed to represent the reflection of chrome. Combine this with the subtle and bold changes of color between the primarily red Autobot Transformers logo to the purple one on Decepticon packaging, it really made the factions stand out on store shelves!

Today's packaging is generic. The movie/RID toys are all basically in plain white boxes with plain red lettering and no character. Combiner Wars are the same but in black. They could be boxes for dinnerware or some generic thing if not for some character art sneaking in.

I think it would be great to reintroduce the primarily red scheme (maybe the grids can be dropped as that is definitely too 80s) for Autobots and purple for Decepticons.

[CanBot]

..uh oh, I said my rant was done That was...short sighted

Generic is a great way to describe the current packaging. I just noticed that with CW Motormaster...his box has a nice big Autobot symbol on the side. What the heck is that about?...cost saving measures by having one logo, and the wrong one at that? I personally believe the box are shouldn't be an afterthought, and it's clear that somebody at Takara (or even Hasbro) buys into that because just look at the beautiful art we're getting on some of the recent reissues (Trypticon, Insecticons) and CW (all the UW boxed sets). I keep bringing up Metroplex because it was impressive. I hope we get a return to that logo. It's not a dealbreaker, but it's something. There will be less nostalgia to latch onto for kids getting into TFs today if they don't have exciting memories about the entire experience, IMO. Even though many of us didnt' give a shit about boxes as a kid (I know I didn't), when I got older and nostalgia hit, those boxes were a BIG part of that.

Why would they throw away such a great logo?