noted:-new-logo-and-identity-for-maam


New Logo and Identity for MAAM by Moth Design

New

About

(Est. 2019, opening 2020) “The MassArt Art Museum (MAAM) is Boston’s newest museum, a space to experience works by visionary artists at the forefront of contemporary art. As MassArt’s teaching museum, we are committed to educating and empowering the next generation of artists—both on our campus and throughout the world. As a kunsthalle, a non-collecting museum with no permanent collection, our exhibitions will perpetually change to feature contemporary art across a wide array of disciplines—a true reflection of the diversity of majors at MassArt, the first publicly funded freestanding art school in the United States.”

Design by

Moth Design (Boston, MA)

Related links

Moth Design project page

Relevant quote

MAAM sought a bold brand that breaks the mold of the stark black-and-white motifs at other contemporary art institutions. During a visual workshop, the MAAM team reached consensus on what they desired in a logotype: “No serif, no sans serif.” No problem, right? We delivered with a logomark that has custom letter forms that are moving forward in space. And we partnered with Nick Sherman to craft a bespoke font that is used as the display face in the system.

Moth Design project page

Images (opinion after)
New Logo and Identity for MAAM by Moth Design
Logo.

Logo-as-window.
New Logo and Identity for MAAM by Moth Design
Logo with wordmark.
New Logo and Identity for MAAM by Moth Design
Custom typeface, designed by Nick Sherman.
New Logo and Identity for MAAM by Moth Design
Business cards.
New Logo and Identity for MAAM by Moth Design
Website.
New Logo and Identity for MAAM by Moth Design


New Logo and Identity for MAAM by Moth Design

Ads.
New Logo and Identity for MAAM by Moth Design
Banners.
New Logo and Identity for MAAM by Moth Design
Buttons.
New Logo and Identity for MAAM by Moth Design
Swag.
Opinion

The new logo is interesting and serves as another piece of evidence that both designers and clients may be getting tired of the same old approaches to art institution identity design. Coincidentally — because there is no reason to believe there is any foul play — this looks a lot like the recent Museum of the Home identity with the use of the orange color and the hard shadow casting. Again, in no way am I trying to say that MAAM is a derivative of Museum of the Home — they were both released at about the same time. On separate continents. Anyway… I don’t love the new MAAM logo but I think it does a good job of treating the mirror-y MA|AM combination of letters in an unexpected way by splitting them into two lines and extruding them quite generously. For a small-ish art museum it works. I could have done without the logo-as-window treatment which feels way too clichéd now for a museum and it doesn’t really work inside those shapes. The custom typeface is also interesting but it’s somewhat harsh and not exactly inviting. While the applications avoid the typical black, the colors chosen are a little too… happy. It almost starts to look like a high-end kids clothing store more than a museum. The hard shadows to frame photos in application go in all directions and it starts to get a little noisy with the different colors and the logo and the custom type — it’s as if each element in the layout is pulling you in a different direction. Overall, the approach is right — somewhere between playful and experimental — but it doesn’t quite come together in the end.

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New Logo
Sample Application

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noted:-new-logo-for-lotus


New Logo for Lotus

before

after

About

(Est. 1948) “Lotus Cars build world class, high performance sports cars including the class-leading Evora, the iconic Exige, the legendary Elise and game-changing 3-Eleven. All Lotus cars are rightly regarded as being the benchmark for handling. Colin Chapman always believed that a driver wants feedback and control, instant response, precision and agility, the power to accelerate and the ability to stop almost instantly. Over the last seven decades, Lotus has remained true to the ethos of its founder Colin Chapman. Applying his approach to precision engineering and automotive innovation, using the latest technologies and advanced materials, ensuring that every Lotus is strong yet light and simply amazing to drive. Each Lotus car is built by hand at the famous factory in Hethel, Norfolk. Immensely proud of its heritage, Lotus combines the very best of British craftsmanship with cutting edge design to provide customers with an un-paralleled experience.”

Design by

N/A

Related links

Lotus press release

Relevant quote

All Lotus branding reflects the company’s new corporate identity, which features a revised roundel and new typeface for the wordmark. Simon Clare explained: “We’ve looked back at the original Lotus roundel and thought about Colin Chapman’s philosophy – to simplify and add lightness. We’ve applied that to create a new roundel, taking the weight out of the lettering and adapting the spacing. We’ve also straightened the word ‘Lotus’ so it’s consistent with the Lotus wordmark.”

Lotus press release

Images (opinion after)
New Logo for Lotus
Logo evolution.
New Logo for Lotus
Logo.
New Logo for Lotus


New Logo for Lotus


New Logo for Lotus


New Logo for Lotus

Partnership with Norwich City Football Club promotion.

Partnership announcement video. Okay…
Opinion

Based on some light Googling it seems the old logo has some fans and that it has a bit of an iconic status. Not being a car person, as I had mentioned recently, I don’t see anything particularly great about it, other than the funky lozenge shape, which looks great in the new logo in this flat iteration inside the more lime-y yellow circle. I also like how the straight sans wordmark looks better than the curved serif, which was kind of awkward before. I had to also Google “What does the ABCBABCABBCBABABABABACCC mean in the Lotus logo?” because I have no idea in what order the letters are meant to be read. Top result: It’s ACBC, for Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman, founder of Lotus. A car person would have known that. Given that it stayed the same, structurally, I guess it’s fine and no more or less readable than the previous serif version. Now that the “C” in it is a circle, the monogram does sit more snuggly within the lozenge. In single color, inside a stroke, it also looks quite nice. Overall, having no emotional connection to the old logo, I think this is much better and more representative of a modern-day car, especially ones so future-y-looking.

Thanks to Nathan Pitman for the tip.

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noted:-new-logo-and-identity-for-football-in-wales


New Logo and Identity for Football in Wales by Bulletproof

before

after

About

(Est. 1876) “The Football Association of Wales (FAW; Welsh: Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru) is the governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Welsh national football team, its corresponding women’s team, as well as the Welsh national futsal team. It is a member of FIFA, UEFA and the IFAB. Established in 1876, it is the third-oldest national association in the world, and one of the four associations, along with the English Football Association, Scottish Football Association, Irish Football Association and FIFA, that make up the International Football Association Board, responsible for the Laws of the Game.” (Wikipedia)

Design by

Bulletproof

Related links

Football in Wales news post

Bulletproof project page

Relevant quote

Our iconic Dragon is inspired by the traditional art of Welsh slate carving, which can be clearly seen in its unique angles and crafted edges. Emphasising the claws and making our Dragon even bolder – the perfect foundation on which to build our new identity – adding substance rather than removing it to create detail. The Dragon’s silhouette has been sculpted into the shield shape that our National Teams wear on their chest. Meaning that the Dragon, even when removed from the badge, still represents the beating heart of Welsh Football at all levels.

A mix of tradition and modern style, our bespoke typeface has been beautifully chiselled to be robust, strong and dynamic. Inspired by the traditional Trajan typography, often seen in Welsh slate carving and the modern condensed typefaces used in sport – the influences combined results in a typeface that respects the traditions of our past, whilst living comfortably in a modern sporting environment.

Football in Wales news post

Images (opinion after)
New Logo and Identity for Football in Wales by Bulletproof
Logo evolution.
New Logo and Identity for Football in Wales by Bulletproof
Logo.
New Logo and Identity for Football in Wales by Bulletproof
Chiseled version.
New Logo and Identity for Football in Wales by Bulletproof
Motto.
New Logo and Identity for Football in Wales by Bulletproof
Custom typeface.
New Logo and Identity for Football in Wales by Bulletproof


New Logo and Identity for Football in Wales by Bulletproof

Visual language.

Introduction video. Now, THAT’S narration. Moving to Wales right now.
Opinion

The old logo was, for the most part, decent. A good, single-color dragon drawing and an okay crest shape with the only questionable element being the ribbon. As far as dragons go, the new one is great. The addition of the darker red for shading adds a lot great dimension and definition without muddying the drawing. All the tweaks to the silhouette of the dragon are solid, making it look more fierce and better defined. The single-color, completely-filled version is really cool, especially at small sizes as it retains the contour of the shield shape, which is even more commendable given that it’s an asymmetric drawing. The chiseled 3D version is bad-ass — maybe it picks up a little too heavily on the Wanderers FC stuff but this has a more depth (visually, not conceptually). The custom typeface… eh, it’s alright but looks like a Nike college kind of font, which is not entirely a bad thing, maybe just unexpected for a Wales national entity. The sampling of the visual language looks bold and exciting and I like how the dragon icon punctuates the applications. Overall, this is pretty tight all around and exudes a great sense of competitiveness. Lastly, props to whoever wrote the copy for the video… it starts out a little cheesy but it course-corrects quickly and it builds up so well that by the end I was like, “Fuck yeah, Wales! Get it!”

Thanks to Joshua Paines for the tip.

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