I have to admit this announcement makes me sad. On Friday, ESPN reported that The North Texas Super Bowl Committee and the NFL unveiled the logo for Super Bowl XLV, which will be the basis for all future Super Bowls. The only thing that will change from year to year is the stadium rendered in the background and of course the roman numerals. This is sad from a design critique perspective as it's great fun every year to analyze the new logo for next year's game and talk about its merits and shortcomings, the designers and their approach. It's a high-profile project that is a joy to watch unfold on an annual basis. Just a few days ago Brand New posted an article on this year's design with further insights by design firm Attik. It's a fun read and we designers all chime in with glee about what we like and dislike. Admittedly, this has little merit outside of design circles but it was all part of the fun of the big game.

Now, we're going to know not just what we'll see for next year's logo but for the foreseeable future, the logo will remain unchanged. Gone will be all the attempts at adding flair from the host city. Gone will be the sometimes hilarious design motifs. And gone will be the crazy color schemes. Although not always high design all of these elements will be missed. (See the all the previous SB logos here.) I can totally understand why the NFL (one of best managers of brand out there) decided to stick to a template. It gives a permanence and consistency that has been lacking for quite sometime. And it's the logical end to the attempt over the last few years to make the logo more about the NFL than any particular host city. It's simply a smart business move. This is the Super Bowl and this is how it will look.

Here's what we get in terms of art. A prominent, centered metallic-looking Lombardy Trophy. It's well-rendered and crafted to a high-standard, looking a lot like the real deal. We see a lot of sloppy identities, but this is not one of them. The stadium (again it will change from year to year) is also executed in the same style. And as you can see, the Super Bowl words are given an engraved and three-dimensional look and sit atop the similarly-styled roman numerals. The exact location and year are included at the bottom in a sans serif face that matches the Super Bowl text. It's rather handsome given that the logo has to have so many elements in it. The identity has the right feel, a prestigious and important tone which matches the biggest game for the sport. It's solid and proud. The only thing I would do differently is try to eliminate some of the faux-dimensional qualities. I think it would be very handsome and maybe more timely if pulled off in a more 2D quality. However, that's a small qualm and it could be argued that there is nothing wrong with the new Super Bowl identity at all.

However, that won't stop me from missing all the design-nerd discussions that allowed a few mouse-pushers to feel more a part of the game each year.

Your Super Bowl Logo for 2011 and Beyond (click for larger view):

Wow. Wow is just about all that I can say about this rebranding effort. First let me quote Philly.com, "Comcast Corp. said yesterday that it would re-brand its TV, Internet, and telephone services as Xfinity on Feb. 12 to signal to customers that this isn't the same old company. Comcast will remain as the corporate name, but the company will emphasize Xfinity in advertisements and on 24,000 service trucks and thousands of employee uniforms."

Old Logo:


From what I've gathered xfinity has been the name of their mobile tv unit and will now be the public-facing identity for its main services. Here are the major issues.

1. I don't think if pressed that I could think of a worse name for company. Xfinity just sounds stupid. Like you'd see it as the name of a bad company from a movie set in 2025. Ugh.
2. I'm usually not in favor of my i's losing their tittles (dots) when set in sentence case without a good reason.
3. If you're going to go for that whole symmetrical thing, then work out the details so that the x doesn't look too small compared to the y. The difference in apertures (the openings) could have been fixed.
4. The kerning seems off all over the place.
5. And I don't think if pressed that I could think of a worse name for company. Xfinity just sounds stupid. Have I mentioned this?

New Logo (Rather the name/logo that will represent Comcast):


The corporation known as Comcast still exists it will just be the parent company behind the scenes. The company is stressing that the change is not an attempt to distance itself from all of Comcast's public perception issues or customer services problems, but was done to signify all the new products and services to come. My grandmother always told me that the truth usually lies somewhere in between two sides and I think that holds true here.

I'm not sure how anyone is going to build a brand around this name and identity. I actually was rather fond of all the Comcastic design-driven work as well as some of the ads by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners; some of which I had seen when l was living in California. A tough client yet some nice work. Now with this latest re-brand, the agency's job just got that much more difficult.

The Evolution of Rabbit


I thought I would also share this bad screenshot of what the xfinity.com site looked like a few days ago before the announcement. It's not pretty.

Last year at about this time we had a blast on Graphicology, running our first live-blog of the big game's ads. We had five Creative Directors from across the US giving real-time reactions to the work and commenters from all over the world. I had planned on doing it again this year but being nine hours ahead in Dubai coupled with somewhat spotty internet access made me reconsider. I simply didn't want to put on a second-rate show.

This year I thought I would post all the spots that are released early here on the blog, with some additional information so you'll be more than ready to fill out your USA Today (or YouTube) score sheet when the time comes. Long gone are the days when the Super Bowl ads were primarily watched for the first time on game day. Sadly. Advertisers trying to get more media traction in advance leak their spots earlier and earlier every year. There are some holdouts but this has been the trend ever since your mp3 player held only 64 songs. I'll keep updating this post until game time should more creative break early.

Cars.com
Car.com follows up last year's spot with a familiar theme, that of an endlessly capable man living a life full of accomplishment under pressure only to find that even he needs help when shopping for a car. Due to inferior narration (last year's spot was well narrated either by Kevin Spacey or someone emulating Kevin Spacey), inferior scenarios, and a somewhat slow beginning; this spot feels very much like the unoriginal idea it is. We have seen it before and done better by cars.com themselves just 12 months ago. Agency of Record, DDB Chicago, is responsible for the creative.


VW
VW isn't technically releasing their spot early but they are building a tease factor over the last few weeks. On their YouTube channel they are running a short film about the inventor of the game, Punch Bug (Where you see a VW beetle and slug someone in the arm.) I've included this film below. After scouring through press releases I also learned that their Super Bowl spot would be focused on an update of this game that ties in with their Vee-Dub nickname, Punch Dub. It will feature Tracy Morgan (plus a surprise guest) and no doubt a bunch of people getting hit when all the new VWs pass by. I like how they are handling their creative, not releasing the spot but still building anticipation. This is how it should be done. Could it be that Deutsch LA is capable of doing what Crispin+Porter couldn't for VW? The brand is definitely one that has lost its way, but this looks like it could be a good beginning. Let's see how it all shakes out this week.

The Inventor of Punch-Dub:

And Check out this local promotion that uses what looks like an official punchdub days logo:


Bud Light.
Bud Light is a usual suspect in the annual best Super Bowl ad polls. They usually go for that college-age man demographic with somewhat sophomoric humor. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. This year they'll be running no less than five minutes of advertising (That's ten spots at around $3 million per though they probably got a better deal.) From Adweek, "Bud Light's lineup from St. Louis agency Cannonball includes spots with guys who attend a women's book club only for the beer, a guy who builds a house out of Bud Light cans (shown), and guys whose voices turn electronically musical to get the party started. The spot likely to have the broadest appeal is a spoof on Lost, a smart pop culture tie-in that plays to the highly anticipated Feb. 2 return of ABC's hit show. On Bud Light's island, the survivors of a plane crash ignore the discovery of the plane's radio system to celebrate a washed-up beverage cart filled with bottles of the beer." This year is said to also include the following spot called, Clothing Drive, featuring a lot of awkward men-in-skivvies. (This will be a theme this year, more on that later.)


Careerbuilder.com
How do you reward your agency for producing one of the best from last year's game? You fire them. Or that's what they Careerbuilder.com did to Wieden+Kennedy. This year's spot, will be one of three finalists from a user submitted competition, and will be produced in-house. Last year's ad was really good (perhaps the best of the bunch for my money), take a peak at it here. I'll include all three finalists for your review. Casual Friday takes the underwear theme forward and is my pick for the one that will air. Job Fairy and Worst Seat are the other finalists in the mix. According to Adland, "The three winning ideas were submitted by a 27-year-old surfer from San Clemente, CA, a 34-year-old freelance producer from Minneapolis, MN, and a 52-year-old analyst from Cliffwood, N.J. The winners also attended the reshooting of their concepts in California with CareerBuilder’s in-house advertising team."



Doritos
Doritos once again ran a competition to 'Crash the Super Bowl' asking users to submit their own ideas for a Doritos ad. The whole contest is curated by agency of record, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, who has helped produce the winning spots. Voting ended yesterday but go to their site to view all six finalists, which included this spot called Snack Suit.


ManCrunch.com
What sounds like a name for a more masculine cereal by Kellogg's is actually a gay man's dating site. Where many many many men come out and play. This is the latest in a long line of "banned" ads, using the term loosely. What better way for an ad to go viral than to be banned by those curmudgeon CBS executives? I don't think they actually expected the spot to go through but even if they did it's not that good. If you are going to get banned, at least be interesting about it. This is a fairly predictable spot, poorly shot and something I would rather my daughter watch than all those spots of men in their underwear to be honest. No controversy here, just bad advertising.


Bridgestone
Bridgestone has released teaser videos of two spots expected to run next Sunday. The first features a whale and doesn't look to be that promising. The second looks to be a film noir kind of thing and at the very least looks to have some nice art direction and casting. It's set in a future world of climate change where few things are more valuable than a great set of tires. I'm not sure either teaser actually fulfills the purpose of a tease—to make the viewer eagerly anticipate the full creative—but since they have done pretty well lately in the big game, I'll give them a pass. (The Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head spot from last year in particular.) You can check out behind the scenes from both commercial shoots by visiting Bridgestone's official Super Bowl minisite. The Richards Group in Dallas is Bridgestone's agency of record.


Dockers
Yep, Docker's Super Bowl creative also features men wearing no pants. I feel like all the underpants stuff in all the other spots are stealing some of Docker's thunder here. Their ad attempts to make a statement about lost masculinity and how 'Wearing the Pants' is what men do best. The spot features men (without pants of course) walking through a field and chanting, but you can only see a very short tease and the full ad may very well take the idea elsewhere. To see the tone of the print and point-of-sale which I like despite some thinking its sexist, go here. Unfortunately for agency of record, DraftFCB, what might have stood out in Super Bowls past, may very well blend right in about as well as a pair of Dockers Khakis this year. I also wonder how many people are going to 'shazaam' this ad using their smartphone? I expect a lot of people will due to the novelty that is if they aren't drunk by then. To make sure you are ready, visit the official press release website.

GoDaddy.com
Yawn. Hot girl. Stupid sophomoric guys. Some cleavage. And an unrated web version is what we usually get from Godaddy.com's Bob Parsons. (Who is just too much to believe really.) This year will be no different. What was once just stupid is now bordering on annoying. I don't mind the setup, just the cliche content of the ads. Here's the teaser from the web hosting company.


Teleflora.
The company that reminds you not to send boxed flowers are at it again. Bringing back the voice of Don Rickles as the crotchety personality of boxed and wilted flowers everywhere, the spot reminds you that Valentines Day is close at hand, and that you better not send flowers in a box. Well, I'm surmising that from last year's spot as we only have this behind-the-scenes teaser for now. It's easy to see how a Super Bowl spot makes sense for a floral company, and i think carving out their own niche is a smart thing to do. They only send hand-crafted and delivered bouquets and are setting the bar for men everywhere. Most of whom will be tuning in to the game, so there goes your excuse for forgetting. Creative was done in-house (and according to i4u) will be followed by "...an e-card service that takes the flowers-in-a-box vs. its hand-arranged bouquets online. You will be able to choose between a nice and naughty e-card. In the nice execution, you can send someone a sincere message along with a beautiful, virtual Teleflora bouquet. In the naughty version, the spirit of the talking flowers comes alive with your or pre-selected sarcastic messages that are "delivered" with un-arranged, uncut, sloppily packed flowers in a box. With each naughty or nice e-card, Teleflora is offering the sender and recipient a discount code from teleflora.com."


Boost Mobile
Sprint-owned Boost mobile is using the famous Super Bowl Shuffle video the 1985 Chicago Bears were gracious enough to give to the world for their ad this year. Their re-enactment, The Boost Mobile Shuffle, will have the same look and feel as the original but with a twist. McMahon and Singletary are included in a few—you guessed it—trailers along with Coach Mike Ditka. Boost also has a micro-site promoting the effort, called unwronged. 180LA is the agency behind the work which promises, at least for long-time football fans, to be one of the better spots. I only wish Walter Payton was still with us to play a part in the fun.

Dove
Dove is trying to launch a line of products called men+care, actually the launched happened awhile ago but they are using the man-magnet of the Super Bowl to draw attention to the line once again. The spot features a quick montage of all the big moments in a guy's life with a soundtrack of the William Tell Overture. It's not a bad spot really and I find that it connects with me on a nice level. The campaign's effort is helped by packaging that is rather handsome yet utilitarian-looking. They even have a few shower tools in the product line to help us stay scrubbed. If nothing else they are going all out. They only version of this spot I can find, is a short clip. Apparently, this was the last spot sold by CBS for the game.

E-trade I have to admit, this campaign kind of gets on my nerves but at the same time it has had its moments. Last year's Super Bowl spot wasn't that good. But the outtakes they posted afterward online was much funnier and probably a better all-around ad. This year they've also released a behind-the-scenes and I bet the same holds true. You can also send babymail via a mini-site meant to promote the effort.

PopSecret
PopSecret will be running an ad this year and I think it will be one of the recent spots they've been producing lately. The three that I have seen use a movie tie-in, with a family of unpopped (or partially popped) corn kernels talking about the films in some way. The spots were produced by Nathan Love with agency-of-record Goodby. I like what motionographer.com said about the spots. "Spots like this hark back to the good ol’ days of 80’s product advertising — utilizing stop-motion and “claymation” as a vehicle for spokes-characters like The California Raisins, The Pillsbury Doughboy, or advertising’s salty playboy, Mr. Peanut: kitchen food with arms and legs. These characters personify the businesses they represent, but fail to instill a real sense of life for the characters—one that has human motivation—able to reason, and still sell a product. Until now." The Super Bowl spot may feature more football oriented conversation if they have thought that far ahead. We'll see. Check out the Dark Knight spot below.

Taco Bell
Rumor has it that this spot featuring Charles Barkley doing his best masterpiece theater impression, will be the Super Bowl spot for the fast-food chain. The spot focuses on a new NBA $5 Buck Box. What's most disappointing about the creative here is that if you have ever watched Barkley on TNT's NBA broadcasts you know he is a funny guy. It's a shame that a bunch of advertising creatives (well, more likely a bad client) produced a spot so forced.


TruTV
The channel previously known as courtTV is launching their first Super Bowl spot. Agency Grey is responsible for the ad which promotes a new series on the channel called NFL Full Contact. The spot features Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu as Punxsutawney Polamalu. Giving the title, I think you can figure the rest out, the football fan will get several more weeks of football. Despite being a predictable setup, it's not without its charm. Creepy charm.


Coke.
Coke is doing something pretty cool using Facebook. Simply by visiting their fan page and using the Live Positively App to a 'gift' of a Coca-Cola bottle image; Coke will donate $1 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Then you'll be able to view a 20-second sneak peak at its Super Bowl ad, based on characters from The Simpsons. Obviously, I wouldn't post that video here, so go do a little good and catch a glimpse of their big game ad.

Dr. Pepper Another soda maker in the mix is Dr. Pepper, for their Dr. Pepper Cherry flavor. The spot produced by Deutsch emphasizes the 'little kiss' of cherry and uses the band KISS to do so. The following sneak peak below teases us with a preview of a the soda, the band, and a band of midget look-a-likes in complete kiss attire. I think you can imagine the rest of the spot if you try hard enough. This is one example where the tease ruins the full spot entirely and could have built more suspense with a bit more thought and effort.

Vizio
Flat-screen TV maker Vizio is changinng their marketing tactic, going from a value message to communicating the premium quality of its products. This year the Super Bowl ad features Beyonce and was concepted by Venables, Bell & Partners out of San Francisco. The only tease for this ad I have seen was on E Entertainment Television and about the only we can learn from the short video is that it will involve a flying Beyonce.

Dodge.
The only domestic car maker in the Super Bowl this year is Dodge. They haven't teased the spot at all except to say the subject of the spot will be irreverence and for the Charger nameplate.Irreverence is now agency of record Wieden + Kennedy's specialty, so the spt should be a good one and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do. We do have their most recent spot as a reference however and I'm including it below.

Monster.com
Monster.com has produced what is the teasiest of all teases this year, something called fiddleafriend.com. We think we are going to help this guy find a job by the looks of things, but it's all still up in the air. Agency BBDO/New York is responsible. Look for the site to evolve and offer more opportunities to interact with the fiddling beaver after the game. I've included a short video of pretty much all the site does at the moment below for your convenience.

EA Dante's Inferno
Via Adland, this spot was produced by blur and agency Wieden+Kennedy and is your typical video game fare as of late. Odd choice of popular song that still fits the game in some subtle way, and lots of action screenshots from either the gameplay or narrative sequences. The only thing interesting about this spot is the tagline, which on the video below is Go To Hell. Not gratuitous given the content of the game but still enough to cause some controversy. It's rumored to have been changed for the Super Bowl to Hell Awaits. We'll find out in a few days.

Snickers
Snickers is teasing their spot on facebook, twitter and youtube and promise to use social media to continue to push this campaign past gameday. The Spot features a mean looking Betty White playing a game of touch football and actually does a nice job teasing the spot(s) that they will be running. I don't have to wait, I'd have the talented actress on my flag football team anyday, Ha. Agency BBDO/NY is the creator of the ads as well as last year's Snacklish work which was well received.

Hyundai.
I"m not sure who exactly is doing Hyundai's work these days, but they will have two Super Bowl spots running this year. One is 'eh' and the other is okay I guess. The okay one features Brett Favre ten years from now still thinking about retirement. Hyundai's ten-year warranty is the logical tie-in and given by voiceover talent Jeff Bridges. The other one is trying to be more like a luxury car ad featuring classical music, black and white footage in slow-mo, and a pacing you'd expect from Lexus or Mercedes. And at the end they actually compare their paint quality to that of a Mercedes. It only makes me think of all the things they can't compare to a Mercedes, so in that respect it's as the kids say, FAIL.



kgb
Answerer of questions, kgb, have been busy trying to get by the censors at CBS or like others, trying to appear to get by the censors anyway. They reportedly have a batch of three spots to choose from for next Sunday, however I think they most definitely end up running a spot that includes two of the Baldwin Brothers. It's been leaked for a few weeks now and probably has the most interesting premise anyway. They also produced a spot that was intended to go directly viral but are branding it as a 'banned spot'. It features the old joke of someone having their head up their butt, only instead of butt they use the swears. Not really ban worthy but worth showing in the context of everything else. All spots produced by Brooklyn Brothers, NY.

Denny's A former client of mine, Denny's, is back at their Super Bowl giveaway approach. Last year they gave away like a zillion grand slam breakfasts and were hailed as geniuses. This year they'll probably be giving away something with eggs, as the teasers are warning chickens everywhere to get out of Dodge. The creative is handled by Goodby, and I can attest first-hand that the folks on this account are good people. I look forward to seeing this play out though I'm not expecting anything as culturally significant as nanerpuss or the thugs creative from early 2009.

Audi.
I don't know exactly what Audi is up to with this, but they've launched a YouTube channel called The Green Police, Protecting and Conserving the Earth. This tact of branding a company as eco-friendly is tough business, as I can think of a few things better for the environment than a car. I'm also not sure how exactly this ties in with what other sources are reporting concerning Audi's spot, which is rumored to feature the band Cheap Trick remaking an old 'classic' for their A3 TDI Diesel. (Other than the thin ecological theme.) But there is a good agency behind all of it, and I'm sure it'll make sense very soon. Update: Adland says that they have the actual spot and though related, is a bit different. They can't release it exactly yet.

Motorola.
I'll be as brief and informative as the teaser they are currently running on their site. This spot is for the new Motoblur phone. And I hope somebody cool pops out of that water. Maybe like Captain Lou Albano's ghost, that'd be cool. And the soundtrack sounds a little like St. Germain. Other than that, I've got nothing for you on this.

Kia
Kia has bought one spot to promote the new 2011 Sorento which will air during the third quarter. Agency of record David & Goliath handled creative duties for the spot which uses life-size toys (like a sock monkey for instance) to tell a story called Joyride Dream. For one thing this agency has been a favorite of mine for some time (at least from the outside looking in) and secondly, the teaser looks great. I'm hooked. The song you'll hear is by The Heavy and is called, How You Like Me Now?


Honda
Honda's effort this year is pretty disappointing. Called Squirrel, the spot is helping to launch the Accord Crosstour (yes, yet another cross-over) by showing an animated squirrel packing as much as he can into the vehicle. The spot closes by saying, "Just what we all need... another brilliant idea by Honda." That's too much of a superlative for me to swallow as the spot (and possibly the vehicle) are mediocre at best. Nice way to pat yourself on the back there HoMoCo. But your spot is forgettable.


The US Census Bureau
It's that time again. The US Census Bureau is attempting to count every single citizen and is enlisting everyone's help in a $344 million media campaign that launched a few weeks ago. To give you a sense of scale, the campaign will have creative in 27 different languages. This year's Super Bowl spot has yet to be released but a faux-documentary by agency-of-record DraftFCB/NY is up on YouTube and gives you a flavor of what they are trying to do. The work is directed by Christopher Guest of Go film (but better known for his work on the films This is Spinal Tap and Best in Show.) All that being said the long format piece isn't that funny but maybe the shorter spots will have more punch. According to ABC News, "The campaign will feature different themes, says Jeff Tarakajian, executive vice president at Draftfcb which is working with subcontractors (other agencies) who specialize in specific ethnic groups. One theme is "10 questions, 10 minutes" to highlight the ease of filling out the form. I am curious about this one in particular. Curious and worried."


HomeAway.
I think these guys sell vacation homes or time inside someone else's vacation home. Either way, it makes a lot of sense for them to bring back The Griswold's from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation fame. Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo reprise their role as the bad-luck couple on yet another trip called Hotel Hell Vacation. The company is obviously trying to borrow some of the equity from the cult films. I have to say for a relatively unknown advertiser this approach could work rather effectively. As long as the spots are as funny as the films and the ads respect (using this term loosely) the original work they could be something that a Super Bowl audience will love. Might be a dark-horse candidate, even though the older Russ in this preview really creeps me out. The spot by agency Publicis in the West may also point to HomeAway's website and contain more robust/longer versions. The second teaser is more of a behind-the-scenes of the shoot but will shed more light on what to expect.



Google.
Yep, that's right, Google. Long a naysayer on the benefits of traditional advertising—it is rumored that they will be airing an ad during the Super Bowl. Or maybe they are leaking this rumor to get a little free media without actually running a spot. A tactic heretofore unseen, but a smart one indeed. That actually is genius. Anyway, if they do go through with it, the spot will most likely air during the third-quarter and will be one of the Search Stories viral spots produced early this year. From Technabob blog, "Robert Wong and his co-workers at Google’s Creative Lab created a bunch of short and funny clips showing how their search engine helps people not just to find websites but to improve their lives: “In other words, the best search results don’t show up on a webpage — they show up in somebody’s life.” The Search Stories are nice although completely predictable and not the type of spot you want to see during the Super Bowl. If they indeed want to advertise on this stage they are the perfect company to come with the big guns and own the show. Instead these spots just quietly whimper. This tip came from John Battelle's excellent technology/media blog.

Image from JetPhotos.netToday, Biman Bangladesh Airlines is announcing a new logo, livery and personality for their airline based in Dhaka. The iconic identity (at least in the region) had featured a stylized white stork (balaka) flying across a red circle representing the sun, and was designed by the late Bangladeshi painter Quamrul Hassan. Apparently Hassan was a political artist (hard not to be political in certain areas at certain times) who took folk art and made it more relevant to a modern audience. As rumors about the new logo and livery started to emerge there were some who felt that changing it, was being disrespectful to the artist.

Here's the Old Hassan-drawn Identity (LOVE that stork):

And The Old Livery, looking rather rickety in this pic:

The new logo features the country's name more prominently than Biman, which is fitting since it's the Bengal national carrier, the government is the airline's 'caretaker'. You can use your imagination to figure out what that really means. (We have a caretaker-airline relationship in Dubai with Emirates too.) But this is a big change from the previous identities where Biman was clearly more important. The new typeface is a modern sans that has a rather squared personality. Each character squares up around the edges and concludes on some interesting terminals. (Font speak not airport of course.) Set in a dark pine green it's not a bad logotype if a bit rough, and feels at home of the livery.

The new Logo (No real close-ups on the stork yet):

Speaking of home, the new stork flies comfortably between the ascenders of the b and d respectively, and no matter what side of the plane it's on - is always facing forward. I'm glad to see the basics were thought about here. The stork is a more literal interpretation than the old, and although is a decent-enough icon seems to have a lot less personality than Hassan's bird. 

With any national airline, colors are clearly important. The official colors of Bangladesh are this same bottle green complemented by red; the flag, a green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh. In the new logo red is the color that Biman is now set, which is under the national type. The new identity makes use of these colors in a way that is not overwhelming, which is not easy to do with such a bold color palette.

The livery is mostly white and having worked on an airline account for a few years, this can help save a lot of cost when a plane is sitting on a hot tarmac during the summer months. On this white canvas is the bottle green, the red and a lighter, almost sea foam green. The tail of the plane showcases a cropped new stork in the sea foam and is rather handsome actually but the plane still feels a bit blank particularly with the engines and cockpit. I'm not sure that I love how the lines of the different graphics flow around the fuselage and more could have been done here to imbue some motion to the look. The flow of the lines just isn't quite right.

The New Livery, Artwork Followed by Actual:

Having just learned more history about the artist of the previous logo and the country itself, it's hard to not feel a bit nostalgic here. Especially for the stylized balaka. I think the designers could have incorporated a slightly updated bird with the new colors and type and it would have been fine. But I understand the need for the governm...er...airline to make a change, given that the brand has been hampered by persistent flight delays and image problems. A new look doesn't fix everything, but it's a start. And the design comes along with ten new Boeings that may help alleviate the larger problems. One place some solid design work would help the company is on their website. It doesn't exactly convey professionalism and safety now does it? One step at a time, I suppose.

You can read more about the new identity and livery here.

There are a lot of sites showcasing the latest and greatest in branding, and though we dabble in that exact thing from time to time, Graphicology's purpose is a more general than that. However, there have been several smaller identity redesigns that have gone under the radar of the major design press and I felt it would be good to gather a few of them up and take the temperature of identity design. I feel like the redesigns/launches that get all of the attention skew our perspective of what is really going on out there, both good and bad. These mostly smaller or less publicized projects give us all a better idea of how others are executing our craft. Sometimes, executing is an appropriate choice of words and sometimes the results are rather nice. 

I usually use Graphicology's Twitter account to post these identities as they happen (as soon as the press release is available in most cases) as well as short-form posts that don't quite require the blog's full attention. (Follow here: graphicologycom). The oldest logo design post is only three weeks old—the youngest a few hours. So hopefully this article (and others like it to come) will help fill in the gaps of our branding/identity design current events. (The above image is a design suggestion to director James Cameron, written by someone who has worked with him in the past to move beyond Papyrus for the Identity for the film, Avatar. It was not implemented obviously. Read more about it here.)

Quintiles. This one is pretty fresh, just being released yesterday. And it came with more than a mere logo update. The release included information on a new company perspective called The New Health (watch that described here), and an announcement that all of their global services will be under one brand. It's still up in the air as to whom to credit the new design, although New York based advertising agency, Doremus is their agency of record. Quintiles is a biopharmaceutical services company (think clinical trials) based in Research Triangle Park, NC. I have to say that the old type didn't seem to match their bold, red Q and although the update isn't without its flaws, it's a definite improvement if keeping the icon was a given. It's rather bland and doesn't communicate much, but I guess it's solid enough for such a large company.

 

Hon. I'm a little biased on this redesign from earlier this month, as Hon's announcement and support of the identity relaunch via social media makes it hard to critique it in a vacuum. (And it's difficult not to like a geometric O). The new corporate mark reminds me a bit of Dyson (speaking of vacuums) but that's not a bad thing at all. The company seems to be genuinely excited about the new mark, its first tweak in over 40 years. The office furniture manufacturer, based in Muscatine, Iowa believes that a new logo is a big deal. Tim Smith, the company's director of brand communications said, "It signals a change. It raises a flag. It attracts attention." Refreshed LEED-certified corporate digs followed up the new logo. Certainly not the most interesting or dynamic of logos you will ever see, it is an appropriate update for such a company. It's modern, strong and without too many frills. Something you'd expect from, say, office furniture. Looking at their past history, I only regret that they didn't erase the mistakes of the 70's before four decades had past.

 

Argos. This redesign comes from across the pond in Britain via Argos a catalog retailer that sells pretty much anything. The design takes a very questionable tail of an A & an awfully chopped S and replaces them with some wobbly characters of a nondescript typeface. The swoop is now detached and looking very much like another online retailer named Amazon. You may have heard of them and their nicely designed combination mark from Turner Duckworth? Since that's the case, I think the new version is a big mistake even if the old feels very much that, old and dated. It's just too similar within a similar industry. And something about most 'smiles' in corporate identity makes me a little angry. Give me some good service and then we'll share a smile, um-kay? (Like most of these, it's hard to say who the responsible design firm is.)

 

A-data. One of the more interesting updates comes from A-data, the Taiwanese digital storage company. Not content to do a mere refresh, they went all Wolff Olins and pulled out a rainbow-colored hummingbird to help reenergize their business. The type is a poor choice and it's hard not to see AAA amongst the rest, but let's be honest, you're not looking at the logotype are you? The bird is dynamic, caught in mid-air and even though it's not rendered with as much craft as we'd like it's hard not to see the courage in the attempt. I will say this - in the technology sector - it stands out. I can't wait to see the brand celebration event Fly, Catch, Go! which will be launched to share A-DATA’s moment of glory with the general public. (Their words, not mine.) See more of this in action via this news release.

Scottrade. Definitely flying under the radar is the redesign of Scottrade, the St. Louis based online stock trading site. Mainly, I think this is a result of the revisions being relatively small. But what the changes lack in importance they make up for by being ugly. I'm not sure what those three stripes represent, there is no pretty shade of purple, and the tagline Get Invested feels a bit too much like an order for my tastes. The revision came along with a new advertising campaign with a theme of Don't Go. View an example at the bottom of this post.

AMN Healthcare. A smaller—though no less important to them—redesign comes from AMN Healthcare, out of San Diego. And as so often is the case the new design is only a small part of a business realignment as announced here. Why did they need a new logo? "To more effectively symbolize its position as the leader in the healthcare staffing and management services industry and the unique strength of its interconnecting service offerings" of course. I have to say from a strictly design perspective it feels too trendy. Like someone got a logolounge account and pulled some elements or approaches off of a few of their favorites. (I enjoy logolounge, don't get me wrong here. You know what I mean.) Of course, this may not have been the case, it just feels very 2009. Not the best thing you want to say about a new logo, even though it's not without it's charm albeit somewhat correctly—a clinical charm. Oh, I'd like to see more space between that M and N, please. Just a bit. A touch. A tad. And maybe extend Healthcare towards the right as mathematically it may be aligned; it's not aligned visually. Okay, I'm done.

South Shore Furniture. Coming in strong from north of the border, this furniture maker out of Quebec managed to redesign a little contemporary charm into their logo for their 70th anniversary. And it's a nice contrast to what Hon produced above. Theirs was for office furniture and the same approach would have been wrong for South Shore which needed to convey more comfort and warmth over modern functionality. I like that they eliminated one piece of furniture and using only two, communicated a sense of home. I'm also very fond of their omission of the old TV and stand as their presence was just wrong. The new lamp and dresser are nice and rounded and feel good inside the new shape (which is kind of like a rug, or at least that's how I would have sold it.) Even the hot dog colors look better in the new configuration. The look is completed with a solid typography choice. Here is the full press release.

 

OSN. This is from my new neighborhood, the Middle East. Here (and I believe only in the ME region) Showtime and Orbit (both cable TV content providers) merged about six months ago and obviously needed to do something as locking-up two logos simply was not a long-term option. Designed in-house, the new logo is definitely better than the two old ones, but just barely. It makes me laugh every time I see it because it makes me think of the old ESPN / SportsCenter logo from back when Chris Berman was a regular SportsCenter anchor. Ha. See it in action here.

 

Thalassa Sea & Spa. What started out as a name change become something much bigger. Being fully launched by the end of this week, Accor Thalassa's well-being arm is now known as Thalassa Sea & Spa and gets a new face-lift itself. Per the press release, "The new identity highlights the brand’s expertise and offers a new thalassotherapy experience that combines in-depth revitalization of the body and the distinctive instantaneous sensorial escapism of the spa setting." Their new motto? There are journeys your body never forgets. Which is true I guess, like the time I went running in the middle of a Phoenix summer without nary a water bottle. My body will never forget that, for sure. The French company operates about 20 spas in France and abroad. Even though it reminds me a bit of the drunken love-child between IBM and AT&T's logos, the new (fewer) waves aren't so bad and the type update feels approachable yet sophisticated. A design solution that is right for the situation.

 

Tax Brain. There's not a whole lot to say here, as this is an early contender for worst of 2010. It was pretty darn ugly to begin with, but after major reconstructive surgery it only has a generic, lifeless, boring, meaningless bunch of shapes to call its identity home. I've included this because it makes me think of all the logos you can get off the shelves from stock sites that although have the vague appearance of something professionally produced, have none of the life and purpose that you'd otherwise get. It wouldn't surprise me if that's exactly what they did either. What decent designer couldn't fall out of bed and design something interesting for a company called Tax Brain? C'mon.

 

Youth Olympic Games Singapore. This isn't technically an identity replacement, as the new mark isn't exactly going to replace the old so much as complement it. (And by old, I mean pretty new. This is the first annual event, see.)  I'm not exactly clear what role each will play for this year's games, but with just a bit less than 200 days to go, all that will become clear soon enough. The official press release amused me a little bit, I must admit. “YOG-DNA” is targeted at young people, not as a logo or a brand, but as a label. It represents the attitudes and freedom of young people and has no restrictions like a traditional “brand”. Uh...right. Call it what you want, but what you have right there is a logo. I guess the kids will appreciate the black and white, the grunged-up forms, and the irregular digital typography having missed out on all those trends in the mid-nineties. I don't mind the idea behind the mark, but why have two? If you really want to capture the spirit here, go all the way. Here's a link to a video to see if you have YOG DNA.

The Hub. And one last news-worthy identity. The Discovery Channel (a family favorite), Hasbro and Satan have teamed together to launch a brand-new kids network called The Hub. Well, just Discovery and Hasbro, but it will be pure visual intoxication for kids everywhere. The network debuts in the fall of this year, so we'll have to wait to see how it moves and sounds, but I bet it will spin and bounce and glow and pulse and fly and...

Okay, that's the major identity redesigns so far in 2010. It's been a busy month for both big designs you'd see elsewhere and those that may have received a lot less exposure. I hope you have enjoyed seeing a few of the projects that you might have otherwise missed.

It's a rare treat to be entertained and convinced at the same time, to be laughing and pondering while watching the same thing - especially an ad. But the most recent viral/spot by Pump Energy Foods in NYC managed to prove a point while winking at you the whole time. Pump describes the production of this video as silly but I think they've managed to produce something that is far more powerful than other, larger and better-funded companies in the health food market. They call it simply, Sans Crap.

Pump is simply saying that you shouldn't be eating all the crap out there and that they provide a healthy alternative for lunch and breakfast that doesn't have all the, well, crap in it. "Everything here is good for you. Tastes good, too. We make everything from scratch, every day. We start with fresh, unprocessed whole foods, then we get down to details. We make all of our own sauces and dressings each morning and use only fresh-squeezed juices and herbs. We even bake (not fry) our own chips. The same awesome people that serve your food are the ones who make it every day. Wonder how something’s prepared? Just ask."

The spot works more like a series of satirical print ads (that move a bit) hard-selling some of the stuff we eat everyday that is presented as healthy but may ultimately not be. Every frame & scene is packed with fun little details that make you laugh and cringe at the same time. And to be properly appreciated you have to look at the stills below. The art direction and prop design is pitch-perfect. This is how you do viral. Not this. (View the full-video at the end of the post.) In short, I love it. And I'll be having an apple sans crap for lunch. It appears that the folks over at Dark Igloo were responsible for making this come to life as well as a good client. (Be sure to check out Dark Igloo's mind expanding pdf on their site.)

Still Images From Sans Crap
I think I've eaten this cereal before.
Healthy Sugars and other faux-USDA graphics.
Spray and roll-on crap.
You should hear how they pronounce acai, the hot food of today.
I might be guilty of doing this to my veggies.
This is a direct rip of a Hardee's spot I just know it.
Nothing is safe from satire, even Syrup. Which is really just high-fructose corn syrup usually.
Starbucks breakfasts with all the added goodies. Yum.
High-rolling with a microwave meal.
My favorite little surprise in this storytelling. Purple.

The Full Sans Crap Video

So there was a lot of 3D talk at this year's Consumer Electronics Show held earlier this month in Vegas as you might have heard. You may not have heard however that the BDA announced the new codec or standard for Blu-ray 3D discs and with it a logo that may very well be the most produced identity we will ever cover. (And if you're like me and you have no idea what BDA stands for—that's the Blu-Ray Disc Association of course.) This new identity will literally be everywhere.

2D is so 2009:

From the press release for the standard: “Throughout this year, movie goers have shown an overwhelming preference for 3D when presented with the option to see a theatrical release in either 3D or 2D,” said Victor Matsuda, chairman, BDA Global Promotions Committee. “We believe this demand for 3D content will carry over into the home now that we have, in Blu-ray Disc, a medium that can deliver a quality Full HD 3D experience to the living room.”

Based largely on the ubiquitous Blu-ray design, the identity for Blu-ray 3D standard uses the same typography but emphasizes the 3D elements over the blu-ray type. It also gives the look some obviously-needed depth with a treatment similar to that of the previous mark. The BDA announced two official versions of the design (a block and horizontal lockup) and were followed during the show by several companies unveiling 3D capable devices—some of which will eventually be adorned by this new Blu-ray 3D mark including the PS3 of Sony. (Which I think can have its firmware updated if you already have an old 2D model.)

The New Look of Blu-ray:

There are a few forgivable flaws in the design. Using the same typography is forgivable even though the original has too many oddly-shaped characters and is too inconsistent to be used on such a grand scale. (Take a look at the spur on the u for example.) At this point there is probably some brand recognition at play though I would have preferred they utilize a more solid, professional typeface. I imagine there is a typeface out there that holds some of the same general characteristics but is more technically sound, right? Right.

The 3D-ed 3D is also forgivable as the main goal of a logo design is to communicate what the brand is, and without question this solution does that quickly and clearly. It would have been very easy to over-complicate matters and the designers resisted that urge. It's just not the most convincing or well-crafted simulation of depth I have ever seen. And it's also somewhat forgivable that the 3D elements overwhelm the blu-ray since that is the aspect most important to consumer. We just need to know quickly that this is the latest version of blu-ray without having to strain too much. This is accomplished, yet the visual proportion doesn't so much create a sense of forward-motion & progress as it does imbalance.

Maybe The Logo Looks Different With a Pair of These?

image courtesy of wikipediaThe problem occurs when you put all three of these forgiveable decisions together into one design. In total they no longer are forgivable—especially for how visible this design will be and how often it will be used. It simply needed more time in the oven and a more conceptual and artistic craft. (I also hope the relationship between the TM and the mark will be adjusted in future applications. If the TM gets any bigger the blu-ray 3D mark will be the legal bug to the logo and not the other way around. Ha.) The most troubling aspect of the whole thing is both the 3 and that D. The 3 needs work as in its italicized form (slanted far beyond typographic integrity) it feels awkward and not in harmony with the shape of the 'button' that is created by the beveled form underneath it. And the D...I don't know if it reminds me of Transformers or Terminator or some movie like that, but it feels too heavy-handed, cliche and unnecessary. Yes, we get it. It's the future. Now, stop chopping up the type, okay?

In the end, I think the best solution would have been to simply fix a few flaws in the original b symbol, make it more three-dimensional and update the typography. Then go watch Avatar in 3D at the theaters so you'll have something to compare the experience to later. Which by the way is one of the best-looking worst films I have ever seen.

Now that we've taken a peek at the logo, am I the only one that hates wearing those stupid 3D glasses? I would much rather watch a traditional movie than its 3D peer anyday. The somewhat lame effect simply isn't worth the aggravation of wearing glasses for 2 plus hours. According to Cnet, new 3D TVs require active liquid crystal shutter glasses, which work by very quickly blocking the left and then the right eye in sequence (120 times per second systems like Panasonic's Full HD 3D). I have yet to see a convincing display of this technology, but maybe that's what this whole thing is about: bringing a quality experience to your home theater. And forcing everyone to replace yet another box in your living room that was just made obsolete. Didn't Blu-ray just come out like in 2006? Now that I sound a lot like my dad, I'm ending this post for everyone's benefit with Panasonic's explanation of why you should care via the update below.

image courtesy of http://jacoblshapiro.com/blog/?p=114Recently, designer Tyler Thompson posted a nice little blog about one thing and one thing only: his frustration towards the design of his Delta boarding pass. "The design of boarding passes makes me want to scratch my eyes out," is the rallying cry and gives you a sense of the site's tone.

Thompson's Actual Delta Pass:

Not content to just complain about matters Thompson also studied the functions of this piece of communication and started designing a better and more easily understood pass of his own. Ultimately he posted four versions of his own design and more recently design contributions from other frustrated would-be travelers. This site is called Pass Fail and although a bit blue on the language (Hey, who isn't irritated by all things air-travel these days?), the site is a wondeful study in the power of intelligent communication design. In short, it's the kind of blogging that is actually worth reading. Below are his designs. Please go to the site and read more about each one.

Thompson's First Design and Second (adding color):

Thompson's Third Design to Show Airline Neutrality:

Thompson's Final Design:

As you can see his final design makes a world of difference compared to his actual Delta pass. On the site he received a lot of comments and feedback that led to his final approach and it's pretty solid. Everything lives where you can find it and is well organized. Seeing this at the counter would bring me great relief.

One of the more thoughtful contributions from his visitors came from Timoni Grone. She wrote a response to Thompson's article called "A practical boarding pass redesign." Here is her design that takes into account the limitations and restrictions of a boarding pass. I like her academic approach as well as the similarly practical design of Yoni De Beule who addressed a lot of the comments on the blog up to that point.

Grone's Practical Design:

De Beule's Design:

These two designs favor practicality over artsy design and rightfully so. All of the information is organized and more intuitive than the real-world version. It would have been easy to simply choose a nice typeface hierarchy that would look great, but it's worthless if they coudn't print it cost-effectively using the current methods. And this is definitely one project that brings with it a lot of technical and economic boundaries. So I applaud the perspective both designers brought to this conversation. All that being said, I think there is still room to improve the boarding pass design while remaining absolutely stone-cold reasonable.

I think Thompson's final design is well-done and a worthy candidate for implementation. I like the use of small graphic elements to direct the eye and ease understanding. I also appreciate the limitations and solutions provided by Grone and De Beule. But what both approaches fail to do is consider that the traveler is not a machine and is a human being that takes in information differently than a scanner. To be clear, none of these designs go far enough past convention, they still are organized and optimized for the scanner instead of the human eye and this need not be. A scanner can be programmed to read the codes and information so long as it is present at a technologically sound size and color. A human is far less flexible and needs to be approached on that level first. My design attempts to balance practical printing limitations with a little bit of humanity.

For cost reasons I stuck with one color (though I do mention the benefit of a two color option further below.) I am assuming the template ticket would be preprinted in the case of cards with the airline logos. And in the case of kiosk printing, this could be done as it is now with lower quality color printing on demand. I chose a common monospace font so that all the characers are of equal width to provide consistent fields for data printing and because machines butcher typefaces that need to be kerned anyway. I kept the size and format of the ticket fairly standard to retain the focus on the design for the sake of this argument as well. What is not standard is the delivery of the information on the boarding pass, and it is this delivery that is the main focus of my concept even beyond the design particulars.

My Human Boarding Pass (click for larger view):

My version uses clear information delivered in the same manner that an airline attendant might use, in common prose. It is also given in the same order that a traveler needs it. The data can still be read by a scanner but can also be easily absorbed by the customer. This approach also has the added benefit of being warm and personable and could be reiterated by the airline personnel in the same way. Given the current state of flying, this is a much needed change. More important is the fact that I felt most of the designs in the dialogue so far still feel like a fenced-in gathering of lots of rogue pieces of information. Simply put they are still too busy and harder to digest than necessary.

I realize that people are not that into reading these days, but I think a simple concise directive still would work better than an amalgam of data points. I resisted the urge to call out the information on my boarding pass any further, though I could easily imagine a revision using a heavier weight or color change to draw more attention to them. And I used international time for no other reason than it allows the elimination of the day and night (am/pm) label. I feel like I have arrived at a solution that is quite elegant requiring very little implementation costs/changese. In approach it could not be more different than the real-world Delta ticket that started this all, but in design terms it is a small but effective change. I am surprised how similar the orginal Delta ticket and my version ended up being, but this pleases me in some odd way too.

In the spirit of Thompson's post I couldn't resist adding my version to the fray. I do believe my design solves most of the issues involved in the discussion about boarding pass design and was a joy to consider for a few hours. But I repeat Thompson's thoughts when I say we're all just trying to make this better. Cheers.

Over the holidays, smack dab in the middle of hockey season, and exactly on Boxing Day - Molson Canadian launched a new advertising campaign, new logo, and new packaging in an attempt to regain the brand's Canadian-ness. (Their word not mine.) This is simply a trifecta of design that we cannot ignore reporting, despite not being a big drinker.

The launch ad features overhead shots of Canada's natural beauty that would do very well as a tourism spot were it not for the over-grandiose voice-over talent providing a blue-collar tone: "We have more square feet of awesome per person than any other nation on Earth. There are thousands of fresh water lakes, and barley fields as far as the eye can see." The spot is overtly trying to connect the natural wonder of Canada to the quality of the beer as it ends with a Molson tap in the middle of a field of Barley. Okay. It's just a normal, well-shot beer spot and maybe there isn't anything wrong with that. Though the Canadian pride stuff seems far less authentic now that Molson is 58% owned by SABMiller.

Dave Bigioni, Brand Director for Canadian, said the campaign is an evolution of last year's The Code campaign. "Part of the idea with ‘The Code' was to get back to the brand's Canadian-ness," Bigioni said. "This new campaign is about sharing our point of view on what makes Canada great," and attempts to tie those pristine images of glaciers and golden fields to the bottled golden liquid. "We're rooting our message back in the quality credentials of the beer," he said. (Quotes courtesy from Canada's Marketing Magazine.)

Like I said, there's nothing mind-blowing about this spot produced by Toronto agency-of-record Zig, however additional pieces of this creative will be launching in February. They will include more broadcast, out of home, and the dream project for junior creative portfolios everywhere: in-bar advertising. Look out for all of that later next month.

Here's The Launch Spot:


The Old Logo:


The Old Bottle Label:


The new identity work features a more prominent and detailed red maple leaf than the previous design and is the work of Spring Design Partners out of New York. "We felt the branding needed a bit of an update to keep in touch with the times," Bigioni said. "We have a very iconic look. We didn't want to evolve too far from that, but the current identity had been in market for five years."

The new design features more shadowing and depth in the maple leaf, which is cropped off at the bottom and is no longer wet. Glad to see the wetness go and the crop is a better solution than having the stem stick down and muddle up the name. The typography of Canadian is still set in the familiar red and blue alternating characters but in a new face. (When combined with the leaf this color pattern is the heart of their identity and I don't think they'll ever change it.) It's hard to tell on the sample images if the new palette is lighter than the previous though it seems so. In terms of the typeface change, the new design goes from a slightly formal oblique condensed Optima-ish face to a firmly grounded and slightly modern condensed gothic. The typeface for Molson is the same though no longer italicized, thankfully.

Though I would have concerns about how consistently that leaf can be reproduced, this design evolution is a pretty solid effort. It's basically what you like to see when an identity is upgraded. You add something that freshens it up for the marketplace and yet you keep all the things you like about the old - particularly the design heritage. Look forward to seeing how this is carried out across all the channels. Well done.

The New Logo:


Comparison of Old & New:
The New Bottle:

I had the pleasure of attending the opening ceremony for the Burj Dubai last night here in the United Arab Emirates. It was an epic show of lights, sound, water and some amazing fireworks — basically what you'd expect from the Emirate, a flashy show of style. (View a few pictures of my facebook account here.) Now, I would not have been surprised if they simply demolished the building and announced plans for an even taller structure on the site and I would not have blinked had the building took off like a rocket launching the royal families in attendance into orbit. Such is the way around here.

But there were two big surprises on the night. The first was an announced height that was ten meters higher than previously thought, which is a big deal if you're building the world's tallest building—you want it to stay that way for as long as possible. The second big surprise was the renaming of the building from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalifa. Khalifa is one of two families in the UAE that share power, and as I understand it they are rulers of Abu Dhabi. The ruling family of Dubai, the Maktoums, switch off and on as Prime Minister/Vice Prime Minister of the UAE. The public was caught off guard on the name change to be sure, and the locals say it's huge.

Now, there was a lot of branding work done on the Burj Dubai, forgetting about the reasons for the name change (which range from paying back Abu Dhabi for the bailout money, to just being a kind gesture.) All of the branding work was made obsolete in one day. Consider that not just the building but the entire surrounding neighborhood has been called Downtown Burj Dubai and all the signage and business cards and addresses will now presumably become Downtwon Burj Khalifa. The reason I mention this, is to say that there was a lot of work done in terms of design that now has to be adjusted. Who knows how long the branding team knew about it. In the end, at least up until this point, the design stayed pretty much the same and just reflected the name alteration.

From what I gather there were two main entities involved in the branding of the building and square. Strategically, well-regarded and internationally awarded design consultancy The Brand Union, provided guidance. Here's an excerpt from the press release discussing their involvement:

"Using a seven step mastery system, The Brand Union built out from a core 'bright idea' into a compelling and distinct brand world. In the case of Burj Dubai, the agency needed to assess the current identity and collateral and refine the identity and developed the following brand story.

• I am the power that lifts the world's head proudly skywards, surpassing limits and expectations.
• Rising gracefully from the desert and honouring the city with a new glow, I am an extraordinary union of engineering and art, with every detail carefully considered and beautifully crafted.
• I am the life force of collective aspirations and the aesthetic union of many cultures. I stimulate dreams, stir emotions and awaken creativity.
• I am the magnet that attracts the wide-eyed tourist, eagerly catching their postcard moment, the centre for the world's finest shopping, dining and entertainment and home for the world's elite.
• I am the heart of the city and its people; the marker that defines Dubai's shining dream.
• More than just a moment in time, I define moments for future generations.
• I am Burj Dubai.

"By aligning the brand identity with the brand's behaviour and performance to build a compelling and consistent brand world, we provide the framework, training and tools to ensure that what Burj Dubai promises is delivered through every little detail and experience."

They go on to say that their goal was to change the perception of the building from simply the world's tallest to a 'living wonder.' The other firm involved was Brash Brands. They designed the old identity system as well as the newly (slightly) adjusted design for the Khalifa change. Apparently Brash is a new agency here in town and this was the first project under the name. That's quite a way to start, to be sure. Design of the global launch events, communications, and visitors centers for the Burj Khalifa have also been created by Brash Brands as well as the roadshow exhibition for the Armani Residences, which are part of the Armani Hotel within the Burj Khalifa, which toured Milan, London, Jeddah, Moscow and Delhi.

The Original Burj Dubai:

The Burj Khalifa:

Basically it's a typeface (Foundary Sans) set spaciously in silver on a field of black with an intersection of two thin silver strokes. The type runs both horizontally and vertically depending on the placement. It looks pretty conservative for something as interesting and bold as the project itself. The architecture and courage to build an 828 meter building shows up nowhere in the identity unfortunately. I'm not saying it's ugly by any means, as a matter of fact it's rather nice. It would perform perfectly on just about any other building and in my eyes would feel at home on Park Avenue in Manhattan. Just about any other building wouldn't need more than a type-set name, but the Burj deserved a design much more daring from the design team. It's unfortunate that most of Brash's portfolio is really strong but this project will garner the most attention for obvious reasons.

The Burj Dubai Website (Click to enlarge - Trust me, you don't want to wait for the site to load. At least for the next few days.)

Another aspect of the identity that I think is interesting (or just wrong) is the fact that the identity is just as often set horizontally as it is vertically. Whether the design focused on being the world's tallest buiding or living wonder, the design should still have been vertical. Yes, that's obvious but sometimes we designers can make things more difficult than they need to be and miss the most elegant solution. If I had worked on this project, The Burj Khalifa would always, always, always be set vertically and would have been designed to look good going visually up and down. Again this work isn't bad, it's just not quite right.

Sample Identity System:

Sample Interior Signage:

The new exterior signage oddly doesn't feature the new look, which is unfortunate:

Of all the sample design work that I have seen so far, the following graphic is the piece that I liked best and think the best visual solution could have come from setting the building's vertical shape in a variety of graphic forms. This identity could have been dynamic, different almost everytime you see it but consistent in shape. It could have been as cool as the building. View the graphic below and tell me this isn't a better start for the identity. You could build this form using an almost infinite number of graphic elements and it would still be recognizable. Afterall, the building itself is the building's identity and should play a bigger part in the design.

The Building is the Building's Identity:

So, I think the identity work is serviceable just not nearly as exciting as it should have been. But I did see something related that had a solid design approach and that is the identity of the observation deck in the building called, At the Top. It takes an overhead view of the building's unique shape and uses those forms to establish their corporate identity. I think this is a solid look and would have been another approach to use for the building as a whole that would have more impact - even if it isn't vertically-based. Unfortunately, this is the largest sample image of that design I could find and I'm not sure who is responsible, Perhaps Brash.

At The Top Burj Dubai:

Here's a larger version I just found:

I'm going to try and nab a few more sample images for the Burj Khalifa identity, particularly signage and wayfinding as soon as possible. More to come.