Vital Design Blog » logos in portsmouth nh

Modern Design’s Influence on one of the World’s Oldest Team Sports

Scott Holt — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:48:39 +0000

Crisp fall nights loom on the horizon as we wind down the dog days of August. This time of year means football, for many. Of course, geography plays a large part in determining which brand of football. Being part of the growing contingent of football fans in the states that follows the European version – the one played with feet – I’d like to examine the influence of modern design on the rebranding of football clubs in Europe. You can think of them as soccer clubs if you’d like, I can assure you no one in this group will mock you publicly.

ARSENAL FC

We start with the rebrand of the club I have a firsthand knowledge and love for: Arsenal FC. I remember when the new crest debuted. You might have thought someone dropped a bomb on the stadium and sold all the players, according to some in the blogosphere who saw this as a clear abomination and betrayal of the club’s history and heritage. Given time, however, people get over their disdain for change and embrace a new look. Minimizing design isn’t always the answer, but it has been a successful trend in modern updates of brands from corporate to sport, and here I feel it works quite well. The previous crest was far too ornate, and busy. The update displays a modern font and a simplified eastern facing cannon that signifies a commitment to progressively moving forward. All told, a resounding success as far as this designer is concerned. Of course I teeter on the brink of bias, but I digress. A-

BOLTON WANDERERS FC

Moving on To Bolton, a truly detestable side with a moderately detestable crest. This upgrade is subtle and preserves their previous typography adding little whispy streamers instead of the stately ribbon of the previous effort. This upgrade isn’t particularly bad as it’s understated enough, I’m simply not a fan of the logo to begin with. And anything that evokes the memory of Will Ferrell’s floor dance performance in “Old School” can’t be a good representation for any club looking to establish their identity. D+

BORUSSIA DORTMUND

Let’s jump countries on our European tour over to Germany to check on Borussia’s update to their classic BVB crest. Punching up the yellow really leaves an impression. The typography has been updated nicely to make the crest symmetrical and sophisticated. It’s simple but memorable. A

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC

Being an Arsenal supporter, Tottenham falls under the category of nemesis. The clubs are separated in North London by four miles and a wealth of good fortune. That said, as much as it pains me to say so, the update of the club’s crest is a fantastic improvement. The simplification of the “cockerel,” (their birds not mine) came off perfectly. They dumped the lions and Latin and inserted a retro football in the place of the club’s initials. I think the color, lines, and look of this update to the crest are nearly flawless leaving you with a simple and sophisticated improvement. For that they receive high marks. A+

PARIS ST. GERMAIN FC

Onto France where we take a look at the updates in Paris. PSG did a nice job cleaning up what was otherwise a little murky. The black strokes on the old logo were harsh, and the typography appears messy jetting off the icon as it does. The upgrade addresses these issues nicely, even if the baby crib under the Eiffel Tower is a little curious. B-

AJAX FC

The Dutch national team has one of the coolest brands of all time in the lion’s head. I liked it so much I placed it on the Vital team jerseys for our Tuesday night league. This fondness does not carry across the board in Holland as Amsterdam’s Ajax (eye-axe to those of you confusing it with a cleaning product) upgrade has left me a little conflicted. On the one hand I love the type update, as well as the red border, but I can’t help thinking the update to the Greek Warrior Ajax’s face took simplicity to the precipice and beyond. If we were to agree that the original version was far too detailed to reproduce across multiple forms of media would we then agree that using a fat magic marker to do a quick trace would not be the answer to simplifying the image? I think so. In writing this I’ve learned that supporters have been campaigning to ditch the new crest since its inception in the ’90s due to it being too cold and business like. A campaign that has fallen on deaf ears. Proof positive that you can oversimplify your brand and agitate your target audience. C-

Moving away from the per club breakdown of club crests, I’d like to now move swiftly onto my “FILE UNDER” segment where we take some successful, some not so successful, some legendary and some downright bizarre examples of rebranding from around European football leagues and file them under their appropriate categories.

FILE UNDER “PROGRESS”:

FILE UNDER “STROBE-TASTIC”:

FILE UNDER “MUTANT RABBIES CAT”:

FILE UNDER “FINE WINE AND BIOHAZARD”:

FILE UNDER “LAW SUIT”:

FILE UNDER “INEXPLICABLE”:

FILE UNDER “УРОДСКО!”:

FILE UNDER “Vive Le Résistance!”:

FILE UNDER “YOU AIN’T GO-‘N’ NOWHERE”:

FILE UNDER “LEGENDARY”:

Smooth Scroll Site for Stone Church

Brian DeKoning — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:13:28 +0000

We are happy to launch a new website design for the Stone Church, the coolest music venue in the Seacoast, NH area.

After designing a new logo for The Stone Church, we used a one-page, smooth scroll approach for this site because we wanted to give The Church a memorable website that is easy to update (it helps that Church owner Chris McClain knows HTML) but is not too complicated.

This is the first one-page, smooth scroll site we’ve built for a client and I think we are all happy with the design. One of my favorite parts, other than the guitar, is the look of the Twitter feed. It blends well with the rest of the site and is an easy opportunity for dynamic content.

The Stone Church has been around for about 40 years. Despite some major renovations over the years, I don’t think it has changed all that much in terms of the type of music or energy and crowds you’ll find there. Needless to say, we were very excited to be chosen for this project. Chris and his wife/business partner Melissa Poirier have been fantastic to work with.

The design by Art Director Scott Holt is meant to make you feel like you are sitting at a table or the bar of The Church. To do this, he used a lot of life-size things like beers and napkins and guitar pics as seen from a top perspective. (A few years ago we would have included ashtrays and matchbooks.)

Some of the inspiration for Web Developer Bill Lord on this site can be summed up with this very cool Creative Opera blog post, especially sites like Football Made in Africa, Danny Blackman, and The Great Bearded Reef.

We’ve already put out a press release and inundated our Twitter followers and Facebook fans with way more info about this project than they can probably bear, so I’ll be brief here. For more information, see the press release we wrote and feel free to leave us comments or questions here or through social media sites.

Lessons of Tropicana. Squeezing every drop from your brand.

Melissa Lyford — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:37:12 +0000

If a tired brand is dragging you down, a frosty economy is a great time for a new design.

By freshening your brand identity, you’ll create buzz, connect with new customers, and better represent your organization.

It’s kind of like when you start working out to shed that jelly belly after you get dumped. Let ‘em know you’re back in circulation!

But if your brand is more 2004 than 1994, maybe you wanna rethink how your loyal customers will stomach the new you. Consider Tropicana’s ill-fated recent redo, an example of rebranding gone horribly sour.

PepsiCo’s complete brand overhaul included a twist on Tropicana branding with a sleek, new package that some loyal customers called a generic juice box! (Who knew how much they love the orange with the straw?)

The reaction to the new packaging was so acidic that Tropicana squashed the updated design and reverted to their orange-impaled-by-candy-striped-straw look.

There are two big lessons here. The first is that social media networks like Twitter and Facebook (not to mention the electronic mail and the rest of them Internets) give instant power to the people. Forget the slow pulp of newsprint or the long, sagging vines of telephony when it comes to relaying consumer rejection. Buyer discontent is instant.

The second lesson is that it’s vital to leverage your existing brand strengths. Take time to consider this before you hire someone who never bought a carton of orange juice to make visual or graphic adjustments to your life’s blood. Beware the huanglongbing of change for change’s sake.

If done carefully and with research of your target market, company values and core message, an identity redesign can be the best thing for your brand. The 2009 ReBrand 100 Global Awards are great examples.

Pass the Burnt Sienna

Kris Combs — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:22:12 +0000

I’ll never forget what a client said one day early in my career after receiving a proposal for a logo design.

“This is what a logo costs!??!” exclaimed the client, who shall remain nameless. “A monkey with a crayon can do your job for crying out loud!”

I didn’t bother to explain that a monkey would actually have to learn how to use Adobe Creative Suites to do my job. In retrospect, it’s funny, but that experience shows you how logo estimates are sometimes received by clients who haven’t had custom design work done.

After explaining the planning, thought process, and wrist labor that designers go through, clients usually see the importance of the investment in professional help. Or they walk away laughing because we refer to moving a mouse as labor.

Whether we are designing a logo, or planning user interface and search engine optimization for a website, graphic and Web designers use a lot of experience-based knowledge and training to produce professional work. That’s why we’re in business, right? If we lack in those areas, we just wear nerdy glasses and tight jeans to make you feel like we know something you don’t. Just kidding!

If you think you need professional marketing help in design or Web, ask yourself these questions:

Is my logo or brand telling my customers what I want them to know?

Is my website content interesting and easy to read/view/hear?

How does my website show up when people in my area Google the service/product I provide?

If any of these questions are a stumbling block we can help. We don’t work for peanuts but throw in few bananas and we can talk.

5 Things Your Logo Should Say About You

Rachel Swanson — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:48:49 +0000

Logos are often the first introduction the public has to your company, so it’s critical to make a good impression with a professional image. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your logo needs to break out its interview suit, but it needs to have an appropriate style for your product or company. An eye-catching logo will inspire people to learn more about your brand, even if they have no idea what you do. It is equally important to realize that an uninspired logo can turn customers away before they get through the door. Here are five things your logo should say about your company, organization, or brand. How does yours measure up?

1. I am a professional and I take my business seriously (even if it’s Disney World).

2. I know who I am and what my brand represents.

3. I understand the audience that I am trying to reach.

4. I am current.

5. I am unique.

If you’re not sure where your logo stands, you can always contact us here at Vital for a free and honest evaluation. In the meantime, check out the work of other designers. One source of logo inspiration we like is the Logo of the Day Blog.

For critique and discussion of updated logos, nothing beats the Brand New Blog.
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Branding project

admin — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:38:19 +0000

Today, we are wrapping up the logo comps which will establish a sub-branding look and feel for a company that provides marine customization for sport fishing boats, serious pleasure sailing and yachts. This project has really forced us to think about brand architecture, the importance of not diluting a strong, established brand, and communicating effectively through the sub-brands. Here’s a link to another recent branding project we worked on that required creating an identity for a suite of products, which is similar to what we’re doing today.

I’m feeling optimistic that we can really help this client move to a new level in how they present themselves (at which they’ve done a great job to date).