Another one is joining the 3d button style bandwagon! This time is TLC (The Learning Channel), who just introduced their brand new logo. What are your thoughts on this one?
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on Thursday, April 6th, 2006 at 10:56 am and is filed under Branding.
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I do think I like the “live and learn” line better than the old “LIFE UNSCRIPTED”. The older one seemed to be too attached to the whole reality TV bit.
I like it - even more they have changed a lot of their show “introductions” to a more edgy/cool look. I think it was a smart move not to let themselves get “old fashioned” looking since they are trying to be on the radar of people under 30.
The new brand needs help, the font choice is awful and on the vurge of being dated already, the shape and highlite of the boxes looks as if the designer flattened his work then streatched them to match the diminsions of the old logo. The new tag is a bit better, it will be interesting to see future bumps with that as the theme.
I like it! Aside from the slot-machine overtones (undertones?) the typeface is bolder and cleaner without all those 1990’s serifs. I agree that the gradation and 3-D button highlights are starting to get a little long in the tooth. The colour is an interesting choice - I wonder what their design rationale was for the darker red…a more mature audience? More serious content? I also like the new tagline, as it starts to hint at a move away from the reality show programming bandwagon.
the typesetting on the tagline is AWFUL and i’d have to agree about the typeface being a bad choice too. I do like the new tagline live and learn though
I think j truitt got it right, the new logo isn’t anything special. I prefer the new tag, although “live and learn” has its negative side too (ie, learning from a negative experience). I don’t mind the font for the 3 letters, but it makes the tag hard to read. But at least they got rids of the all caps in the old tag…
I like the type on this new one a _lot_ better than the old logo.
Those huge serifs crammed into their rectangles are a strain on the eyes compared to the simple curvy letters of the new type.
But
I don’t like the new shade of red or the cheesy 3D button filter.
But
I like the new tagline and the “life lessons” campaign they’re running on tv.
I like the new logo more, due to the cleaner type and nicer tagline. I’m also a fan of rounded corners, but I fear it’ll be “out” in a few years and they’ll have to redesign again. Especially the trendy gloss look, I can’t believe they are putting stuff like that in their branding.
ok, i agree the old typeface looked crowded (fixed by adding a little more spacing on the left and right), but they could have found a happy in-between with their new design. the new typeface is not nice. it is unbalanced when it is set in word or sentence format (not as noticeable when used as single letters set in blocks). sorry if you can’t see that. keep staring
huh? logos aren’t usually designed to be used in sentances. that’s what the alphabet is for, right? it’s a quick read - no need to keep staring at it to get it.
I think it’s a pretty safe assumption that this wasn’t the designers first choice. Anyone who has ever dealt with a real client knows that they seldom pick the ‘best’ look. Instead, you get a bunch of non-designers sitting in a room all acting to know something about design.
Here’s a better example of how logos using 3D approaches can benefit the company image. It isn’t a dramatic change but i think it lifts the logo off the page without compromising any of its other features (like the vodaphone one did). I also liked the font and slogan change too. The new font make sthe company appear more dynamic while the new slogan is easier to say and therefore more memorable than the original.
I agree. It seems like everyone is 3D-ifying their logos. And it’s probably true that the fad is going to die out within the next couple of years. But I don’t think people like TLC mind the expense (monitary or othewise) of updating their identity so often. In a market like TV, they have to stay fresh or they get forgotten.
There is something about it that reminds me of the face of a slot machine. I guess it’s the space above and below the numbers? I don’t know - something seems off about it, even outside the criticism of the glassy button thing.
well, it’s easier to do these project when you don’t have clients, but I think that it does a good job of bringing the old logo into a new focus, There is a flat version too, and I think that is going to be pretty trend proof.
Found this a while back, but I didn’t want to comment about it while the iron was too hot. This is a case of modest homogeny. Originally I designed this to be flat art, but the client absolutely wanted a glossy version. So we did both, and we suggested they use the flat art where it makes most sense… possibly using it more and more in the future.
It’s one thing to look at a logo and say this is better or this is worse, but having worked with both logos, I think that the update is easier to work with than the old. First of all we wanted to optimize the ID for use in video and web applications. The old logo needed to be buch bigger to retain it’s form. And what designer doesn’t want to be able to use a smaller logo.
The client wanted a logo that recalled the old logo, but that was more modern and youthful. The deep red had been selected in advance of the logo design. This color was seen as a natural progression of the bright TLC red.
Finally, the typeface of the logo is not intended to be used in sentence or body copy format. The tag line font is a solid one from village fonts and for business documents we specified that font. The type was hand made for this application and in the approval process certain concessions were made. That is a reality of working with a large group like TLC, do I feel badly about it? No. That’s the process, anyone who isn’t familiar with it probably doesn’t have a network ID in their book.
At the end of the day I’m very happy with this project especially knowing the process that we went through to get it done. And TLC is happy, soo… hmm… what else is there?
April 6th, 2006 at 11:22 am
its horrible.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:25 am
it’s better than the old one. but there is nothing special about it.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:27 am
they could have gotten so much better
April 6th, 2006 at 11:34 am
YUCK!
April 6th, 2006 at 11:35 am
I don’t like this rebranding either.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:36 am
I do think I like the “live and learn” line better than the old “LIFE UNSCRIPTED”. The older one seemed to be too attached to the whole reality TV bit.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:43 am
I like it - even more they have changed a lot of their show “introductions” to a more edgy/cool look. I think it was a smart move not to let themselves get “old fashioned” looking since they are trying to be on the radar of people under 30.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:43 pm
The new brand needs help, the font choice is awful and on the vurge of being dated already, the shape and highlite of the boxes looks as if the designer flattened his work then streatched them to match the diminsions of the old logo. The new tag is a bit better, it will be interesting to see future bumps with that as the theme.
April 6th, 2006 at 1:03 pm
I like it! Aside from the slot-machine overtones (undertones?) the typeface is bolder and cleaner without all those 1990’s serifs. I agree that the gradation and 3-D button highlights are starting to get a little long in the tooth. The colour is an interesting choice - I wonder what their design rationale was for the darker red…a more mature audience? More serious content? I also like the new tagline, as it starts to hint at a move away from the reality show programming bandwagon.
April 6th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
the typesetting on the tagline is AWFUL and i’d have to agree about the typeface being a bad choice too. I do like the new tagline live and learn though
April 6th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
I think j truitt got it right, the new logo isn’t anything special. I prefer the new tag, although “live and learn” has its negative side too (ie, learning from a negative experience). I don’t mind the font for the 3 letters, but it makes the tag hard to read. But at least they got rids of the all caps in the old tag…
April 6th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
I think they could have done much better, especially with the sans serif font. It seems as if somethings missing! Like the older one better.
April 6th, 2006 at 6:22 pm
Sure. the new tagline is great, but the whole thing looks so cold/futuristic and removed, the line seems more threatening than anything else.
April 6th, 2006 at 9:28 pm
You keep taking digs at everyone joining the 3d bandwagon, whats wrong with joining a proven trend.
it costs a lot of money to update a logo so you dont want an overnight fad that you’ll be sick off in 6months
April 7th, 2006 at 12:30 am
I like the type on this new one a _lot_ better than the old logo.
Those huge serifs crammed into their rectangles are a strain on the eyes compared to the simple curvy letters of the new type.
But
I don’t like the new shade of red or the cheesy 3D button filter.
But
I like the new tagline and the “life lessons” campaign they’re running on tv.
But
I don’t like most of the shows on their channel.
April 7th, 2006 at 2:15 am
I like the new logo more, due to the cleaner type and nicer tagline. I’m also a fan of rounded corners, but I fear it’ll be “out” in a few years and they’ll have to redesign again. Especially the trendy gloss look, I can’t believe they are putting stuff like that in their branding.
April 7th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Sweet! So much better than the stale, old, serif-ridden mark they’ve been using forever. TLC = Tastey Looking & Cool
April 7th, 2006 at 10:27 am
ok, i agree the old typeface looked crowded (fixed by adding a little more spacing on the left and right), but they could have found a happy in-between with their new design. the new typeface is not nice. it is unbalanced when it is set in word or sentence format (not as noticeable when used as single letters set in blocks). sorry if you can’t see that. keep staring
April 7th, 2006 at 12:05 pm
i was waiting for you to comment on this one. i’m not to happy about it.
April 7th, 2006 at 1:23 pm
huh? logos aren’t usually designed to be used in sentances. that’s what the alphabet is for, right? it’s a quick read - no need to keep staring at it to get it.
April 7th, 2006 at 2:18 pm
Mark… you want me to comment on this ?
April 7th, 2006 at 6:57 pm
I think it’s a pretty safe assumption that this wasn’t the designers first choice. Anyone who has ever dealt with a real client knows that they seldom pick the ‘best’ look. Instead, you get a bunch of non-designers sitting in a room all acting to know something about design.
April 7th, 2006 at 6:57 pm
like they know something about design. LOL
April 7th, 2006 at 11:20 pm
Here’s a better example of how logos using 3D approaches can benefit the company image. It isn’t a dramatic change but i think it lifts the logo off the page without compromising any of its other features (like the vodaphone one did). I also liked the font and slogan change too. The new font make sthe company appear more dynamic while the new slogan is easier to say and therefore more memorable than the original.
April 8th, 2006 at 8:35 am
I agree. It seems like everyone is 3D-ifying their logos. And it’s probably true that the fad is going to die out within the next couple of years. But I don’t think people like TLC mind the expense (monitary or othewise) of updating their identity so often. In a market like TV, they have to stay fresh or they get forgotten.
April 9th, 2006 at 8:42 am
[...] Quelle: Advertising/Design Goodness Abgelegt unter: Corporate Design — Martin @ 15:43 [...]
April 10th, 2006 at 10:21 am
There is something about it that reminds me of the face of a slot machine. I guess it’s the space above and below the numbers? I don’t know - something seems off about it, even outside the criticism of the glassy button thing.
April 10th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
well, it’s easier to do these project when you don’t have clients, but I think that it does a good job of bringing the old logo into a new focus, There is a flat version too, and I think that is going to be pretty trend proof.
April 17th, 2006 at 3:41 am
I agree with Christy, it does reminf me of a slot machine come to think of it.
April 18th, 2006 at 5:21 pm
has anyone here ever redesigned a network id? or just the usual florist brochure… it definitely shows.
April 22nd, 2006 at 5:25 pm
What time is the race airing on TLC…errr I mean SPEED TV?
December 5th, 2006 at 4:31 pm
Heh, I designed the update.
Found this a while back, but I didn’t want to comment about it while the iron was too hot. This is a case of modest homogeny. Originally I designed this to be flat art, but the client absolutely wanted a glossy version. So we did both, and we suggested they use the flat art where it makes most sense… possibly using it more and more in the future.
It’s one thing to look at a logo and say this is better or this is worse, but having worked with both logos, I think that the update is easier to work with than the old. First of all we wanted to optimize the ID for use in video and web applications. The old logo needed to be buch bigger to retain it’s form. And what designer doesn’t want to be able to use a smaller logo.
The client wanted a logo that recalled the old logo, but that was more modern and youthful. The deep red had been selected in advance of the logo design. This color was seen as a natural progression of the bright TLC red.
Finally, the typeface of the logo is not intended to be used in sentence or body copy format. The tag line font is a solid one from village fonts and for business documents we specified that font. The type was hand made for this application and in the approval process certain concessions were made. That is a reality of working with a large group like TLC, do I feel badly about it? No. That’s the process, anyone who isn’t familiar with it probably doesn’t have a network ID in their book.
At the end of the day I’m very happy with this project especially knowing the process that we went through to get it done. And TLC is happy, soo… hmm… what else is there?
February 9th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Ugh… the modern “rounded” typeface is OK, but the hey-look-at-me-im-web2.0-and-i-love-apple gloss makes my eyes want to bleed. Welcome to 2005, TLC.