I’ve always considered myself an armchair graphic designer, particularly when it comes to logos. A logo is a really easy and effective way to convey an image about your business/club/whatever. And while I’m all for modern styling, logos are one area where I’m old-fashioned. Too often, companies will update their logo for seemingly no good reason, and it’s usually for the worse. So let’s take a look at a sampling of logos and emblems, both old and new, and see if my stodgy views are justified.

Burger King

The original BK logo was simple, yet effective. A nice, quirky little font and the bun halves got the point across. Not as iconic as the golden arches, but still good.

The font on the logo was made blander in 1994, then five years later BK unveiled a SLAMMIN’ new look:

Yeah, it’s the same basic idea, but what’s the point? For some reason the buns are shiny now (a bit odd). And everything was slanted, a sure way to show that the Whopper is now totally in your face! Oh well, at least they’ve atoned for their unnecessarily slick image with their Creepy King ad campaign.

Winner — Old logo.

ShopRite

Readers outside the U.S. Northeast may not know of ShopRite, but it’s your basic grocery store chain. Originally founded in 1946 as Wakefern Foods, ShopRite arrived on the scene in 1951. Just like BK, their classic logo (introduced in 1974) is simple, clean, and visually appealing. I’m not sure what typeface is being used but I like it. And the shopping cart full of cannonballs tells me I might run into either Wile E. Coyote or the top-hat guy from Stratego when I’m shopping, so I like that right off the bat.

But of course, this wasn’t good enough, so in 2003 this already dated new look was unveiled:

OK, first off the new typeface sucks. The old one conveyed a sense of gravitas and authority. When you shop here you shop RITE, dammit! The new one kind of suggests, “Hey, if you’re not too busy later, maybe you might wanna come here and look around? Maybe? If not, that’s OK too.” Just too weak and ineffectual. The shopping cart is pretty much the same, except they’ve made a point to show that they sell more than one shape of grocery now. But watch out, pick the wrong melon and your cart might just EXPLODE with savings at any moment!

Winner — Old logo.

Plymouth

The Plymouth brand was introduced by Chrysler in 1928, and its logo went through a number of changes over the years. The original one represented the Mayflower, which as we all know came to symbolize European hegemony over the Western Hemisphere. But on the car, it looked pretty good:

The badge is neat enough, but how sweet is it having a toy ship in plastic on the hood?!? But starting in the early 1960, all Chrysler makes were re-branded with the so-called “Pentastar” logo:

A bit understated, but it certainly became well-known enough, so I suppose it was effective. However, as Plymouth’s fortunes faded over a number of years they went retro and brought back the Mayflower. Just in the wimpiest way possible:

That right there is a logo bad enough to kill a company, and that’s exactly what happened. The last Plymouth rolled off the assembly line in 2001 and had to bear the shame of displaying what looked more like a crappy model sailboat than one of the most famous vessels in history.

Winner — The original logos, or even the pentastar replacement.

Denver Broncos

Over the past 15 years or so, more bad logo changes have been made in the world of sports than in any other. For too many teams, “tradition” equals “low sales,” and so every few years it seems another team kicks sand in the face of its past and rolls out a ghastly new look.

One of the worst offenders is the Denver Broncos. From 1962 until 1997, they sported one of the best logos in the NFL:

I’m a lifelong Oakland Raiders fan, and even I can admit that this is a damn cool logo. I mean, how awesome is a horse that shoots a laser blast from its snout? (That is a laser, right?)

But then in 1997, the Broncos sold their soul to Nike and unleashed this monstrosity:

The oh-so subtle incorporation of the Nike swoosh is bad enough, but the fact that it looks like something an Arena Football League team would use is even worse. This is design-by-committee at its soulless worst. And while fans will point out the fact that the team won the Super Bowl the year they adopted this garbage, they know it’s coincidence and nothing else.

Winner — Do you even have to ask?

New England Patriots

While not nearly as awful as the Broncos, the New England Patriots went from classic to craptastic. After ditching their first design (a tricorner hat), they busted out good ol’ Pat Patriot:

Sure, Pat has a rather sinister look on his face for a guy wearing stockings, but it sure was the most distinctive logo in the NFL (and AFL before that). But according to the Wikipedia article on the Patriots, the logo was too busy and therefore too expensive to reproduce and so they ditched it. I’m sure they saved a ton with the new design, but at what cost?

Many fans dubbed the new logo “Flying Elvis,” but I dub it “Flying Crap.” This looks more like a logo for an insurance company than a football team. Sure it’s reliable and can produce an actuarial table like no one’s business, but it doesn’t belong on a football field. Oh well, it gives me one more reason to hate the Pats I guess.

Winner — Pat Patriot in a New England minute.

I could devote a whole site to bad logo choices, but I think one post is enough for now. But by all means let’s hear your suggestions! I promise to think about giving you credit if I post a followup.

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