While I'm partial to a good rebrand, there are some logos that should never be touched, especially when there's a horde of bloodthirsty fans ready to tear any redesign to shreds. However, designer Allan Peters showed no fear when he recently attempted to "fix" the Marvel logo, and to say it was a divisive move would be an understatement.
Often, the best logos are iconic because of their simplicity, something that the Marvel logo embodies with its bold, yet understated design. Completely reinventing the logo, Peters' unique spin on the beloved design naturally ruffled some feathers, proving that creating something as simple as concept design can be a dangerous game to play.
Collaborating with designer and animator Nur Amirov, Peters set about 'fixing' the Marvel logo, explaining, "Marvel is a loved brand however I saw room for improvement with the logo itself. It is currently is lacking a story and it has no brand mark making so it doesn’t reduce well."
Taking a more graphic approach to the logo, Peters was inspired by the brand's physical comics, playing with angles to create an 'M' motif that mimics the pages of a book. Maintaining the bold look of the brand's wordmark, his logo design feels aeons away from Marvel's iconic logo – undoubtedly unique, but at what cost?
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Fans soon flocked to the comments to share their opinion, with many stating the design didn't need to be fixed. "When you see the red rectangle with white text in the corner of your eye or as a tab on a comic book it’s instantly marvel - you’ve lost all of that with a generic logo," one user commented, while others felt the design appeared too "generic and corporate", like an "SAT Prep company" or a "a 90s construction business."
Over on Reddit, the scathing opinions continued, with users comparing the design to the Metro logo and Gmail icon. "It feels so… corporate. Almost Sterile. Doesn’t lend to the brand at all," one Redditor commented, while another claimed it had "Too much going on," and "Zero charm."
Redesigning any fan favourite design is always going to be a risk – take Jaguar's divisive rebrand as a prime example. Check out our collection of the most disastrous rebrands to see what we can learn from them.
