As creatives, we constantly strive to reinterpret the world in new and visually exciting ways. Yet we can also be conservative and often have a knee-jerk reaction to something new.
So, on the day a new logo design is launched for a familiar brand, the first reactions are usually negative. Once some time has passed and the new design has been seen in action, though, it can be a different story.
Here we take a look back at the month's biggest new designs and redesigns: with a bit of fresh perspective, what do you think of them now?
01. Airbnb
Airbnb is a popular web service enabling you to rent rooms in your home out on a per-night basis for those looking for an alternative to hotels. This month it unveiled a new website design and logo, which raised eyebrows for four reasons.
Firstly, it gave the new logo symbol a name - Bélo - and explained that it was "the universal symbol of belonging", which seemed like a slight case of PR overreach. Secondly, it allowed users of Airbnb to make their own version of the logo - an interesting marketing move that other web brands will no doubt be watching carefully.
Thirdly, it attracted complaints that it was too similar to another company's logo. And finally (and there's no polite way of putting this) it provoked considerable social media chatter over whether it looked most like male or female genitalia.
02. Penguin Press
Penguin Press is a mainly non-fiction imprint of Penguin Random House books, that's been around for 11 years now. This year the company decided to give it a new look, and worked with Michael Bierut at Pentagram to create a new identity (above) that establishes an iconic symbol for the imprint.
The previous wordmark (below) had been almost illegible when reproduced at smaller sizes and particularly suffered onscreen, a liability in the age of social media
The designers decided to drop 'The' and focused on working with the 'PP' acronym. Noticing the similarity to ¶, the proofreader’s symbol for a paragraph (known as a pilcrow) they came up with an evocative symbol that looks at once modern and classic.
03. Foursquare
Location-based social networking app Foursquare unveiled a brand new logo and branding this month, alongside an entirely new app platform.
The company has removed its check-in system – once the app's USP – to become a slimmed-down local guidebook personalised to your tastes, akin to Yelp or Google Maps, and the new look (above) has been designed to reflect that.
The new logo design is a far cry from its bouncier predecessor (above). Designed in collaboration with New York agency Red Antler, the all-caps wordmark presents a cleaner and more professional face to the world. As with the Airbnb rebrand, it's an evolution broadly in line with the way most web logos have been evolving, from eBay to Yahoo.
04. Walmart: Women Owned
We're used to seeing labels on our supermarket goods identifying that they're low in fat, sourced locally, gluten free and so on. Now Walmart has released a new logo indicating that a particular product is made by a company owned by women.
The logo was created in consultation with the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and WEConnect International. Lingerie brand Smart & Sexy and Maggie’s Salsa are among the companies that plan to use it.
05. Inter Milan
The Football Club officially known as Internazionale Milano, but more commonly referred to as Internazionale, Inter or Inter Milan, has a new logo (above), designed by fellow countrymen Leftloft.
It's not a big departure from the previous design (below), but on close inspection does have simplified lines, fewer circles, and no longer carries the star on top.
What do you think of these logo redesigns? Let us know in the comments box below!
