It's amazing what you can do with a single horizontal line
(Image credit: u/aLp on Reddit)
Barely a day goes by in the design world without a cleverly reimagined logo popping up. But every now and again, one truly captures our imagination – like this concept Adidas sandals ad (above) shared by reddit user u/aLp.
The witty design takes Adidas' famous three-stripe logo and, with the addition of a single horizontal line, turns it into an image of the company's also very well known slider sandal (below). It's an ingeniously simple, why-didn't-I-think-of-that concept, which is particularly striking because of the immediately obvious iconic Adidas logo. While the three stripes didn't quite make our list of the 10 best logos of all time, it's certainly one of the best sports logos.
The real deal (Image credit: Adidas)
Over on reddit, users are fully appreciating the simplicity, although many were quick to point out what else the image could represent: a sailboat, the Sydney Opera House, an ice cream cone sitting sideways on a chopping board. For our money, it could also be a (very small) handkerchief poking out of a tuxedo pocket. Other were not so keen, with reddit user RomanBlue_ saying: "While interesting, I believe you are harming the identity of the logo. A big brand logo is not something to be toyed with."
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Here at Creative Bloq, we love a clever logo concept, especially when they rival the real thing – like this smart new crocs concept, or this vastly improved Paris 2020 logo. And this isn't the first clever reworking of the Adidas logo we've seen. Earlier this year, architect Karina Wiciak included the stripes in a stunning series of logos reimagined as houses.
Overall, as a concept design, we think this works really well. The incorporation of the logo in the design and its placement makes both the product it's trying to promote and brand immediately obvious. Of course there's an argument not to mess with iconic logos, but we like this one so much, we'll let it slide (sorry, couldn't resist).
Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles. He has interviewed leaders and designers at brands including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. Daniel's debut book of short stories and poems was published in 2018, and his comedy newsletter is a Substack Bestseller.
