New logos are rubbish

[JamesC]

This article (if you can call it that, it's more of a rant) really struck a chord with me. It's pretty much undeniable that new design, in certain areas, is in the doldrums. This is all about video game logos but could so easily be applied to movie posters, comic book covers etc.
http://www.digitiser2000.com/main-page/modern-game-logos-are-rubbish

[WhizzBang]

Mr Biffo is my favourite internet writer. He doesn't rant really - this is just one of the multiople styles he uses for different things. Here he is making a point humourusly but doesn't feel the need for much dialogue as the pictures make his point well.

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

Modern Life is, in fact, rubbish.

Bring back the 1980s, I say.

[Im_not_Frank]

Not all new logos are rubbish



I think he used the worst examples possible to make his point



Yes there are a lot of generic ones out there, but there are also some half decent one



and that's without even looking at indie games!

[Goaty]

TS?

[radiator]

It's pretty much undeniable that new design, in certain areas, is in the doldrums.

Is it? Well, that's news to me!

[Hawkmumbler]

Modern Life is, in fact, rubbish.

Bring back the 1980s, I say.

I've read your history books and don't want to live in that reality thank you!

[JamesC]

It's pretty much undeniable that new design, in certain areas, is in the doldrums.

Is it? Well, that's news to me!

In certain areas.
You don't think the quality of movie posters (at least for the big mainstream films) has suffered over the last 15-20 years?
Another example I gave was comic book covers. You get the odd good one on indie titles (and 2000AD obviously) but most of the mainstream DC / Marvel books have really uninspired covers.

[Hawkmumbler]

Couldn't it be argued that heavily stylised titles age really poorly? Whilst some minimalist ones, like ROM or the classic, jagged Judge Dredd logo, have aged well despite not being particularly stylised.

[JamesC]

A couple of articles by way of explanation:

This is self explanatory:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/28/why-modern-movie-posters-are-so-dreadful

This sums up some of the things I dislike about many modern super hero covers:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=52103

[radiator]

Sorry, but this is exactly the same tired old argument as 'music isn't as good as it was when i was young' - ie people conveniently forgetting that the vast majority of music (and pop culture in general) has always been schlock. Believe it or not, there was a huge amount of absolutely hideous design, art, music etc around in the 80s and 90s, just as there are plenty of outstanding examples of each everywhere you look now.

It's incredibly easy to let nostalgia cloud your mind, like when people bang on about how the bendy 'chrome' 2000ad logo from their childhoods is the 'best' one, even though, with the rose-tinted glasses removed, its chintzy and dated and would look utterly ridiculous in a modern context.

[radiator]

Couldn't it be argued that heavily stylised titles age really poorly?

Totally agree with this. In fact you could easily argue that a lot of the 'good' examples in the Biffo article are actually rather fussy, garish and over-designed.

I think what the article is getting at is that there is a definite trend right now for modernism/minimalism, which I perceive as a reaction to the explosion (and overuse/misuse) of digital design tools like photoshop at the turn of the century. Like all design trends, it will pass. Personally, I like restraint and simplicity in design, though I grudgingly accept that others may interpret it as blandness.

[JamesC]

Well yes it's the minimalist trend that is exactly what the complaint is about. It works in some areas but  doesn't necessarily work that great in video games. I think the Tomb Raider and Uncharted logos in particular could be much more interesting. I really like the Yo Kai Watch logo though.
As for film posters, I'd like to ban photoshopped collages.
With comic covers, I'm a firm believer that the cover should reflect the content. Something 2000ad gets right more often than not. There are far too many generic portrait covers on American titles though, often with no explanation of the content whatsoever.

I don't think that it's really the same argument as saying old music used to be better because in these cases we're making a judgement over how well the design performs it's function - not something you can really level at musical appreciation.

[Frank]

Believe it or not, there was a huge amount of absolutely hideous design, art, music etc around in the 80s and 90s, just as there are plenty of outstanding examples of each everywhere you look now

Yeah, human psychology just means arguments framing events in terms of a decline or a deviation from how things always were (and should always be) are easier to make and to make understood. See also: Brexit.

What Mr Biffo meant to do was highlight a current trend towards a bland aesthetic, which - as he rightly points out - results from a combination of cultural conservatism, industrial cringe, and technological developments which allow design work to be tasked to non-professionals.

The music argument, again, needs nuance. Mainstream music culture is undeniably more timid and less varied than it was even a decade ago, but that's because everyone who enjoys doom metal or throat music can get their fix online, so everything left on radio and telly is the equivalent of the same [spoiler]Deacon Blue[/spoiler] or [spoiler]Counting Crows[/spoiler] that was always there (and was always most popular).

The chrome arch 2000ad logo was indeed shite.

[radiator]

As for film posters, I'd like to ban photoshopped collages.

That's like saying cgi should be banned because a handful of movies overuse it or do it badly.

I think the Tomb Raider and Uncharted logos in particular could be much more interesting.

And I think the original Tomb Raider logo, that Biffo posits is 'great' - is, frankly, a fucking eyesore.

technological developments which allow design work to be tasked to non-professionals.

While this undoubtedly does happen, that is not the case here. If anything, the 'classic' logos in the article were more likely to have been designed by a non-professional designer than the modern examples.

The chrome arch 2000ad logo was indeed shite.

Thank christ someone finally agrees with me on this. I usually get lynched for saying that around these parts.