In the comic book world, the last two week have been filled with debates about the new DC Comics logo. Some people love it; some, like myself, find the logo stylish, but unfitting to the comic industry, but the majority seem to absolutely hate it.
Today it’s Oni Press’ turn to show off their new identity. It’s still early to say what the world thinks of it, but I can already see signs of a debate — though, unlike DC, the majority seems to be in favour, so far.
As a graphic/ web designer I can’t help but want to put my two cents into the argument.
First, because it’s the brand newest, the Oni Press logo.
Much like the DC logo, as a separate entity I feel this is an very strong design. The difference, for me, is this has that comic book relevancy the DC logo misses by miles. Not only is it clean, modern and mostly timeless, the visual of the speech bubble ties it into the application.
I also like that they maintained a piece of the original by having the Kabuki face still present.
What I’m not digging, is the placement on the book itself. It feels very awkward with the tail of the speech box directing my eye away from the book instead of on the book. But this is a problem easily fixed by moving the box to the top left or right, letting the arrow direct my eye to the cover art instead of my lap.
Now, I’ve talked about the DC logo on the podcast, so I won’t get too into here to prevent over repetition. But the gist, as mentioned above, is that this logo is not bad, it just doesn’t fit the application.
The comic industry is about tactile experiences, action-adventure, fun and sometimes playfulness. This has ZERO of those qualities. Instead we get a cold, overly corporate logo that doesn’t speak to it’s core audience.
Apply this logo to something different, like a computer, and it’s well designed. Conceptually, though, it misses the mark completely.
Do you agree with my critique, or disagree all together? I’d love to know other people’s thoughts on the matter, so leave a comment below!
Loading ...