I was talking with a friend this past week and he asked me what I thought of a particular comic book artist. This artist does all of his rendering in the computer (bear with me, I’m getting there). What struck me in the moment was my immediate reaction of dislike to the piece without anything specific to say, and this brings me to my point this week (see, here it comes).
I believe as designers it is important to be able to articulate what we like or dislike about a piece. This skill not only helps us communicate with clients and other designers, but also allows us to learn. Last year I had a graphic narrative class where the professor consistently used the word “awesome” to describe a particular work he liked. I hated the class, thought the teacher was not very good, and came to hate the word “Awesome”, because nothing can be learned from such generalities as “Awesome” or any number of adjectives. One thing I value about talking with the friend mentioned above is that he does articulate his opinion of something and in doing so allows me to learn, or the very least understand, from his comments. If I can articulate a like or dislike of something, I stand a much better chance for learning how to improve my own work. For example, The UPS logo. I love Rand’s logo and despise what they did to it (see below). I know why I hate and can learn from articulating that dislike. The same goes for the AT&T logo redesign from Saul Bass’s creation, and finally, yes, I will admit it. I do not like the new Starbuck’s logo (There, I said it).
I actually do not mind the new logo, but the old one definitely speaks to what they actually do a lot better. The new one only really makes sense with knowing the shape of the other one - otherwise we'd likely question why a package delivery service uses a shield as their logo.
ReplyDeleteI do not go to Starbucks very often or drink coffee ever, but my father is a huge Starbucks fan. Always seeing the coffee cups around the house, I became so use to seeing the old logo. When I heard they were going to rework the logo, I felt a bit uneasy. It made me think what other logos could be redesigned with such little change.
ReplyDeleteHere is a comment I found for those of us, including me who felt uneasy or dislike the new logo. "For those of you who aren’t sold on the new mark, all I ask is this: give it time. As you start to see it out in the world, I hope you’ll start to appreciate the simplicity and elegance of the new design. I like the new mark because I feel that we’ve unleashed the Siren, a mythological figure who represents the romance and creativity that inspired the founders of Starbucks 40 years ago. I hope that unleashing that energy (that mojo) will keep us (and you) inspired for the next 40 years."
I agree I do like the UPS logo on the right more than the one on the left but just because it doesn't look so flat and has color with a slight gradient. I was a little uneasy with the new Starbucks logo too but at least it was not as bad as the new Gap logo they tried to change it to. I'm glad people were upset with the new Gap logo and did something to change it back to the Gap logo they have always had!
ReplyDeleteI also dislike the new Starbuck's logo. Design wise, I feel like being able to express your artistic opinion develops more as your eye develops more and you can pick up the different styles and techniques used in art, but at any level it is important to be able to properly express yourself.
ReplyDeleteI remember in one of Mark Smith's classes, he told us we could not use "like" when talking about someone's piece, because those words don't help at all!
ReplyDeleteAnd I actually do like the new starbucks logo, just because I think it's a good example of logo stripping to where they remove the name but we obviously still recognize the brand.
I actually like the new Starbucks logo. It's not really a drastic change, but it does allow it to be used more flexibly (which is what I think an official rep said about it). I don't necessarily mind the new UPS logo either (I kind of like its "solidness" of form compared to the old logo), but I think that it definitely doesn't make too much sense visually unless you already knew what the old logo was.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely important to be able to articulate what you like/dislike about a piece, because it sometimes makes you aware of the fact that you might (or might not) be doing the same thing in your own works. One thing I'm always dismayed by is when I'm looking at something and I'm like "dear gods I hate it when people do that" and then I belatedly realize that I do it in my own work. So depressing, but very enlightening.
I think the new Starbucks logo is kind of cocky - like they're saying "you know who we are, we don't have to tell you anymore". I don't mind the lack of text, but I wish they would have kept the coffee color involved in the logo. The sizing on the cups is a little in your face, too. I get a more Big Brother vibe with that scale than I do with the unassuming mermaid surrounded by a thick ring.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that using words like awesome or just simply saying I like it doesn't help me learn about why a piece does or does not work. It might be awesome and I might agree with it but I want to know why it's awesome or why you like it. I also don't like the new Starbucks logo, and literally a week before it changed I thought to myself that the Starbucks logo would never be able to change because it is so iconic, and then it changed, I preferred the traditional logo.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting topic that you bring to the table, the way we articulate our feedback. This is something that I feel we can all work to enhance. Having basic knowledge of art element vocabulary is always a great way to communicate specifics about a particular work or design.
ReplyDeletei enjoy the new ups logo. it's clean and crisp. the whole whiteboard ad campaign was also a great concept.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I thought both UPS logos were eye-catching. However, I do prefer the three-dimensional logo the best just because it is more asthetically appealing and detailed to my eyes.
ReplyDeletei agree with Monica. Both logos work well. We know that they are UPS and both have different characteristics that make them their own.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a shame to see such great design scrapped in favor of something 'flashy'.
ReplyDeleteTony I totally agree! I working on improving on articulating my opinions about works I like/dislike. UPS...well everything must change sometime.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of updating logos as long as they keep the same feelings associated with them.
ReplyDeleteI think we are an increasingly multifaceted discipline- we have to be able to design, articulate, critique (appropriately), etc. Those who have the ability to communicate well are the ones who I think have great success because they are able to articulate and persuade their work.
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