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New Logo and Identity for Library of Congress

underconsideration.com

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Re: New Logo and Identity for Library of Congress

#11

Post by aristus »

clircle wrote: post #5

My gut reaction is that this new logo is strictly worse than the old one. This is my first time seeing either of the logos. Can someone with a graphic arts background explain why the LoC is so attracted to this new design (after only 8 years with the previous one)?

Heh. Rebrandings are often more valuable for the fact of rebranding (press hit for LoC!) than any aesthetic reason. It's rare to find an administrator with any graphic sense.

The current librarian (confirmed in 2016) is a bit of a new broom, and is the first to serve under a term-limit. Previous librarians served for life, and the last one refused to understand computers.

Re: New Logo and Identity for Library of Congress

#14

Post by Eric_WVGG »

clircle wrote: post #5

My gut reaction is that this new logo is strictly worse than the old one. This is my first time seeing either of the logos. Can someone with a graphic arts background explain why the LoC is so attracted to this new design (after only 8 years with the previous one)?

They traded what was "just a logo" for an entire design system. This is the branding equivalent of Google’s “Material Design.” Also for what it’s worth Pentagram — and Paula Scher — are very prestigious, considered top-of-their-field.

But I agree they phoned this in. Unnecessary and uninspired.

Re: New Logo and Identity for Library of Congress

#17

Post by pizzetta »

bovermyer wrote: post #7

My initial reaction was shock and disgust. My reaction after mulling it over for awhile and reviewing some of the material is.... contempt and disgust. So there's that.

I definitely prefer the old logo. The new one is extremely generic and does not convey any feeling via the logo.

Re: New Logo and Identity for Library of Congress

#18

Post by koboll »

reustle wrote: post #4

I definitely prefer the old logo. The new one feels like it was made in paint using system default fonts. It's not necessarily bad, just feels generic.

I get that Pentagram feels they have enough of a handle on good design that they know the right way to break some of the rules of design. But this feels like breaking the rules of design so much that it's actually breaking the rules, in a way that produces something unpleasant and ugly.

I mean... a close cousin of Impact? Black and orange? A second, unnecessary copy of the word 'library' that's so large it's hard to make out the name of the institution by comparison? This smacks of designers being so in love with their own process that they abandon the basic principles of good design -- i.e., it has to be immediately recognizable and look aesthetically pleasing -- entirely in favor of some weird brutalist experiment.

Which might be a good idea for an avant garde institution in Manhattan, but is entirely inappropriate for the Library of freaking Congress.

Re: New Logo and Identity for Library of Congress

#19

Post by bovermyer »

pizzetta wrote: post #17
bovermyer wrote: post #7

My initial reaction was shock and disgust. My reaction after mulling it over for awhile and reviewing some of the material is.... contempt and disgust. So there's that.

I definitely prefer the old logo. The new one is extremely generic and does not convey any feeling via the logo.

My biggest problem with the new logo is that they're effectively un-branding the Library of Congress by trying to brand it as LIBRARY.

That's like trying to rebrand the White House as HOUSE.

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