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Why do everyone's logo fonts look the same? (2020)

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Re: Why do everyone's logo fonts look the same? (2020)

#101

Post by Auracle »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #96
loughnane wrote: post #92

The one that bums me out the most is the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. They went from an elegant serif font to a bland sans with a few funky tails. Before: https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/disp/6a356... After: https://creativereview.imgix.net/content/uploads/2022/09/MFA... Their stated purpose was to make it more accessible. The reasoned that the neoclassical architecture and old-style font made the…

> Their stated purpose was to make it more accessible. The reasoned that the neoclassical architecture and old-style font made the space intimidating to people who didn’t hold those things to be part of their culture and that it was out of tune with the increasing diversity of their collection and programs. Can put this under the dictionary definition of insanity. Or someone needed justification to get paid without d…

I would simply call it demeaning.

Re: Why do everyone's logo fonts look the same? (2020)

#102

Post by lotsofpulp »

dustedcodes wrote: post #5

I've noticed this loss of creativity and personality before. It's very noticeably in building architecture. Now it's taken over web architecture. All websites and logos starting to look the same-ish.

Building architecture is subject to physics, building code laws, and big differences in cost (measured in the hundreds of thousands of dollars or more).

I do not see why the same dynamics would apply to a logo/font, which surely have very little cost difference between any two.

Re: Why do everyone's logo fonts look the same? (2020)

#103

Post by coldtea »

loughnane wrote: post #92

The one that bums me out the most is the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. They went from an elegant serif font to a bland sans with a few funky tails. Before: https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/disp/6a356... After: https://creativereview.imgix.net/content/uploads/2022/09/MFA... Their stated purpose was to make it more accessible. The reasoned that the neoclassical architecture and old-style font made the…

>They went from an elegant serif font to a bland sans with a few funky tails.

Wow, now it looks like a logo for a contruction company or something, in cheap suburban billboards...

Re: Why do everyone's logo fonts look the same? (2020)

#104

Post by coldtea »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #96
loughnane wrote: post #92

The one that bums me out the most is the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. They went from an elegant serif font to a bland sans with a few funky tails. Before: https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/disp/6a356... After: https://creativereview.imgix.net/content/uploads/2022/09/MFA... Their stated purpose was to make it more accessible. The reasoned that the neoclassical architecture and old-style font made the…

> Their stated purpose was to make it more accessible. The reasoned that the neoclassical architecture and old-style font made the space intimidating to people who didn’t hold those things to be part of their culture and that it was out of tune with the increasing diversity of their collection and programs. Can put this under the dictionary definition of insanity. Or someone needed justification to get paid without d…

>The reasoned that the neoclassical architecture and old-style font made the space intimidating to people who didn’t hold those things to be part of their culture and that it was out of tune with the increasing diversity of their collection and programs.

The whole purpose of an actually inclusive "Museum of Fine Arts" should have been the opposite: to make people appreciate, understand, and enjoy things that they don't feel are "part of their culture", expand their cultural horizons and lift their tastes.

Not to excise things they don't identify with, and feed them "safe" stuff tailored to them. That's entertainment.

Re: Why do everyone's logo fonts look the same? (2020)

#105

Post by rightbyte »

bloopernova wrote: post #60
gardenhedge wrote: post #57

Haven't seen Reddit mentioned yet. Their new logo doesn't follow this pattern.

The new reddit font (and logo) looks terrible to me. https://www.redditinc.com/blog/evolving-the-reddit-brand-a-m...

Oh dear. My eyes literally hurt while looking at it. Its like the text moves away from me, straight into the screen. It's not an animation right? I got astigmatism. Funny how the excuse is "More Accessible" ... but I guess the picture is the problem, not the font or the devil eyes on the logo.

Re: Why do everyone's logo fonts look the same? (2020)

#106

Post by AlecSchueler »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #96
loughnane wrote: post #92

The one that bums me out the most is the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. They went from an elegant serif font to a bland sans with a few funky tails. Before: https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/disp/6a356... After: https://creativereview.imgix.net/content/uploads/2022/09/MFA... Their stated purpose was to make it more accessible. The reasoned that the neoclassical architecture and old-style font made the…

> Their stated purpose was to make it more accessible. The reasoned that the neoclassical architecture and old-style font made the space intimidating to people who didn’t hold those things to be part of their culture and that it was out of tune with the increasing diversity of their collection and programs. Can put this under the dictionary definition of insanity. Or someone needed justification to get paid without d…

I want to say it makes complete sense to me. It's well known that museums are seen as unappealing to many demographics and the image of association with elitism and colonialism plays a huge role in that. Changing the style choices of museum communications towards ones which are further dissociated from those issues seems like ab obvious first step towrads increasing the perception of inclusivity.

I would ask anyone who is labeling it as "insane" what their own background is how European it is before they dismiss efforts to appeal to groups with other histories, and often painful ones as they relate to European history.

Re: Why do everyone's logo fonts look the same? (2020)

#107

Post by mongol »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #47

Forget the fonts. What's going on with Diane von Furstenburg rebranding to DIANE (invisible word) VON (linebreak) FURSTENBURG? The original logo correctly reflects that von is not capitalized, that von is part of "von Furstenburg", and that there is no hidden word between "Diane" and "von Furstenburg". The new logo does none of those things. Who puts a caesura in the middle of a word?

It's different. That it is less correct pales in comparison.

Re: Why do everyone's logo fonts look the same? (2020)

#108

Post by blueridge »

Personal experience: My portfolio site gets more views, engagement, comments, and interviews when it's in a sans-serif font. I've copied the same portfolio and designed it with serif fonts and it seems to be nowhere near as attractive as the sans-serif. All of the fonts were purchased from designer type foundries and are very readable and pleasing to the eye.

I much prefer the serif with warm colors for various elements. But the people I might work with strongly prefer the sans-serif with white and black and bold and bright accent colors.

Re: Why do everyone's logo fonts look the same? (2020)

#109

Post by lotsofpulp »

AlecSchueler wrote: post #106
lotsofpulp wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Their stated purpose was to make it more accessible. The reasoned that the neoclassical architecture and old-style font made the space intimidating to people who didn’t hold those things to be part of their culture and that it was out of tune with the increasing diversity of their collection and programs. Can put this under the dictionary definition of insanity. Or someone needed justification to get paid without d…

I want to say it makes complete sense to me. It's well known that museums are seen as unappealing to many demographics and the image of association with elitism and colonialism plays a huge role in that. Changing the style choices of museum communications towards ones which are further dissociated from those issues seems like ab obvious first step towrads increasing the perception of inclusivity. I would ask anyone w…

My background is non white child of poor immigrants to the US from a country that used to be ruled by the UK. I just found it unbelievable that anyone would associate a font with “elitism” and “colonialism”. And my family prioritizes going to museums, even in London, where many of my family live even though that is in the country that oppressed them.

I have heard elders complain about the proliferation of the English language itself to be a cause for decline in fluency of the native language, but I can almost guarantee no one has ever thought about the influences of a font. I mean there are actual fish to fry here, starting with legislation, monetary consequences, property rights…I do not see how fonts moves the needle at all, except patting oneself on their back.

Re: Why do everyone's logo fonts look the same? (2020)

#110

Post by PKop »

AlecSchueler wrote: post #106
lotsofpulp wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Their stated purpose was to make it more accessible. The reasoned that the neoclassical architecture and old-style font made the space intimidating to people who didn’t hold those things to be part of their culture and that it was out of tune with the increasing diversity of their collection and programs. Can put this under the dictionary definition of insanity. Or someone needed justification to get paid without d…

I want to say it makes complete sense to me. It's well known that museums are seen as unappealing to many demographics and the image of association with elitism and colonialism plays a huge role in that. Changing the style choices of museum communications towards ones which are further dissociated from those issues seems like ab obvious first step towrads increasing the perception of inclusivity. I would ask anyone w…

It is insane because this alienates the demographics that appreciate everything you are denouncing here: European history, art, culture, colonialism, civilizational accomplishment etc. Everything that created the very art housed withing the museums.

Even if one is not apart of this heritage, this should be respected as the foundation of the art itself.

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