Opinion BY Christian Palino

A Pegasus Reborn

For those unfamiliar with motorcycles, Buell is a subsidiary of Harley Davidson that, after holding a minority stake in the company for five years, took a majority stake in 1998. Buell was started by the ex-Harley engineer Erik Buell, a former AMA Formula 1 motorcycle racer who was building his own bikes (the first Buells were built for that race). There are a couple of reasons that this rebranding is close to my heart, one of which is that I recently considered Buell’s range of cycles (though I ended up with a Guzzi).

The previous Buell logo was a poorly conceived, easily dated emblem. With its Impact-inspired typography, it always seemed somewhat immature in its execution — a quality not unheard of when discussing Buell’s bikes. Somehow they never seemed to achieve the same status in the market as much of their main competitors, despite making sound machines. That said, this new identity is a clear maturation. The shield forms a containing shape with clear intention. The gothic, italic, all-caps typography, while still not firing on all cylinders, speaks directly to speed and refinement. And finally the other reason I appreciate this rebranding: the pegasus. A creature born out of the beheading of Medusa. Visceral, primal, capable of flight — everything a sport bike strives to inspire. Though truth be told, the real reason for my affinity comes from the rebirth of the Pegasus as a symbol related to motoring. Mobil once employed this symbol to represent their brand, and our local gas station growing up had one adorning the garage.

Speaking of Mobil and pegasus (pegasi?) logos, Buell at one point attempted to use a logo with a pegasus, inspired by Buell’s family coat of arms and Mobil’s logo. From what I gather Harley-Davidson retired the pegasus logo due to its similarity and some time later an abstracted version of the pegasus logo was also used briefly. So while perhaps not original in its conception, given the many stallions and horsepower references in the motor world, grabbing the retired pegasus by the wings and giving it flight yields a potent rebrand.

DATE: Aug.10.2009CATEGORY: Lifestyle 48 COMMENTS

Thomas Breure’s comment is:

I like this re-style pretty much. The one thing I'm not a real big fan of is the shield thing, I don't know if this was really needed.

On Aug.10.2009 at 07:07 AM

lightgale’s comment is:

love the winged horse, not so sure about the typography (too airy of a kerning) and the shield

On Aug.10.2009 at 07:11 AM

nisio’s comment is:

The earlier versions of the pegasus are lovely, particlarily the version with the lightning bolt in the negative space. I don't think much of the new logo, heavy handed and classless IMO.

On Aug.10.2009 at 07:28 AM

ScottyM’s comment is:

I like the shield and the pegasus (Though, a touchup is needed - air out the pegasus a bit, she looks like she's got the reins drawn in on her "holding her back." Let her head move forward a bit.)

Type treatment, not so much. Mediocre is about all I can say. Combined it's a nice effort, and much superior to the previous "tool set" of a logo.

On Aug.10.2009 at 07:40 AM

jonathan’s comment is:

They should have put that black and white guy on the shield, he looks like a badass. The new pegasus looks like he's almost scared to go forward. He's probably afraid of the bad typography.

On Aug.10.2009 at 08:07 AM

john’s comment is:

I'm curious as to what people are seeing as "bad" about the typography.

On Aug.10.2009 at 08:28 AM

G*’s comment is:

Let's not forget about the wider application of this logo. It looks very nice on their website and I can definitely see the pegasus looking bad*ss on a bike or helmet. I think it's very appropriate and a successful rebrand.

It also reminds me of one of my personal favorite logos, Trek bicycles: http://www.trekbikes.com/

Buell:
http://www.buell.com/en_us/

On Aug.10.2009 at 08:41 AM

Rob O.’s comment is:

I really like the abstract version of the Pegasus with the lightning bolt in the negative space. That, combined with the original letting would've been better. The new lettering feels too light and a bit too small.

On Aug.10.2009 at 09:02 AM

Jared Ray Scott Ramey’s comment is:

Definitely a "maturation" from the previous logo. I really like Buell's bikes, particularly this one from a few years back, the XB12s. They are well designed bikes and they need a logo to match them.

But I have to say that the pegasus is a little too detailed. I think it needs to be streamlined like the Mobile One version.

On Aug.10.2009 at 09:03 AM

Mog’s comment is:

Well, it's better than the previous logo.

I keep on being reminded of some other (possibly motor-related?) brand when I look at the new pegasus wing, though (and no, it's not Mobil). I can't put my finger on which one, exactly. Aston Martin? I don't think that's it. Can anyone help me out here?

On Aug.10.2009 at 09:12 AM

Andrew Sabatier’s comment is:

Visors up to Buell.

This is an enticing brand identity development. I'm inspired to look closer. Not just at the brandmark but at what Buell has in store for their riders.

From a mechanical, impersonal and poorly drawn brandmark to an evocative and exciting symbol of motorcycling prowess, Buell have made the right sort of investment in their offering. Buell motorcycles have a reputation for being 'high spec' and are well regarded internationally, despite the sometimes odd designs and high cost.

The shield is an interesting militaristic addition suggesting bombs, bullets and authority. The Pegasus has perhaps a touch too much detail but the stylisation is nicely handled. I get nature harnessed and re-imagined – tamed but only just... and without a doubt, fit for purpose.

This new brandmark is streets ahead of the old one. I want to see this brand hit the power band and really take off.

A.

Permalink

On Aug.10.2009 at 09:13 AM

Ethan Allen Smith’s comment is:

This re-barand is also close to my heart. I spent years riding a Vespa, but knew that I needed an upgrade. I wanted something classic and after considering many different bikes (including the Guzzi), I happily ended up with a Harley-Davidson Nightster.

The most common response when people hear what a bought is, "Really? A Harley?" And the most common response when they see the bike is, "Really? That's a Harley?"

The problem isn't with the bike, but with the brand. Harley's leather-clad outlaw image is stuck in the 70's. That they are starting to make bikes like the Nightster and the Iron shows that they recognize the need to reach a younger demographic. And that they are brave enough to boldly re-brand Buell shows that they are dead serious about it.

Here's hoping that a much need update to the Harley-Davidson brand is right around the corner.

On Aug.10.2009 at 09:17 AM

G*’s comment is:

Mog, I believe you are referring to Bentley.

http://www.bentleymotors.com/default.aspx

On Aug.10.2009 at 09:18 AM

Ethan Allen Smith’s comment is:

And don't get that last comment wrong. Harley doesn't need an update to their logo (which is one of the best ever created), but to their overall brand image.

On Aug.10.2009 at 09:21 AM

Marshal’s comment is:

It's over all nice, but I think it's a bit too detailed, and the head position isn't very good. If you watch a horse, when they run, their head in extended where this is pulled back, as if a rider is trying to slow or stop them. I also feel like the wing should be angled upward more, so it could be coming out of his shoulder blade rather than looking like it's sprouted from the side of his body.

On Aug.10.2009 at 09:49 AM

fetherston’s comment is:

I've been paying attention to the Buell rebrand for a few months now and overall I like the new logo. However the campaign that introduced it was probably the biggest mistake in Buell's history.

In a wreckless triumph of Americanism, Buell made a big show of crushing the Blast, Buell's only entry level, efficient, commuter motorcycle and one of few available in the United States.

http://www.buell.com/en_us/bikes/blast/

Now touting the tag-line "Ruthless Engineering" Buell has reposition itself as an American brand concerned only with building the biggest, bestest thing they can imagine. This bigger, badder, stronger, faster attitude ignores a growing market that wants efficient commuter bikes. Not to mention it looks quite clunky and unsophisticated.

On Aug.10.2009 at 09:57 AM

Nate’s comment is:

I feel the same about Buell bikes as I do their logo. Not necessarily better, but different. Granted, both are an improvement on the past, but I'm still not sold on the Buell brand.

On Aug.10.2009 at 10:03 AM

Steven Hoober’s comment is:

I like everything about it. And, lots of room for tweaking over the coming decades, if that type, or the exact shield shape, or whatever else, starts looking dated.

Cannot tell you how happy I am they didn't go the traditional route: "It's american." "Use an eagle!"

My first, naive experience with terrible design still sticks with me. When I was like 14, and a Boy Scout, they split some gigantic districts into smaller ones, and we got one for our part of Kansas. In typical fashion, a contest among the scouts to create the patch. Basically a logo creation, just has to fit on one of several standard patch shapes and sizes.

At a big event, they were all up on a board and everyone who wanted to voted. There were, of many thousands of scouts, all of 5 ideas. Mine had wheat and stuff that was relevant, in a slightly stylized logo-mark manner. Most others were amazingly awful, literally drawn in crayon, and often not recognizable. The only other one remotely well drawn was a generic bald eagle (not even native to the state and never seen in the region) and way too many words. On a weird shape. It won, and I had to actually wear the stupid patch.

I'll note that the selected one was such a nothing of a mark that it disappeared after a few years. Now they use a generic sunflower. Works okay for me, and relevant to the region finally.

P.S. Still having problems voting. One button stuck today but the other ignored me.

On Aug.10.2009 at 10:09 AM

Russell’s comment is:

I loved the Pegasus on the side of the Mobil station! It was a giant white disk with a red Pegasus, if I remember correctly.

Not enough stylized mythical creatures in logos these days. Sigh.

On Aug.10.2009 at 10:27 AM

Violet’s comment is:

I personally love the mid-1990s logo more than any of them. It had an excellent pegasus, very iconic style, and the font that went with it fit. It was strong and fast feeling, very "motor trend"ish.

The new one, I don't really like the pegasus, it looks like it is still in an early design stage. And the typography, well let's just say that it does NOT fit at all. I don't know if it's because it's a lighter weight or the fact that all the letters are spaced out too much.

The pegasus is over powering the font and it feels VERY UNbalanced.

Why would they change the 90s design? That almost hits the nail on the head, it is definitely recognizable for the industry. I'd think it was a car/motorcycle / mechanical company from not even knowing what they do.

On Aug.10.2009 at 10:27 AM

John Mindiola III’s comment is:

Wow, the quick snap gallery/menus on the Buell site are gorgeous, and fast! Nice work, Buell. I don't even miss that bright blue.

On Aug.10.2009 at 10:39 AM

Steve Wiskowski’s comment is:

It's cool. Reminds me of the old Mobil Socony-Vacuum sign...

http://www.oilsign.com/socony1.jpg

On Aug.10.2009 at 10:40 AM

Benga’s comment is:

Why is the pegasus looking down? It looks as if the pegasus is being submissive, in it's tamed positioning. There is just too much going on with the rebrand. I would have prefer the pegasus just by it self with it's head turned up and perhaps the mouth opened a little bit, to suggest some form of aggression. The shield definitely takes away some attention from the pegasus. The font being use is really dull looking, it looks as if it was just put there without any thoughts, which is evident it the awkward large spacing between the letters.

Benga creative

On Aug.10.2009 at 10:44 AM

Hibryd’s comment is:

I like the idea of a pegasus and their name in a shield. But why all the empty space? It's like the graphic element and the name were just dropped into an outline and evenly spaced on all sides. Why not have the name or the pegasus fill out (or even violate) the shield? Why not add a little tension or imbalance? For a motorcycle logo it's not very aggressive.

On Aug.10.2009 at 10:46 AM

jonathan’s comment is:

>>John says," I'm curious as to what people are seeing as "bad" about the typography."

John that typography is "bad" (IMO) because the letters are kerned so far apart, that the B and the L are actually closer to the edge of the shield than they are to their partners.

On Aug.10.2009 at 10:59 AM

David Watts’s comment is:

Al Davis approves.

On Aug.10.2009 at 11:58 AM

Kevin S.’s comment is:

Despite the imagery harkening back to a rich history, I'm not loving the composition of the new logo itself. The brushed metal is appropriate, but there is a ton of negative space that is a little distracting. Perhaps if the designer switched the placement of the image and type, it would flow a little more nicely due to the top of the all caps type following the top of the shield compared to the bottom of the pegasus following a more curved line at the bottom of the shield.

Major improvement though.

On Aug.10.2009 at 12:11 PM

Mongoose’s comment is:

The old logo.. mmm. Suffers compared to the new one. It looks perfect for scooters, with that friendly bounding shape, and the impact and blue; but it doesn't really say big manly arrh arrh arrh motorcycling.

The new one does.. but it's a bit off-kilter, agreed. The Peagus looks solid and is indeed the best part of the logo: Head-down, wings back, no forelegs.. a nice update of the negative-space lightning bolt logo of before, using the feathering to good effect.

Outside of that, though.. the font is too widely kerned, even with a nice attempt to harken back to 30's styling; and more problematically it's either too small or too large. I'm not sure which. If they're trying to play up the pegasus, it's too large; if they're playing up the name it's too small. The effect of the sheild almost being the line width of the characters is.. good, but it still seems a bit overall sparse.

I give it a B for slightly odd surroundings of a very nice returned and updated company mascot. Plus I like pegasuseseses.

--Mongoose

On Aug.10.2009 at 12:47 PM

Kim Siever’s comment is:

Maybe it's just me, but the font looks like a roman font made slanted.

On Aug.10.2009 at 02:12 PM

Jason’s comment is:

I like the new pegasus illustration but the juxtaposition of the shield and type doesn't gel for me. If I were to go with the shield graphic, I'd give the pegasus a bit more space above and shrink the type down. Maintain caps, but increase the tracking a bit and lose the italics.

On Aug.10.2009 at 05:00 PM

Mark’s comment is:

Nice to see the Pegasus out at front in a logo.

Nice to see this logo go from something boring and generic to something cool and unique.

There can never be too much Pegasus.

On Aug.10.2009 at 05:35 PM

Glenn Sakamoto’s comment is:

Great strategy but uneven execution.

On Aug.10.2009 at 08:24 PM

Tez’s comment is:

IMO the logo looks good. The Typeface is a tad lacking though and I can only assume its beacuse the designer had limitation on the fonts they had access to. Although that said its hardly an excuse. Personally I feel the should have designed/customised a font/typeface to suit the logo. As for the shield I don't mind it, though somehow I feel the designer could have spent a little more time on refining it further.

On Aug.10.2009 at 09:12 PM

Tez’s comment is:

IMO the logo looks good. The Typeface is a tad lacking though and I can only assume its because the designer had limitation on the fonts they had access to. Although that said its hardly an excuse. Personally I feel the should have designed/customised a font/typeface to suit the logo. As for the shield I don't mind it, though somehow I feel the designer could have spent a little more time on refining it further.

On Aug.10.2009 at 09:13 PM

Andrew E. Clark’s comment is:

Ughh. So much potential... This is one of those logos that I'd PAY to be given the chance to design.
What's with all the positive comments? Sorry folks, there are so many basic faux pas with this new identity, I don't know where to begin...

• Poor Illustration: Poultry wings mixed with pointy dragon-ish head. Wing is disjointed.

• Bad Proportions: Head too small, wing is too big or vice versa.

• Inconsistent Lines: Thick and deliberate in Wing, wispy and thin in head

• Inconsistent Style: Wing and every feather is painstakingly rendered and rounded, yet the whole head and mane are pointy and sharp. Looks like a clipart mashup.

• Poor Scalability: Look at that hairline nostril and tiny jagged mane. All the head detail dissapears much too easily. The website favicon looks like a wood duck.

• Decide on a Direction: Symmetrical shield shape is stable and sends eyes up and down, yet the wing leans left, head rears right and italic text sends eyes right.

• Spacing: There's ample space above and below both pegasus and text but it's pinched on left and right. As such, the pegasus appears to be trapped inside the sheild and trying to ram its way out.

• Font Choice: Font and Poultrydragon aren't remotely related. When you're an American made motorcycle company that started out by building custom bikes from scratch, it's a no-brainer: You go 100% custom!

• Color: No more blue? Blue is THE color of freedom! A flying horse and the name BUELL but NO BLUE?

Sorry to be the Debbie Downer of the group but this logo just isn't up to snuff.

On Aug.11.2009 at 01:38 AM

Andrew Sabatier’s comment is:

@Andrew E. Clark. The namesake of this website (and book) in response to your post...

http://www.designersarewankers.com

A.

On Aug.11.2009 at 04:14 AM

BW’s comment is:

Tend to agree with the 'drop the shield' comments. Definitely better than the last version, but I like the 90's 'retro' version best of all. In the new illustration the wings connect too far forward up the neck when they should be connected/illustrated back near the shoulder blade. It just seems in order to simplify the illustration (not illustrate the legs, etc.) they've left it being too ambiguous. But, I don't 'hate' it.

On Aug.11.2009 at 11:56 AM

GDavis’s comment is:

@ Andrew E. Clark

Virtually everything you claim are "basic faux pas" are your own personal opinions, on which many would simply disagree. Try to take yourself a little less seriously.

The logo is a good effort. There are aspects of it that I am not keen on, but overall I like it.

On Aug.11.2009 at 04:04 PM

Blue Buddha’s comment is:

I don't know … maybe being a ducati owner I feel the logo is trying to hard to feel European. I suppose the shield is an homage to Harley-Davidson. I know they're trying to re-market themselves as sports bikes only (thus why they cubed the Blast), so in that sense it is a good direction.

I actually prefer the abstract Pegasus with the lightening bolt in the wing.

In essence, I can't separate the product from this logo to evaluate it non-objectively.

On Aug.12.2009 at 10:12 AM

Salchi Pappas’s comment is:

A Unicorn is more magical than a Pegasus. Who's with me?

On Aug.12.2009 at 12:48 PM

adam Bestwick’s comment is:

Nice execution.

I disagree with the majority of the other contributors regarding the shield.
I feel it gives the pegasus and type 'containment' and shape.
Without it the elements would be floaty and divorced of each other, although this could be resolved with closer positioning.

Not a huge fan of the typestyle - a tad too much letter spacing for me and I dislike the italics (although I understand it's forward movement works with the pegasus)
I am a self-confessed Italic-hater though.

Overall - a revamp to be proud of.

On Aug.14.2009 at 08:10 AM

Orangetiki’s comment is:

Huzzah! Logos done right!

On Aug.18.2009 at 11:00 AM

Arthur F’s comment is:

I prefer what you call the "abstract" logo, which to me is just a "logo" - an iconic representation rather than naturalistic portrayal. I like that there is a bold use of negative space to suggest the sense of a "thunderbolt". The new one is too detail-y and really, you don't need to know the anatomy of how wings connect to the shoulders and so on, to get the idea of a Pegasus. Once you start trying to get it naturalistic, there are so many factors that start to enter - how far down can it be reduced before it loses the details, and then what, for example. I think Pegasus isn't the issue, as hardly anyone of a certain motorcycle-purchasing age knows the old Mobil sign, nor probably cares. Just like no one understands what a shell has to do with an oil company and so on.

On Aug.30.2009 at 02:16 AM

bill’s comment is:

The logo is awesome. The colors are a great combination silver and black can never be wrong. The logo looks elegant and it seems in comparison to the ducati logo. Its funny how ducati is so artistic and it reflects from their logo to their bikes. I think Buell is continuing ot be on the right track to delvelop not only a bike but a following.
Go Buellers ;)

On Sep.10.2009 at 09:20 PM

Hooty’s comment is:

Whoa...you people need to spend more time on your bikes. It seems that you have become obsessed with a LOGO (topography?? kernalling???) What difference does it make what the brand LOGO looks like as long as you enjoy riding your Buell. I for one would rather ride my Uly than engage in a debate about the....oh never mind, I'm going for a ride!

On Sep.21.2009 at 05:58 AM

matsuri626’s comment is:

Then there's grand old Spanish manufacturer Pegaso, which interestingly didn't consider necessary to add wings to the leaping pegasus (horse?) on its logo. Perhaps they wished to prevent confusion with Mobil Oil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegaso

By the way, I'm new to this blog, having discovered it yesterday, and I love it. I'm not a designer so I learn a lot on every post and comment I read. On this logo, allow me to write a couple of amateur observations: 1. I think the letters are too skinny and far apart. They look kind of sixties-style, which I generally like, but on this logo I just can't warm up to them. 2. The old logo had a solid, machined aluminium appearance, with strong-looking letters. It looked like a mechanical component from a high-tech bike. It also had a useful description "AMERICAN MOTORCYCLES", which Harley Davidson doesn't need, but Buell probably still does, because it's less known. If they didn't put that description, people might think it's a power tool manufacturer!

On Sep.22.2009 at 03:06 PM

Skippy’s comment is:

Well, so much for the new logo. Harley-Davidson announced that they're axing the brand. Autoblog had more on this yesterday: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/15/harley-davidson-drops-buell-will-sell-stake-in-mv-agusta/

On Oct.16.2009 at 11:27 AM

peta da hun from nyc’s comment is:

how about the typography? well, it kinda sucks in a motosports way. too condensed and set in italic doe not help either. just plain sucks.

On Oct.28.2009 at 06:32 PM