BY Armin

Animals gone Wild… Sort of

Animal Planet Logo, Before and After

I realize you have all been gnarling, clawing, hissing, and otherwise growling to discuss the new Animal Planet logo — and that’s exactly the kind of inner urge that the channel wants to bring out in their viewers. Or better yet, in their own words: The new programming on Animal Planet will tap into the instincts that drive us all — fear, hunger, pleasure, nurture — with compelling stories that resonate with what it means to be human. And what better way to unveil this new approach than with — dun, dun, duuuun — the fierce Puppy Bowl! This past Sunday, to coincide with one of the biggest TV-watching days, Animal Planet launched a new identity that goes beyond a simple identity change, as it attempts to shed its family-friendly image for a more intense experience. I was hoping to get some additional imagery for this launch to be able to provide a better picture of the new identity — and I really wanted to see if this logo had any legs beyond the logo — yet my efforts went unfulfilled, as some e-mails went unanswered and, to my surprise, there was no rollout of a new identity during Animal Planet’s programming. So we will have to settle for the logo.

The new logo was designed by Dunning Eley Jones, a London-based design firm with plenty of experience in TV branding, is somewhat confusing. Well, no, make that very confusing. The typography feels to be Tobias Frere-Jones’ Knockout and its hundred weights, yet there is something oddly uneven about it that makes me think it’s a knock-off that has been scaled horizontally a tad too strongly. Regardless of what typeface it is or isn’t, the logo is a weird jumble of ideas. I am guessing that the varying widths of each letter represent the different animals, that the sideways M could be an animal in a different position (I would gander sleeping or ready to fornicate), or maybe it’s a bat, and that the overall composition is meant to feel alive and unexpected. Unfortunately it feels mechanical, constricted and, well, dead. For an identity that strives to “bring out the raw, visceral emotion in the animal kingdom” this simply does not cut it. I could see this identity having a hundred variations where the letters take on different weights, colors and textures, and that could even “breathe” on screen with the letters expanding and contracting, yet there is nothing to this logo. Or, at least not yet.

Jill Greenberg Work

[Above] Images from Monkeys & Apes 2 / [Below] Image for Dexter. © Jill Greenberg

The one thing that this new launch has going in its favor, is photography by Jill Greenberg, who can add a sense of suspended, realistic surrealism to any character (how’s that for a description?!). You can see some of those photographs in the video below, and we can only wait until the print campaign hits the streets to see it further in action. I am torn by this approach though: On one hand, I always find that things placed in opposite contexts — in this case it’s chimps, lemurs and lions with a studio backdrop — make for interesting visuals; but on the other I can’t cope with the urge to humanize animals or, worse, to use them as celebrities with perfect lighting and awesome grooming. But I refrain on further comment until I can see the print campaign AND any sort of motion graphics.

The video above, which I had hoped contained the magic key to this identity, further cements the logo as a static monolith with no life in it. Luckily, Animal Planet can count on those rascally meerkats.

DATE: Feb.04.2008CATEGORY: Entertainment 149 COMMENTS

Comments › Jump to Most Recent

Joachim’s comment is:

Ani3al? Anizal? Why is the M the only letter that's rotated? Distorted type? Letterform inconsistencies with "Animal" and "Planet." No kerning? Yikes.

On Feb.04.2008 at 10:06 PM

Arnold P’s comment is:

It does look like the M is going to copulate with the I. But the real problem is that it looks really chunky, unrefined and pedestrian. A bad, bad imitation of Paula Scher's Public Theater Posters.

On Feb.04.2008 at 10:14 PM

Steve’s comment is:

Wow, it's actually hideous. I don't really know anything that they did right.

On Feb.04.2008 at 10:44 PM

Dave Klonke’s comment is:

That's a mess. It has a nice fat Adobe Acrobat "I" in it too.

On Feb.04.2008 at 10:46 PM

Matheus’s comment is:

This is pure nonsense
I wonder WHY they hire wierdos to make important logotypes...

Eley Jones fails at life, I'm sorry.

On Feb.04.2008 at 11:08 PM

drew kora’s comment is:

ANI3AL

On Feb.04.2008 at 11:18 PM

Danny Tanner’s comment is:

Pleased to see yet another
discovery owned channel
dropping the silly globe.
Their persistent spinning
orb in the corner of the
screen is incredibly distracting.

Jill Greenberg's photography
is beautiful, and conceptually,
isn't nearly as bothersome
as expected when mixed with
the live action and environmental
video. Her up-close and
personal photo's are reminiscent
of interviews with athletes
after a sports game (the sports
game being the animals
running a muck in their natural
habitat).

The signature seems
conceptually sound. Wild
unorganized, chiseled,
sharp, and unpredictable.
Kinda like what would
happen if you put ten
monkeys in your apartment
and then left for the day.

Formally it leaves a lot
to be desired.

At least they'll be able to
"ghost" this logo so it won't
compete with the animals
for attention.

On Feb.04.2008 at 11:34 PM

carlo’s comment is:

I kinda dig it, more so in the motion reel then static. I see zebra stripes in the "M". Animals of all shapes and sizes, together on one planet. I'd actually like to see some variety in the colors of the individual letters rather then the shades of green.

On Feb.04.2008 at 11:50 PM

Lorne Hobbs’s comment is:

Dave Klonke, that fat Acrobat "I" drives me crazy. This logo doesn't exactly thrill me either.

On Feb.04.2008 at 11:53 PM

carlo’s comment is:

Victoria Lowell, Senior Vice President of Marketing

"Animal Planet has commissioned a new logo to signal its change: the name of the channel in different size letters, made to look as if it could have been created by an animal, Lowell explained. On TV, the logo will come alive with an animal emerging from the "M." Animal Planet is working with London-based design agency Dunning, Eley and Jones on the new logo and look; and Minneapolis-based creative agency Mono on the marketing campaign."

On Feb.05.2008 at 12:01 AM

Dexter’s comment is:

I get the side-ways M view to the force the negative space of the animal about to eat what ever the corresponding negative space is supposed to be... but, I don't know. Something doesn't sit right with me on this.

On Feb.05.2008 at 12:16 AM

edddy’s comment is:

I really like it. The M for me is an alligator. The other can't say exactly what animal represent, but you get the idea as soon as you see the logo.

Great job, even better when you are replacing a dull logo with a globe, an elephant and some fonts.

On Feb.05.2008 at 05:23 AM

Adrian’s comment is:

NOOOOO.

That's all folks.

On Feb.05.2008 at 05:59 AM

Jeff’s comment is:

Is that all Animal Planet aspires to be known as now? The network that shows animals eating other animals? For me this logo fails to tap into any of the compelling instincts the creators call up - it does not make me hunger, it does not nurture me, and it does not pleasure me.

Does it make me fearful. Absolutely. That this is the future of television identities.

On Feb.05.2008 at 07:35 AM

Armin’s comment is:

For those of you battling the fat Is in Acrobat PDF, I offer you this.

> The signature seems conceptually sound.

I really agree with this. The idea is strong, and as a premise it seems like it could be engagingly executed, but the resulting identity does not feel organic, much less like a living organism.

On Feb.05.2008 at 08:12 AM

Jugglng man’s comment is:

Despit it's hideous-osity... there is something that semi-works withe the logo in that vid. Can't put my finger on it.

On Feb.05.2008 at 08:19 AM

Mark’s comment is:

I sort of get the idea with the M being sideways and representing animal stripes, thats not the problem, I'm curious as to why they felt it necessary to (ugh)squish(ugh) the letterforms so much, and in such a way that makes the "I" stick out so much,wait a minute (turns head sideways) did they stretch the "M" ??? AHHHHHHH!!!!

no! no! no! no!

Couldn't they have done varying sizes instead? Something else? Anything besides stretching and squishing letterforms? sigh.

Well, if this logo was made to make me feel uncomfortable, well, it certainly worked on me.

It's a pretty good logo, it just seems to be missing something, I just can't put my finger on it.

However the previous logo wasn't all that great either, yikes, that cut and pasted globe looked bad, I just didn't realize how bad that looked.

For some reason, When I think animal, I don't think the color green (yes lizards are green I know that)I think something along the lines of lions, Zebras, monkeys, elephants, huskies, etc.

green=leaves,plants,ort trees to me.

Maybe a yellow and brown, no more like yellow with black with a little white might work better.

On Feb.05.2008 at 08:56 AM

Mark’s comment is:

One more thing, I tuned into Animal Planet today, and I've noticed that the "I" and the "M" are the letters that stick out the most to me, my eye's go right to them and stay there, That "I" sticks out way too much and also theres and effect that goes on where it looks like theres a 13 in the logo, when theres not supposed to be, it's a tad annoying. They should slim down that "I" a bit to eliminate that effect.

Maybe the "M" is a bit too big/little over stretched also?

On Feb.05.2008 at 09:08 AM

matt’s comment is:

So basically, expect more reality tv crap.

On Feb.05.2008 at 09:16 AM

Mark’s comment is:

I just noticed something, The Puppy Bowl Animal Planet logo is slightly different, the "N" in "Planet" is also stretched as well(squishing only the "A" before it), this slight difference might've helped in keeping the logo more unified.

On Feb.05.2008 at 09:21 AM

Alexandru Mihai Bîrsan’s comment is:

There goes another logo I had profound respect for.

On Feb.05.2008 at 09:21 AM

rachel’s comment is:

This is really quite bad. At first glance I said "what?" and upon further inspection the stretched and skewed type made me cringe.

On Feb.05.2008 at 09:26 AM

the number 3’s comment is:

I think they let the intern take this one.

On Feb.05.2008 at 09:43 AM

df’s comment is:

Anbal Planet?

On Feb.05.2008 at 09:49 AM

jess’s comment is:

seriously?! That new logo is just hideous. It looks like someone messing on Illustrator for the first time.

Other than it literally saying "animal" in there, nothing references the show.

On Feb.05.2008 at 09:56 AM

Sir’s comment is:

illegible.

ugly.

sad.

On Feb.05.2008 at 09:59 AM

karen’s comment is:

i just don't get it. i feel like that shape should represent some animal, but it doesnt. and i read what the senior VP of marketing had to say, and that still doesnt make any sense to me. who wants their logo to look like it was designed by animals? or worse, by an intern?

it truly looks like someone got a hold of the skew/scale tools and went ape$*!# on those poor, unsuspecting letters. pun intended.

On Feb.05.2008 at 10:28 AM

drew’s comment is:

It's just hideous.
I would expect it... in 1994... for a cartoon aimed at the older child... 10-11 years old...

but seriously... it's just wrong.

On Feb.05.2008 at 10:30 AM

Mark’s comment is:

I guess this proves that animals aren't great graphic designers.

On Feb.05.2008 at 10:39 AM

Paul’s comment is:

The only thing I can really read well in this silly logo is an underlined M when the whole thing is turned 90 degrees counterclockwise. And I think that signifies... nothing.

On Feb.05.2008 at 10:49 AM

Rob’s comment is:

I really don't mean to knock the conceptual approach but animal's don't create logos. People do. And while some see zebra stripes and others seen the jungle, I see a possibly strong concept with questionable execution.

In other words, for me it doesn't work.

On Feb.05.2008 at 11:55 AM

cee’s comment is:

I think it's kind of tough to judge an identity based on just the logo, especially one that will be used in broadcast.

On Feb.05.2008 at 12:00 PM

NIki’s comment is:

Everything I've ever learned tells me I shouldn't like this logo...yet, I find myself strangely attracted to it.

On Feb.05.2008 at 12:48 PM

Darrin Crescenzi’s comment is:

I saw this identity on a Animal Planet promotion a few weeks ago, cried, and then immediately went online to see if I could find any further evidence of its existence. When I couldn't, I assumed that it had merely been a nightmare. I was wrong.

The number one issue with this logo, as I see it, is that it feels like the result of digital construction. Rarely is this a good thing, especially given this content. It goes against everything Ms. Lowell mentioned in her repositioning statement. Even when they apply jungle textures, as on the header of their website, and stick it at a jaunty angle, I still hear the click-click of the mouse instead of the squeak-squeak of the mouse.

Stumbled upon this link yesterday. Twenty-six animal "logotypes," one for each letter, as part of somebody's student thesis. Not that they are all partcularly good, but a few of them "bring out the raw, visceral emotion in the animal kingdom" a hell of a lot better than this travesty. Zebra is particularly nice.

who wants their logo to look like it was designed by animals? or worse, by an intern? [sic]

Boy am I glad I didn't intern for you.

On Feb.05.2008 at 01:08 PM

Ep’s comment is:

I can't decide if this is terrible or somewhat okay. I don't understand the varying weights. This is like Planet of the Apes, except crappier.

On Feb.05.2008 at 01:20 PM

zz’s comment is:

i watch a lot of the discovery network channels and i have to say, every time i see an animal planet commercial now, i cringe at the end when it comes time to show the network logo because i know what's coming.

and for what it's worth, i can see tiger/zebra stripes in the negative space around the m, but i have to force it.

On Feb.05.2008 at 02:48 PM

Prescott Perez-Fox’s comment is:

I still don't get it. Why the "M", why on its side? Why three shades of green? I'm so confused.

On Feb.05.2008 at 03:33 PM

David Berman’s comment is:

AUTHOR: David Berman
EMAIL: davidberman@gmail.com
IP: 72.243.99.65
URL:
DATE: 02/05/2008 03:56:13 PM

On Feb.05.2008 at 03:56 PM

Mark ’s comment is:

Wow, after clicking on that 26 animal logotypes link this logo looks pretty plain.

Why do so many companies like all caps and bold Impact-like fonts?

yuck.

On Feb.05.2008 at 04:11 PM

Helveticus’s comment is:

I thought 2007 was a logo disaster but it looks like 2008 is on a sure path to outperform the former. Logo Lounge and Rockport can publish a new book "Logo Loo - Crappy Logos by Leading Designers"

On Feb.05.2008 at 04:24 PM

Samuel’s comment is:

I like it.

I felt like I was bitten by wild animals when I saw the new logo revealed on the video. It gave me the shock and adrenaline.

On Feb.05.2008 at 04:44 PM

Samuel’s comment is:

I like it.

I felt like I was bitten by wild animals when I saw the new logo revealed on the video. It gave me the shock and adrenaline rush.

On Feb.05.2008 at 04:45 PM

Joachim’s comment is:

"... the name of the channel in different size letters, made to look as if it could have been created by an animal."

Come on, now. It looks like it was created by a mediocre designer with limited understanding of typography. Now this is what an animal would create:

On Feb.05.2008 at 05:04 PM

typozon’s comment is:

WTF!!
I don't like, this looks like a school exercise, I'm so confused with this brand determination, the latest brand are not the best, but did have a nice feeling with the people.

On Feb.05.2008 at 05:11 PM

stock_illustration’s comment is:

It looks like it was created by an animal with poor typography skills in Freehand.

On Feb.05.2008 at 05:58 PM

Derrick’s comment is:

Awful. Totally awful.

I have nothing more to say.

On Feb.05.2008 at 06:09 PM

Audrée Lapierre’s comment is:

I really like it. It feels like a different way to play with type. I agree its not by-the-book, but that whats make it wild, i find. Who cares if the M is on the side, doesnt have to represent anything. It just makes a stronger image. Huge improvment.

It reminds me of letterpress too.

On Feb.05.2008 at 07:02 PM

Jeff Peppers’s comment is:

well, at least they kept the same overall color scheme...

On Feb.05.2008 at 08:12 PM

brandy’s comment is:

Hey, however bad it is, it's better than Xerox…

On Feb.05.2008 at 09:12 PM

brandy’s comment is:

Which ain't sayin' much…

On Feb.05.2008 at 09:13 PM

lodenmuse’s comment is:

Looks like it's not quite finishe

When I think of animals, I always think "M." M, M, M, M. Let's sing a song of M. How many is M?

In other news today: Gap Inc. purchases Animal Planet, will transition to retailer of high-quality apparel and accessories for men and women.

On Feb.05.2008 at 09:17 PM

Mark’s comment is:

lodenmuse:When I think of animals, I always think "M." M, M, M, M. Let's sing a song of M. How many is M?

hahahahahahahahahahahaha well put. :)

On Feb.05.2008 at 09:24 PM

Michael Bierut’s comment is:

Who cares about the logo? The important thing is the Puppy Bowl and its MVP, Jackson the West Highland Terrier! We have a Westie too! Yay!

On Feb.05.2008 at 11:21 PM

Danny Tanner’s comment is:

Michael-
If you're a fan of Puppy Bowl,
you're sure to like Kitten War.

On Feb.06.2008 at 12:44 AM

Jacob Halton’s comment is:

I love how the pairs of AN(im)AL and the big A and P all make these little triangles with super tight tension points at the end.

I also love how no matter how many times I read it, I keep reading:

"A...(M or 3)....PLANET".......then i have to go back up and read "AniMal".....

Honestly though, it's hard to give this thing an honest design critique because it seems like something that some complete amateur did, so the couple things that actually do stand out, I can't figure out why they were done that way. It gives me that kind of abstract fine art feeling, that I'm supposed to interpret some stuff, but I really don't care.

Score -1 for the design community!

On Feb.06.2008 at 05:30 AM

fabio’s comment is:

For me the "M" is a crocodile

On Feb.06.2008 at 08:48 AM

zach’s comment is:

hey, mountain dew

On Feb.06.2008 at 11:55 AM

darfnader’s comment is:

The only thing worse than seeing this childish attempt at a logo constantly glaring in the corner of my television, is seeing it bounce in, letter by letter when the shows return from commercial break. It appears to be designed in windows 95, and animated in flash 2.0. They even have the ignorance to simply take the "type" as it is and arrange it horizontally to promote the website.... ARGH. They took a perfectly fun logo and quite literally dropped the ball.

On Feb.06.2008 at 12:05 PM

Eric Strohl’s comment is:

I don't think anyone can argue that the logo isn't better.

For me I keep trying to tease some sort of "Bembo's Zoo" animal out of the type.. but it obviously isn't there. Its a shame, so many interesting possibilities...

...only to find missed opportunities.

At least its better than the Travel Channel's new ID.....

On Feb.06.2008 at 06:31 PM

Name (required)’s comment is:

I don't think anyone can argue that the logo isn't better.

Did you read all the previous comments?

On Feb.06.2008 at 10:37 PM

DG3’s comment is:

The worst logo I've seen in a long time, pro or amateur.

If some newbie came into a design forum wanting a critique of this logo, we'd rip them a new one.

On Feb.07.2008 at 01:06 AM

Jesse’s comment is:

The old logo as shown above does not look great, but on TV it looked good, particularly in ads when it was superimposed over a background shot such that the background's horizon lined up with the horizontal line in the logo.

The new logo is just painful. It hurts to even watch a show when it is setting there in the corner. It gives the whole station a feel of being haphazardly thrown together. This might create some short-term buzz, but I cannot see it being a good long-term image for the channel.

On Feb.07.2008 at 01:37 AM

tony’s comment is:

Why is Discovery getting rid of the globe from all of its networks? First Science, now Animal. I thought it was a clever way of uniting the networks and really, when people identify the whole planet with your brand, I think you've done something right!

On Feb.07.2008 at 02:18 AM

D’s comment is:

Branding world gone wild

On Feb.07.2008 at 08:24 AM

C-Lo’s comment is:

Why? This abysmal logo raises a lot of questions, but the only one I will ask is Why why why why?

On Feb.07.2008 at 08:59 AM

Gamben0’s comment is:

I get angry every time I turn the channel and have to look at it. I thought maybe some 12 year old had won a contest or something.. but I was wrong. Surely, someone will get this fixed.

On Feb.07.2008 at 09:06 AM

marnie’s comment is:

"It looks like it was created by an ani3al" is the sort of statement that should put something in the reject pile, not be the driving idea for a design project.

You know, I can live with that sideways M. I don't get it it, but I can live with it. It's the NI and AL combos that make me want to weep.

On Feb.07.2008 at 11:03 AM

adam’s comment is:

all i have to say about this article is that i LOVE the show dexter!!

On Feb.07.2008 at 11:48 AM

damon’s comment is:

there is so much to pull from in the animal kingdom...it's sad that odd squished type and an arbitrary rotated letter is all they settled for.

On Feb.07.2008 at 12:20 PM

Anna Arbuckle’s comment is:

Glad to see something without cheesy bevel and shine. Glad they lost the globe. I think it might work nicely on-air.

Overall onceptually yes, execution leaved room for improvement.

On Feb.07.2008 at 02:37 PM

Sara’s comment is:

I just really don't get it, how is this supposed to be accessible to their audience? If the design community can't figure it out, how will the general population?

It looks SOOOO letterpress to me, not something I would associate with nature, animals, the environment... ugh.

On Feb.07.2008 at 03:44 PM

Patti’s comment is:

Can you say "Anal Planet"; that's how it reads.

It could have been good if they played with positioning more than just squishing the letters.

I'm offended that someone with no typography skills got paid for this.

On Feb.07.2008 at 04:07 PM

CJ’s comment is:

People should use in this a typography class under the heading... "What not to do with type."

On Feb.07.2008 at 04:53 PM

nate’s comment is:

paul rand noted a logo is like a signature

...i see a doctor's scribble here...i don't like to be critical or negative to any creative endeavor
but i feel there was no stretch made when this
was concepted and a lack of craft applied.

On Feb.07.2008 at 06:31 PM

Kevin Chan’s comment is:

Dreadful. There's NO life in this logo whatsoever, as evident by the keeled over M. I'm assuming they tried to play with the relationship between the 2 words (quite literally, Animals "taking over" the planet), but it fails. It's just way too static to ever command the sense of energy that wild animals would give. It defeats the nature of the channel. We're supposed to see the planet at it's most natural; death and survival, predator vs prey. The logo has subdued, forced and defeated this animal, taking away it's spirit and leaving it a hollow shell.

On Feb.07.2008 at 09:19 PM

WilhelmR’s comment is:

Anithreeal Planet, when green attacks.

On Feb.08.2008 at 12:00 AM

Magnus’s comment is:

That is one bad logo.

On Feb.08.2008 at 04:37 AM

Ale’s comment is:

That's bad man...no excuses accepted

On Feb.08.2008 at 09:39 AM

Pace’s comment is:

Kinda looks like a toucan.

On Feb.08.2008 at 06:15 PM

Paul C’s comment is:

Looks like it was pick type out of a hat day and see what sticks.

ick.

On Feb.08.2008 at 06:56 PM

Char Alfonzo’s comment is:

Ummm I don't like it personally and I could give a crap about 'design rules'... but this logotype is visually painful.
But hey!.. designers can say all the pretentious this-is-not-what-I-learned-in-type-2-class crap they want... ultimately logos are made for people so we can only see how people [other than designers] react to it.

On Feb.08.2008 at 07:41 PM

Becky ’s comment is:

I can't say that I feel it's the worst design I've ever seen. In fact, it's far from it. I initially even liked the overall feel I got in that "at a glance" moment that came when the page finished loading. However, it's definitely missing something, and if I had to guess what, I would guess that it's missing . . . well, something remotely animal that gives me a connection to the purpose of it's visual identity. I'm visually more attracted to it than I was it's predecessor, but I don't think it serves the basic purpose it's parent logo performed.

On Feb.08.2008 at 08:47 PM

Michael’s comment is:

Here via Randa's blog, the new logo is confusing, I prefer the original logo.

On Feb.09.2008 at 07:42 PM

Anton’s comment is:

CANNIBAL PLANET

On Feb.10.2008 at 08:13 AM

Jeff Peppers’s comment is:

not a big fan of the change.. but it doesnt really matter much anymore

the motion portion of it feels like vitalic's poney part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F52dx9Z0L5k

..and i'm getting really tired of seeing those avant garde R's!

On Feb.10.2008 at 02:41 PM

alphadog’s comment is:

Not just ugly, but fugly.

I don't get all these people that "see" an animal in the "negative space". That's just elite-talk for, the actual logo is crap and I have to find a reason to like it.

All I see is that the logo lost all its original appeal, which, quite frankly, is family-viewing with children and teens, not snobby (and dyslexic) logo designers.

On Feb.11.2008 at 11:25 AM

Char Alfonzo’s comment is:

alphadog said:
I don't get all these people that "see" an animal in the "negative space". That's just elite-talk for, the actual logo is crap and I have to find a reason to like it.

YES!... that's one of the few things I hate about BRAND NEW. However, we'll see if the logo is crap though. I give them props for trying something unusual.

On Feb.11.2008 at 11:16 PM

Darrel’s comment is:

I finally saw this on TV this weekend. It felt...sloppy. Perhaps it's due to the overall rebranding of all the Discovery channels and them all losing that cohesiveness. Perhaps that's a good thing, and we're just reacting to change more than anything.

On Feb.12.2008 at 12:42 PM

Free eBooks’s comment is:

There goes another logo I had profound respect for.

On Feb.13.2008 at 03:26 PM

Diane’s comment is:

When I first saw this logo on TV I was horrified. I was actually at the vet with my boyfriend and our puppy when we looked up at their centrally located television and both screamed at once.

"What is that?! I'm blind, I'M BLIND?!?!"

"I don't know honey I think they let some kid with bees in his helmet near an iMac in their design office."

*shutters*"Oh my god I...I've lost my will to live"

Okay I might be exaggerating slightly, but not much. My question is, when do they realize this logo is a mistake , make a public apology and then change it back?

On Feb.13.2008 at 05:02 PM

Mark’s comment is:

It looks like the M keeled over and died, squishing the letters next to it in the process.

I'll ask my cat to see if this looks like a logo she would make on the fly, but so far no luck all she does is meow and purr.

On Feb.13.2008 at 07:44 PM

Jorge’s comment is:

If you want to send them a gripe, here's the place to do it:

http://extweb.discovery.com/viewerrelations

On Feb.14.2008 at 12:54 PM

Darrel’s comment is:

"here's the place to do it:"

Nah. THIS is the place to do it...not those black hole 'suggestion box' corporate web forms that no response ever escapes from. ;o)

On Feb.14.2008 at 02:35 PM

chris’s comment is:

I know most designers recoil from working on spec, and I am in no way suggesting that any one do that. But it would be cool to see what people have to offer in place of what has been done. Takers? Show us your talent.

On Feb.14.2008 at 07:00 PM

chris’s comment is:

On Feb.14.2008 at 07:04 PM

chris’s comment is:

On Feb.14.2008 at 07:04 PM

Chris Brusich’s comment is:

uggh, this happens to be one of the ugliest logos ive ever seen.
I watch animal planet all the time and I've been bitching about it since they changed it. I miss the old logo....
im going to work on something in my free time to solve their logo dillema.

On Feb.14.2008 at 11:58 PM

Grant’s comment is:

I liked old logo a lot better. I wondered and wondered why the heck the "M" is sideways. I think I may have fund the answer. Imagine the "M" as a green box, with two white stripes coming in on the left, and one on the right. Like a Zebra. Even though Zebras aren't green with white stripes. And this may not explain why they turned it sideways...

On Feb.15.2008 at 09:07 PM

nash’s comment is:

a big brave leap, i love it!

On Feb.16.2008 at 03:26 PM

nash’s comment is:

a big brave leap and so perfectly relevant, i love it!

On Feb.16.2008 at 03:27 PM

nash’s comment is:

a big brave leap, so perfectly relevant and green, i love it!

On Feb.16.2008 at 03:32 PM

gif’s comment is:

this stinks

On Feb.17.2008 at 10:59 PM

brit’s comment is:

thats just embarrassing.

On Feb.17.2008 at 11:01 PM

drewdraws2’s comment is:

Why is it that people who like the logo always seem to post three times?

Coincidence, I think not.

On Feb.19.2008 at 10:28 PM

Mog’s comment is:

Ack.

I'm not opposed to Discovery Channel rebranding, and getting rid of the globe logos. Some of their logos, including the Animal Planet one, were sort of dated. (Discovery Kids is the worst, though.) After the Science Channel's clever "element" logo and orange branding, I had high hopes for the new Animal Planet brand.

The only good thing I could say about this logo is that they kept the green. I knew they would - I think "color coding" the networks like that will allow the Discovery Channel networks to have the same cohesiveness they used to, without having to have a distracting animated globe. But this? This is just...painful.

And in the animated clip, they made it silver. Silver! Metallic silver does not say "nature" to me. I thought that they would do a little animation with different letters rotating, but instead they make it silver and 3D - which only makes it stick out even more against the decidedly 2D Science Channel and Identification Discovery logos.

Just...ack.

On Feb.22.2008 at 12:36 AM

Mark’s comment is:

What happened to the "animal emerging from the M" thing they were talking about? I haven't seen that yet, did they stupidly scrap that idea at the last minute????

On Feb.22.2008 at 10:36 AM

Mark ’s comment is:

here this article talks about animals peeking from the letters, still haven't seen it happen in the logo, were they making things up????

[URL]http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/business/media/14animal.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin[/URL]

On Feb.22.2008 at 10:53 AM

Mark’s comment is:

try this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/business/media/14animal.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

On Feb.22.2008 at 11:01 AM

Robert’s comment is:

new kids on the block ;)

On Feb.24.2008 at 10:36 AM

EC’s comment is:

This stinks! I like the old logo. It stood out from the other logos. It had class and it was unique. It was't like your every day logo. Now with this one I will be flicking through the channels and miss it easily! Its like it blends into the screen! ! ! With all do respect. . . . . this SUCKS with a capital S.

On Feb.25.2008 at 07:50 PM

Joe Moran’s comment is:

Junk!

On Feb.25.2008 at 10:11 PM

juan’s comment is:

wow it's cool that I'm not the only one killing myself everytime i see that logo.

On Feb.26.2008 at 02:57 PM

t-face’s comment is:

If anyone prefers the old logo to the new one they must be insane. Granted the new logo could be better, but compare to the old one it's a masterpiece.
Could people get over the M being on it's side, it's not that big a deal. At least it's more interesting then an elephant.

On Feb.28.2008 at 10:09 PM

Paul Rand’s comment is:

Hey, I wonder if it the same hack shop that created the London Olympics logo? Animal Planet's new logo make me want to shoot an animal or the designer who created it!!!

On Feb.29.2008 at 03:04 AM

Cari’s comment is:

I totally agree with Arnold P.'s comments. I would also like to add that the typeface and the layout have kind of a shoddy 90's vibe to them. Utterly hideous design, not in keeping with their brand, and too chunky.

On Mar.20.2008 at 02:43 PM

Emily’s comment is:

ugly ugly ugly

On Mar.26.2008 at 04:09 PM

Steve’s comment is:

There is so much potential that could have been realized in a new Animal Planet logo, and it has all been wasted with this avant-garde "exercise" by a self-important "artiste" who will no doubt accuse all detractors of being Neanderthals. What a shame.

On Mar.26.2008 at 06:29 PM

kristin’s comment is:

Awful! I'm so glad I found a spot to compain about it!

On Mar.27.2008 at 08:30 PM

Clayton S’s comment is:

In there attempt to make the new logo edgy, that means the M must be sideways? Is this 1337speak or a logo?

On Mar.31.2008 at 01:15 PM

T-Bone’s comment is:

After looking at this again, the only possible explanation is:

1. designer mocks up 'letterpress' style logo. It looks crap, but;

2. designer spends more than 2 minutes to develop it into something that makes sense and is clever.

3. designer takes a sick day.

4. someone sends through the designer's initial terrible-looking concept and client approves it.

On Mar.31.2008 at 04:24 PM

Pan Demonium’s comment is:

Wow. I hate this logo so very much.
Glad to see most of you agree with me on this, crap.

On Apr.22.2008 at 09:54 PM

sandra’s comment is:

created by an animal?! that's a bit insulting to all the animals out there... and the "i" is just TOO THICK.

On May.03.2008 at 04:03 AM

Nate dogg’s comment is:

aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
cobras!

On May.06.2008 at 09:31 AM

miklebanks’s comment is:

dude how genius is that new logo???
makes us all scratch our heads!

it really shows how scared we can be as designers.
im really excited about this new format as well.

i would never design something like that, and now i wish i did

On Jun.17.2008 at 04:14 PM

Alice W’s comment is:

I'm not a designer, just a regular teevee viewer who found my way to here by looking for commentary the new logo.

A while back, I turned on Animal Planet channel, I was watching an Animal Planet show, I heard the voiceover guy say "Animal Planet," I saw the logo and thought, "What does that say?"

It read as nothing to me--not animal shapes or biting or stripes. It didn't even read as "Animal."

Sideways and with some fur behind it on their website, it works a whole lot better, though. I'd have been happy with the elephant logo if they'd made the globe more stylized to match the rest of the logo. But I'm not a designer.

On Jun.20.2008 at 08:17 AM

Amanda’s comment is:

I really loved the print ads when I first saw them on the subway.

On Jul.14.2008 at 10:43 AM

Anonymous’s comment is:

I really don't like the logo. It just doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever. I thought maybe the "M" was supposed to symbolize and animal with stripes, like a zebra or tiger. Then I thought maybe it was supposed to be an animal's mouth with sharp teeth... It's just plain ugly.

On Jul.27.2008 at 07:25 PM

ulahts’s comment is:

WOW, that's a bit of no logo actually.
The visual identity is totally lost and all the composition looks like a hand drawn cheap designed logo and by the sharpness of the letters it will only inspire fear or rejection.
Even if those guys that designed the logo are very experienced in TV branding that does not mean they are the best, and by the way they managed to draw this "thing"...it looks like animal gone wild...better gone completely NUTS?

On Aug.06.2008 at 10:06 PM

Anonymous’s comment is:

for me, the "I" stands out far too much but when I look closely I'm not bothered so much by the "I", which seems to have the same weight as the"L", but I am distressed by the distortion of the "N" and second "A"

On Aug.12.2008 at 01:30 PM

Josh Smith’s comment is:

Man I never heard so much bitchin about a logo. Everyone I know has been hatin-on this logo since forever. Look at the old one - ugly globe and bad elephant silouette over dated, ugly type. This is miles better. Still maybe not great, but better than most and a little bit interesting, fun..etc. The M to me is like a scratch mark made by a wild boar. looks like leaves in a jungle too kinda. Leave the poor thing alone.

On Aug.14.2008 at 05:05 PM

Gov Wilson’s comment is:

I hate this logo; I hate the sideways M;
I hate the word hate; I am a hater. People getting paid to do s*itty a** work like this makes me want to go into graphic design, but of course they will turn down good looking work for this POS (pice of sh**).\
Nothing is wrong with the old Animal Planet Logo, you can simply get rid of the globe or just write AN P.

My suggestions on this logo is to write animal planet in an alligator's mouth, or have this logo getting in that alligator's mouth a good place for bad art. Last just find an old police car paint it on the side and put it in a car demolishing event where the public can pay 30 dollars to take out their frustration. I think I will do this, a great ideal. Hope I dont get sued but it is worth the lawsuit to see what other people think of this sh1+.

On Aug.15.2008 at 09:31 PM

Gov wilson’s comment is:

Sorry about my poor grammar in my above comment, it is equivalent to the poor design in Animal Planet's new logo.

On Aug.15.2008 at 09:35 PM

Lee’s comment is:

I don't like this logo at all. However, I can see where the designers were coming from when they made the series of teasers with the letters in the logo forming the 3D shape of the featured animal. The letters of different sizes represents the different bones in an animal. However, like what you said, it is not bone like in any way. It actually feels like the "Word Art" function in Microsoft word.

I feel the idea is nice but somehow the end product didn't fulfil the beautiful concept.

On Oct.16.2008 at 10:33 PM

John Skylark’s comment is:

Please give us the old logo back. Just make it transparent. The new one is just terrible including the colour. Awful. I cant watch the channel any more with this logo over.

On Oct.21.2008 at 03:41 PM

Roxy’s comment is:

My reaction when I saw the new logo for the first time was "I hope it's not permanent".
The new logo is boring and lifeless..

On Nov.07.2008 at 06:21 PM

Anjum’s comment is:

The worst worst.........whatever explanation of marketing or for branding......
Simply
I want the old logo to come back.

On Dec.15.2008 at 11:34 PM

Scott’s comment is:

Wow. Stunned at how bad that logo came out. When I first saw it on tv I thought it was a joke. Seriously. Terrible logo.

On Dec.22.2008 at 10:44 PM

monkeyweather’s comment is:

Baybe the Berson who Bade that logo up had a sduffy node that day?
AniBal.
Oh, but then it would have been AniBal Blanet.
:O&

On Dec.23.2008 at 10:06 PM

Sara’s comment is:

One question:

What were they thinking?

On Dec.27.2008 at 11:00 AM

steve’s comment is:

i was left scratching my head after the first few times seeing this redesign...after that, i found myself appreciating it more.

the varied sized representing the diversity of animal life...the toothy M...the safari-inspired feel of the stampy, irregular type

not a favorite but, an interesting attempt

On Dec.27.2008 at 10:05 PM

Alpha Leader’s comment is:

Hey.. I got used to the old logo too... but after looking at the new logo... you see... well a wild... crazy... looking animal... and a nicely written planet :) wild&crazy animals on a planet... :) that's what I see.. and I think they did a nice thing with the video part of the brand... the clips between the shows.. they do look wild... animal like... :)
from the nostalgic point of view.. I liked the old logo... form the designer's point of view... the change had to come.. and by all means I say it's good :)

On Jan.04.2009 at 04:56 PM

Gabe’s comment is:

I've hated this logo since the first time I saw it. But today, after reading this post, I stared at it for a long time and saw something — like a Magic Eye poster: If you ignore the fact that the M is sideways and view it as a light-green block, it sorta looks like a beak chomping down on a tail or something.

Some justification for the sideways M? Maybe, but that's asking an awful lot of the viewers.

Fail.

On Jan.04.2009 at 07:14 PM

Kimberly Fenon’s comment is:

I think the white space between the 'I' and the 'M' is supposed to be fangs or teeth of an animal on a side view, but apart from that the logo confuses me. I can't really see any other reason as to why they would change it to that. It so confusing!

On Jan.18.2009 at 10:41 AM

Christopher Laughlin’s comment is:

The sideways M is the most distracting thing in the world. I literally had to drag my eyes off of it to keep reading the logo. Their old logo with the elephant was fine.

Did animal planet get bought out by pepsi? 'cause this is right up there with their new logo.

On Feb.20.2009 at 08:58 PM

ADAM HAASE’s comment is:

Are the letters supposed to be blades of grass or something?

I quite like it (the logo) as it shows a new direction in the channnel.

A new era for the better? Yours to decide.

On Mar.02.2009 at 08:22 AM

Eduardo’s comment is:

I love the logo it's great to see designers taking risks and trying to make fresh stuff. Illegible c'mon guys only if you are a bunch of first graders, i believe is fresh, bold and wild, and nature and wildlife is just that, why are we so affraid to make bold changes? we just keep with the mainstream, which of course is secure and keeps us safe of being criticized.

On Mar.12.2009 at 07:02 PM

Mari’s comment is:

A bit of a late comment from me but have never really thought about this logo (or given it the time of day)... Without having the patience to read through all the comments, to me, M definitely represents a bird feeding its young. White open beak coming from the left and closed beak coming from the right. But the rest of the mess overshadows this very nice thought. If the type was more straightforward and only the M as the feature, it might even work!