Opinion BY Armin

Gloves fit for the Six Million Dollar Man

First produced for hockey players in 1999, Bionic is a line of specialty performance gloves for sports like golf, baseball, fitness (weightlifting), tennis, racquetball, equestrian events and others, as well as a very popular line of gardening gloves. The gloves are the invention of orthopedic hand surgeon James Kleinert for sports equipment manufacturing company Hillerich & Bradsby, which more famously produces the Louisville Slugger bats. In March, Bionic introduced a new logo designed by New York, NY-based CBX.

Bionic’s updated logo captures the athletic spirit of the brand and feels more modern and iconic. Because Bionic Glove Technology focuses on gloves — and the hands that fill them — the symbol to the left of the logo is representative of both the letter “B” and a gripping, gloved hand. Its positioning at an angle adds a dynamic aspect to the logo that is reflective of Bionic’s innovative approach to creating performance-enhancing gloves. The tag line “Super. Human. Performance.” aims to clearly communicate the points of differentiation of the glove, including the premium quality and the patented performance technology that are the essence of the brand.
— Press Release

I liked the old logo, not because of its execution (obviously) but I find the idea of a — gloveless! — hand holding a bolt of thunder comical even though they were trying to be dead serious. I also appreciate anyone willing to italicize type beyond the usual 9 to 12 degrees; it was a staggering 36 degrees. The new logo is much more focused and clear: It’s a gloved hand making the shape of a “b”. It’s smart and simple and the abstraction and simplification work well in communicating that this is a logo that has to do with sports and hands. Perhaps it feels too much like a hand holding a baseball, potentially neglecting all the other sports it covers — specifically golf, which they seem to be targeting more heavily. Tilting the logo 45 degrees was key in not making the logo look too dumbed down and being more overt about it being a “b”. The wordmark is bionic-y without being a douchebag like its predecessor. The only gripe I would have is that — and this is assuming that the gardening market is still a big deal for them — the new logo doesn’t feel appropriate for the lady with the green thumb who might think that there is nothing in Bionic for her. Nonetheless, a major graphic improvement.

Above and below, a couple of somewhat funny ads. Logo animation at the end.