Phail-adelphia

We’ve all had our cases of personal disappointment when a logo redesign fails to properly reflect a brand that we love. It hurts for a while, we complain, sometimes it leads to change (Tropicana), but most of the time, we’re forced to get used to it and move on. This one will be hard to forget. Nothing hits harder than a boring logo of your own beloved city, failing in both concept and execution.

Like many cities, the historic wealth of Philadelphia directly translates into the city’s wealth because of tourism. With that in mind, it’s understandable if marketers require the logo to reference its history, regardless of how fascinating the city may be in its present day. That said, Philadelphia’s history does not start and end with the Liberty Bell. Any visiting tourist knows all the other historic must-sees like Betsy Ross’s house, Independence Hall, and Penn’s Landing. Conceptually, the choice of using the Bell could not be more uninspiring and obvious. It’s uninspiring because choosing one icon means intentionally choosing not to showcase the actual abundance of Philadelphia’s history. It’s a drawing of a bell and nothing more. Stars with swooshes in red white and blue would be more inspiring than this. While we’re on obviousness, it’s no surprise that the logo is a consequence of design-by-committee. Sixty-five people to be exact. Oh, and even more obviously, it was done for free. Like many other things in Philly, this project had all the familiar symptoms in place to ensure impending failure.

The still-used city seal, with alternate colors and layouts of the new logo.

Designed by the Star Group, this logo sports the drably default, designed-for-web font, Trebuchet MS. The tagline-turn-itemized-list, with bullets instead of commas, is set in Helvetica Extended. It’s all done in good design fun without regard to the awkward stand-out of “And You”. On top of that, there’s no evidence of any other brand materials besides the style guide [PDF], which includes laughable glossy web versions of the logo, and an unexplained round alternate with a drop shadow. Granted, the choice of Trebuchet was thoughtful for its accessibility, any division of the city could easily create their own department logo if they had a PC. Still, the execution of the remaining typography is amateur at best.

Of course, no patriotic logo voted on by committee would exist without red and blue. That unexpected mustard yellow, however, gets one point for originality. The bell’s tilt brings to mind those one-sided, designer-as-bitch dialogues brought on by a director of some sort. “It’s just not popping enough for me. What if you turn it a little, like it was ringing? More. More. Too much, go back. Stop right there! Now THAT’s cutting edge. They’re going to love this. You’re such a wizard in Adobe.” This is all evidenced by the fact that the red clapper is glued to the middle of the bell. If it were designed with the rotation in mind, the clapper would hang straight down as gravity dictates. Also, it doesn’t take a bell expert to notice that the wooden hold at the top of the bell will physically never tilt that way.

Web versions of sector logos, exactly as they appear in the style guide.

Besides the technical problems with the drawing, the bigger issue is that this logo fails to deliver any emotional or cultural connection. For rebranding a city, these connections are paramount. Without it, we’re left with the same old brand image that any big city suffers from; a festering stew of corruption, bureaucracy, and half-assed government initiatives. And that’s exactly what this logo is a reminder of. Hey, at least it cost us nothing.

Ben’s comment is:

It’s not always sunny in Philadelphia…

On Dec.08.2009 at 06:29 AM

Adam’s comment is:

The logo must’ve rung true (pun) to the residents of Philly.

A broken bell must mean the broken hearts of those people who have 2 see such a shocking logo to promote possibly a loved city in the USA.

I’m assuming cos i’ve never been there.

They (the logo designers) must’ve been slacking off and not putting much thought into the city’s debut logo and thought they’d ring (wing) it.

On Dec.08.2009 at 06:34 AM

Mondayne’s comment is:

The clapper might be moving/swinging explaing why it’s not straight down? No, I guess not.

On Dec.08.2009 at 06:38 AM

Erwin’s comment is:

It accually reminds me of those old fashioned telephones, with the crack being a telephone cord or something…

Well, it’s just bad, let’s keep it at that…

On Dec.08.2009 at 06:56 AM

Stormchild’s comment is:

Design by committee? They got exactly what they deserved.

On Dec.08.2009 at 06:59 AM

Brendan’s comment is:

It’s not that is bad, it’s just that there’s so much that could have been done with Philly…even the bell. I mean, I think Philly, and once I get past hating the Flyers, I’d go to the Liberty Bell. Is there reason to dismiss this and try to rebrand the city, or do you play up the historical aspect and beat it to death for the sake of tourism bucks?

I don’t think they’re going for motion in the bell (for the reasons mentioned), maybe just following that idea that angling something makes it more visually interesting. Cliche, I guess, if it doesn’t have a good reason.

Once again, Pittsburgh is just a little bit better. :D
http://www.imaginepittsburgh.com/

On Dec.08.2009 at 06:59 AM

Dale Campbell’s comment is:

Nothing like having a clip art-inspired icon for your city’s identity. And please tell me that the icon for financial services is an accident. The highlight renders the icon almost unrecognizable.

I have to admit that the thing that annoys me the most is the ignorance towards the actual bell and what it would look like when ringing. There is absolutely NO WAY that the top “wooden” section would be angled or slanted when the bell is ringing. This goes to prove that the designer was lazy and created the icon and simply rotated it.

In fact, the top section should remain parallel with the ground while the bell is ringing.

Ok, I have to stop. I haven’t even had my Apple Jacks yet. This is upsetting.

On Dec.08.2009 at 07:06 AM

John McCollum’s comment is:

“It’s not that is bad, it’s just that there’s so much that could have been done with Philly…even the bell.”

I’m afraid I must disagree. It IS that it is bad.

On Dec.08.2009 at 07:11 AM

danya’s comment is:

It’s pretty darn bad. Although it IS a step up from the Philly 311 logo…

http://www.phillydesignblog.com/2009/11/quick-call-9-1-1/

On Dec.08.2009 at 07:26 AM

Perry Garvin’s comment is:

Good review. It’s unfortunate that they had to put that “TM” at the end of their tagline. I’m sure no one wanted to do it (even the lawyers who probably sighed as they told their client it was required). It just serves to make the logo more “brand-y” and suggest an unnerving symmetry between citizenship and consumerism.

On Dec.08.2009 at 07:26 AM

MikeVile’s comment is:

Phail-adelphia: best title to date.

On Dec.08.2009 at 07:27 AM

Adam Meller’s comment is:

Is there any context for this, as in, what did the previous branding efforts of the city look like? I just wonder if this was a step up (at all) from what they had before.

On Dec.08.2009 at 07:37 AM

ScottyM’s comment is:

It’s got a crisp, definite feel to it. From an outsider, the bell doesn’t seem to be a bad icon to hang Philly’s hat on. It is the city’s greatest icon, bar none. (I imagine they might’ve done some research to corroborate this.)

The colors are well thought out … not overusing the blue or red, and giving the mustard a chance to carry some weight.

Great call on the bell’s wooden support … lazy slackers. This should go back to committee just for that terrible, terrible error.

Type treatment is also poor … Trebuchet is bush league. And it feels like the spacing in Philadelphia is too wide. I see “adelphia” far too easily, and that’s not a good thing.

Tagline is uninspiring with the tacked on “And You (trademark)” … could’ve come up with something far more clever.

You get what you pay for.

On Dec.08.2009 at 07:42 AM

Deshler’s comment is:

It’s a logo for the city bureaucracy—not the logo for the city’s tourism effort. I really don’t mind something that’s kind of fuddy for the bureaucracy’s logo. But I don’t know why the “Life Liberty And You” tag line is necessary for either the overall city government logo or for the various versions of the logo for various city sectors. Setting “Life Liberty and You” in equal weight to “City of Philadelphia” on those versions of the logo is confusing and awkward.

On Dec.08.2009 at 07:46 AM

buruno’s comment is:

Even Taco Bell “tilts” better, and the ™ was unfortunate indeed..

On Dec.08.2009 at 07:49 AM

tobias b köhler’s comment is:

This brings to mind another recent Philadelphia redesign ….

(It’s a cheese, though the packaging design reminds some of detergent or paint ….)

On Dec.08.2009 at 08:00 AM

Acree’s comment is:

Good call with the errors on the bell’s tilt. I never would have noticed that but once you point it out it looks so stupid. I hate to see a great city do this to itself.

On Dec.08.2009 at 08:23 AM

Pat’s comment is:

Ouch - is Bell Telephone missing a logo? Did we do a time warp? Is it really 1952 again?

This is outdated and doesn’t even come close to suggesting the vibrancy of the city. How sad that someone who thinks they are creative actually got paid to put this together.

On Dec.08.2009 at 08:28 AM

felix sockwell’s comment is:

good review.

“life. liberty. and you…”? wtf
does that MEAN? what about
the “pursuit of justice”..?

you can’t own life/ liberty.

philly, for me, has lost it’s brotherly love

On Dec.08.2009 at 08:30 AM

Adam’s comment is:

This is one of the worst identity designs I have seen in a long time. The typography, colors, and execution all are revolting. I hope for Philly’s sake it’s short lived.

On Dec.08.2009 at 08:34 AM

Ronlewhorn’s comment is:

“Design By Committee” and “Free” in the same sentence combined make for my worst nightmare. I literally got the chills at the thought of sending a kickass logo to a committee of 65 people with no hope of decent compensation. Moses.

On Dec.08.2009 at 08:36 AM

Ronlewhorn’s comment is:

Wait, is it April. I still am just dumbfounded.
Why? I really hope the people on this committee see this post and the comments and look at themselves in a mirror with shame and disgust for not understanding their lack-of-ability to delegate the creative and reduce the “decision” team!

On Dec.08.2009 at 08:39 AM

Chad Kaufman’s comment is:

This is absolutely the most boring and unoriginal direction that Philadelphia could have taken. As a Philadelphian it is surprising that most people even in the city gravitate towards the bell when approaching a branding project. Rarely in my life when mentioning that I am from Philadelphia has anyone said “oooh, have you seen the Liberty Bell?!” The question is usually “what’s your favorite cheese steak place?”

Abstraction
When looking at some of the other major city branding projects that have been featured on Brand New they are all considerably more abstract in their approach (let’s not try to mention the Cincinnati Logo).

While abstract logos that require too much explanation are never successful, they do allow for a greater meaning beyond a single iconic symbol. They represent a larger feeling that is beyond a single landmark that suggests the city as a whole—a reason for staying and not just visiting.

The Pitch
I think when you approach a branding project for a city, you should think of your ‘elevator pitch’ that you would tell other people as a reason to visit. I would find it hard to believe that the first few words that come out of your mouth would be about a landmark. When describing a city, people usually mention “how much energy it has” or the people or an experience they had.

On Dec.08.2009 at 08:39 AM

Kosal Sen’s comment is:

MikeVile, Thanks. Another title I had in mind was Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Crappiness, but Phail-adelphia had a better ring to it.

On Dec.08.2009 at 08:41 AM

Dyggyr’s comment is:

Feels small-time, like a local business. If it is for the city authorities then it’s following a long line of slightly rubbish local authority logos. The red draws attention to the angle of the ‘clanger’(?) of the bell - seems unnecessary.

I wondered if they were influenced by the colour scheme of the Philadephia Union? www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/snakes_on_a_logo.php

We have the cheese spread in the UK too - www.philadelphia.co.uk/philadelphia3/page?siteid=philadelphia3-prd&locale=uken1&PagecRef=593

On Dec.08.2009 at 08:42 AM

DCos’s comment is:

The colors must come from the city flag (in turn tied to the regions Swedish history)….

On Dec.08.2009 at 08:43 AM

Glenn’s comment is:

What about Benjamin Franklin? That might have yielded an interesting solution?

On Dec.08.2009 at 08:52 AM

Chris’s comment is:

Can’t some sort of legislation be passed that bans the use of Microsoft fonts in any type of branding or merchandizing?

I’m still smarting from IKEA’s recent disastrous choice of Verdana for its catalog. :(

On Dec.08.2009 at 09:16 AM

BrianT’s comment is:

That’s “pursuit of happiness”, not “pursuit of justice”. But either would have been better than “And You! Yay LOL!™”

I love how the style guide says the purpose of the redesign is to create a “consistant” branding for the city.

On Dec.08.2009 at 09:30 AM

Mike’s comment is:

I can see why they swapped out “and the pursuit of happiness” due to length, but removing it also implies that you won’t be pursuing any happiness in Philadelphia.

On Dec.08.2009 at 09:37 AM

Paul D.’s comment is:

Isn’t the Liberty Bell that place where security guards search your bags and keep visitors under constant surveillance like it’s Pyongyang or something? I guess the new logo is ugly *and* ironic.

On Dec.08.2009 at 09:41 AM

twoeightnine’s comment is:

The mustard yellow and blue are the official colors of the city and are featured in the city flag.

As someone who used to work in city government there this doesn’t surprise me at all. If it’s not safe, it’s scary.

On Dec.08.2009 at 09:45 AM

Greg’s comment is:

This is a miscarriage of justice. Philadelphia, the city I love, the city I run my business in, has got to make some changes if it ever wants to be considered seriously. For anything.

On Dec.08.2009 at 10:01 AM

Chris’s comment is:

While I echo Deshler’s comments (this is absolutely NOT the tourism focused logo) it still is a big bag of “Phail”.

What makes me so angry is the just blatant banality of the design choices. Who is the Creative Director that signed-off on this? They should have their credentials revoked.

And why-oh-why is another screen font being used? (Helloooo, Verdana and IKEA sitting-in-a-tree…)

Appropriately scathing article, Sal. Well done.

On Dec.08.2009 at 10:10 AM

Andrew Sipe’s comment is:

This hat from Frank’s chop shop has a better looking logo than that:
http://www.frank151.com/fcs/store/Hats/Philly+Bellringers+Original

and it’s a fictional team.

Designed by committee… still par for the course. I wonder what some of the previous revisions looked like, or how the first unadulterated sketched looked?

On Dec.08.2009 at 10:59 AM

Ian’s comment is:

I live in Philadelphia. I hang my head in shame, this may quite possibly be the absolute worst re-brand to ever appear on this site. Any defense of this logo MUST be from rogue employees from the star group themselves. Terrible, I lay in a pool of my own vomit, wallowing in the cold hard reality that I will have to endure this logo for years to come.

On Dec.08.2009 at 11:06 AM

Jon’s comment is:

Out of curiosity I downloaded and read the style guide. I can’t believe someone is actually passing this crap off as professional work.

There are so many DON’Ts in there that the logo is pretty much unusable.
I know it’s commonplace, but it pisses me off every time I see it, a style guide that tells you all the ways you can’t adapt anything to use in interesting new way. The designer of the future is bound by the lack of foresight of the designer of the past. Asinine!

Most laughable is something like “DO NOT reproduce the logo so small that the tagline is smaller than 12pt. Approximately 1 inch.” C’Mon! If I were turning work in to a client with that kind of restriction I would hide my head in shame.

Furthermore:
My wife was living in Philadelphia when we started dating, and my sister went to school at Philadelphia University at the same time, so I spent a lot of time there a few years ago. It’s a really interesting city. Its role in the American Revolution is only a part of that.

“The city of brotherly love” deserves better then a broken old bell…than cannot be reproduced smaller than one inch. ;-)

On Dec.08.2009 at 11:12 AM

Nate B’s comment is:

Life, liberty and the pursuit of Illustrator tutorials.

On Dec.08.2009 at 11:41 AM

Mark P’s comment is:

From a distance, I see a square-dancing headless woman before I see a bell. Life…Liberty…and a do-si-do”

On Dec.08.2009 at 11:41 AM

Chris Rugen’s comment is:

I’m a Philly resident. Have been for about 8 years now.

Philly has culture, history, arts, personality, grit, love, graffiti, cheesesteaks, murals, rivers, green spaces, heart, architecture, and a serious personality disorder that ruins every goddamn attempt to brand this city.

LET THE BELL GO. Our history is rich and beautiful. This logo is sterile and forgettable. The 65 should’ve voted 2 leaders and sent the rest home. This WILL waste taxpayer money when they have to slap it on every damn thing to replace the old look (whatever that was).

Good write-up, Kosal. I’ve seen your work (and interviewed at Sides) and I know that you of all people can’t stand bland and lifeless type and design. For this project in particular, I agree completely: a failure from the start.

On Dec.08.2009 at 11:59 AM

Craig Baldwin’s comment is:

I’d be pretty disappointed if this was my city. The colours may be a bit original but I really don’t like that mustard yellow, it’s pretty disgusting.

On Dec.08.2009 at 12:10 PM

Paul Rand’s comment is:

The entire creative team at The Star Group should all be shot. The new identity looks like it was ripped off from a clip art magazine from 1976. The The Star Group really makes the City of Filthadelphia the laughing joke in the design industry. Now I realize why the real creatives leave Filthadelphia and never return, the city’s gene pool is on the official extinction list. 1976 just called, they want their logo back, LOL.

On Dec.08.2009 at 12:10 PM

itchy’s comment is:

Before castigating the designer, don’t ignore this snippet: “They’re going to love this. You’re such a wizard in Adobe.”

I can totally see it going down like that.

Clients like this do not hire designers for their expertise, they hire them because the clients don’t know how to use Illustrator themselves. I’ve had projects where I’ve finally given up and just given the client what he/she wants and cashed the check. They’re happy, I’m paid.

On Dec.08.2009 at 12:22 PM

Dalton’s comment is:

I’m sorry - this still isn’t as bad as that clusterfuck of a logo for NYC taxis. http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/i_wolff_olins.php

On Dec.08.2009 at 12:24 PM

Alex P.’s comment is:

Boasting a 65 person pro-bono marketing team working on this rebrand is beyond ludicrous, not to mention 12 months of development! I feel bad for the designers and idea-makers working on this project, as I can imagine is what hell.

On Dec.08.2009 at 12:25 PM

Mojo’s comment is:

There’s a lot to San Fran as well, but using the Golden Gate makes sense.
I really don’t think Betsy Ross’s house would really translate… Or a big disgusting looking cheesesteak either for that matter.

On Dec.08.2009 at 12:29 PM

Grant’s comment is:

I feel your pain.

Perhaps you remember this great post on Brand New for the Wisconsin tourism disaster. The Governer of WIsconsin has put a hold on it and hopefully this will be getting another redesign.

http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/live_like_you_hate_the_logo.php

On Dec.08.2009 at 12:40 PM

Rob Marquardt’s comment is:

@Dale Campbell:

And please tell me that the icon for financial services is an accident. The highlight renders the icon almost unrecognizable.

Looking at the PDF style guide, yes, financial services is an accident.

On Dec.08.2009 at 12:47 PM

Nickos’s comment is:

How much did they get paid for this work of art?

On Dec.08.2009 at 12:50 PM

JoshuaNTaylor’s comment is:

Am I the only one that sees potential with the whole “City of Brotherly Love” thing. I’ve never been to Philly, but it seems like you could go in so many amazing directions. That’s the worst part.

On Dec.08.2009 at 12:56 PM

Jacksonville injury attorney’s comment is:

I think it works swimmingly, worked in the largest parts of Philly Americana and didn’t pick an offensive type. For such a large audience I think anything more so would be ill advised.

On Dec.08.2009 at 12:58 PM

Andrew Boardman’s comment is:

I grew up right outside Philadelphia and will always have fond (and, sometimes, equally scary) memories of it. I’ve known for a long time that Philadelphia (as a cultural entity) almost never seems to get things right - and this logo is just a sad, little moment in that grand narrative. Why does the city continue to fear its own shadow? Philadelphia is a beautiful, diverse and strange city that never seems to crawl out from under its rock (or bell).

On Dec.08.2009 at 01:07 PM

Jen’s comment is:

Wow - spectacularly boring and badly designed. I agree with everything you said. 65 people! Sigh. Also, I agree with the square-dancing comment.

On Dec.08.2009 at 01:17 PM

Dennis Van Staalduinen’s comment is:

Agreed. The logo is amateurish and badly rendered.

This brings up an interesting point: why did this broken bell become such a familiar symbol in the first place? If you read the Wikipedia entry on the story of the bell, it’s kind of embarassing actually: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Bell

It broke while it was being hung for testing, without even being rung once:

City of Philadelphia - “Not quite working as designed since 1752”.
City of Philadelphia - “Broken, but still hanging around.”
City of Philadelphia - “We never throw anything out.”.

I’m also wondering about the anthropomorphic little red clapper in the logo (ping pong paddle? Tree? Fat lady bending over?). Perhaps that’s the “you” in the tag line?

On Dec.08.2009 at 01:28 PM

Kristian’s comment is:

I never post comments but for this gem, I had to.

I could probably write two pages explaining why this new logo is just awful. Instead, I’m going to just call out StarGroup (who is by the way hiring a new Art Director, hmmm) for not coming up with something better. I strongly believe a first gear undergrad design student would come up with something more original.

I know the Liberty Bell is a powerful symbol of Philadelphia, but the way it has been used here just makes it look like a piece of clip-art pasted into a MS word document.

Philly deserves better.

On Dec.08.2009 at 01:28 PM

neil’s comment is:

Great analysis of why this logo sucks.

On Dec.08.2009 at 01:42 PM

Camryn Brown’s comment is:

Agree that it looks like a broken telephone, due to the lack of reality in the bell as noted by the author.

On Dec.08.2009 at 01:46 PM

Andrew Sipe’s comment is:

I commented earlier, but I have to echo the fact that this design was obviously not created with proper input and focus by the Star Group. They were an unnecessary casualty of this process and outcome.

When you have a rampaging monster that is a committee of 65 people plus and you’re not getting paid anything… the motivation, to keep that committee happy and to prevent what has happened, is not going to be there. Design morals or not.

This past year for the Star Group was probably similar to the movie Speed. They keep the bus going 50mph and they even jumped that gorge, but unlike the movie, the bus ended up exploding anyway.

I hope this post starts some conversations about how to deal with the all-to-real beast that is “design by committee”. Personally, I’d love to know how to tame that wild beast.

On Dec.08.2009 at 02:02 PM

LadyTron’s comment is:

“You get what you pay for.”

From what I hear it was done for free (pro bono).

On Dec.08.2009 at 02:08 PM

Caspian’s comment is:

I wish I could find something positive to say about this, but I am lost for words. From their website it looks like the Star Group are looking for an Art Director. And not a moment too soon if you ask me.

On Dec.08.2009 at 02:08 PM

James White’s comment is:

There is nothing wrong with Trebuchet.

Shame on you!

On Dec.08.2009 at 02:19 PM

Peter’s comment is:

It’s simply unacceptable.

On Dec.08.2009 at 02:26 PM

Ivan’s comment is:

3 people voted “fine” on execution? What a sense of humor :)

On Dec.08.2009 at 02:29 PM

colormist’s comment is:

Four hours later and I finally understand Phail = Fail. I spent the better part of 15 minutes trying to find a connection to phallic.

I blame this on the deadly combination of too many meetings and no coffee.

On Dec.08.2009 at 02:30 PM

Tricia Harvey’s comment is:

Nice what you can do with Illustrator these days, but shouldn’t the clapper be on the right due to the awkwardly tipped bell?

On Dec.08.2009 at 02:41 PM

Kosal Sen’s comment is:

Looks like they failed to implement their own system and used multiple sizes of Arial, instead of Trebuchet on the websites. I’d post the logos on here but it’s actually two separate images!
Check http://www.phila.gov/mayor/
and http://www.phila.gov/citycouncil/

On Dec.08.2009 at 02:45 PM

Scott Buchanan’s comment is:

When I look at it, the first thing I think is Bell Telephone:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bell_System_hires_1969_logo_blue.svg

On Dec.08.2009 at 02:50 PM

Italian Stallion’s comment is:

It looks like a cheap knock-off of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. logo. Check it out @ gophila.com, at the very bottom left of the page.

On Dec.08.2009 at 02:51 PM

Gordon P. Hemsley’s comment is:

I don’t know, I kinda like it. It’s clean and simple.

On Dec.08.2009 at 03:06 PM

Yosh’s comment is:

How did this happen?

1. Big committee works over design firm and uses firm as Illustrator operators.

2. Design firm cranks out design without thought for free and takes comments from all 65 committee members.

3. Both 1 and 2.

The Star Group messed up but the client was an equal player to creating this generic logo.

It’s easy to guess from the sidelines that this was a failure on the part of the client to have courage, creativity and respect for design’s ability to deliver value. A free pitch from a pool of firms isn’t my preference, but once formal design work begins there should be some sort of compensation no matter how small. Otherwise there’s no sense of worth or respect from client or designer.

In an ideal situation a client like this comes to the table with an open mind and a clear approval process. Committees are necessary but can function in efficient an positive ways. There are times clients get to say they don’t like this or that color but good approval process limits these type of comments. And any designer should hold a client to the same reasoning in which we design. If it isn’t necessary or if it doesn’t help communicate then it shouldn’t be part of a design. And design isn’t about personal tastes, it’s about what communicates. A good designer will build an airtight case for why something works.

From the outside it’s more difficult to guess why the design firm did what they did. Lacking time? Creativity? Integrity? Backbone? Desperate to cut loose from a pro-bono project they once thought would be a good PR effort?

Sorry Philadelphia. Hope this identity quickly fades and we learn from this project.

On Dec.08.2009 at 03:23 PM

fonzie’s comment is:

Trebuchet: the thinking man’s comic-sans.

On Dec.08.2009 at 03:45 PM

drewdraws2’s comment is:

I am embarrassed to be a designer in this city. The new mayor was supposed to “get it”, but this is a clear indication that his failures extend far beyond the budget and corruption.

This looks like a high school design contest winner and I hope it dies a quick and painful death.

On Dec.08.2009 at 03:51 PM

Boomshanka’s comment is:

I’m sure Star Group is just sick about the entire ordeal, and apparently are looking for a new Art Director. Good. Not only was this project a flop, their own website represents everything cringe-inducing about this industry; from the “Skip Intro”, gratuitous Flash design and utter disregard for usability, to the self-aggrandizing copy.

On Dec.08.2009 at 03:57 PM

Cron’s comment is:

“yellow buttcrack”

“bell’s poopin out a berry”

On Dec.08.2009 at 04:10 PM

Jeff Fisher LogoMotives’s comment is:

I didn’t realize that the old Bell Telephone logo had been dropped (literally) and a crack had developed in it. I suppose it’s nice that Philadelphia could recycle the bell.

http://www.porticus.org/bell/bell_logos.html

On Dec.08.2009 at 05:02 PM

MSGDS’s comment is:

Design by committee of ten would be a nightmare, if there was 65 people involved in making this decision then they got exactly what they asked for. There’s no reason to criticize the design.

On Dec.08.2009 at 05:35 PM

Esteban Colberto’s comment is:

From:
http://www.phila.gov/CityRepresentative/LifeLibertyAndYou/

I have a tagline suggestion, taken from your very elegant and breathtaking description of vision and voice of your new brand.

“Philadelphia: The entire project was completed at no cost to the City. (addendum: Except for the salaries of the people that work for the City that spent a year’s worth of meetings on this project)”

Obviously, it doesnt matter at all what the logo communicates etc. The #1 Acceptance Criteria for Success was “Don’t spend no money”.

On those grounds.. THIS PROJECT WAS A STUNNING SUCCESS!

On Dec.08.2009 at 05:42 PM

M’s comment is:

I don’t understand. There are good design studios in Philly (not many, but the city still has good designers). I don’t understand why they aren’t used for projects like this (remember The redesign of The Franklin?).

On Dec.08.2009 at 05:45 PM

Ken’s comment is:

Life, Liberty, and Me? What does that even mean?

Philly’s pretty much like before but now without happiness?

On Dec.08.2009 at 06:11 PM

Michele’s comment is:

They should have paid a smaller, decent agency, like PRIMER to do the work.

On Dec.08.2009 at 06:33 PM

gordon’s comment is:

Phila-dull-phia

Is this the design groups site…
http://www.stargroup1.com/

Ironically if you rollover the CREATIVE link on the site your options are “menu item” menu item” or “menu item”
Nothing like getting your solutions from the can.

I pronounce it…
Phila-dull-phia

On Dec.08.2009 at 06:49 PM

ron’s comment is:

you get what you pay for.

what they should have done is have a competition among the city’s design firms.

On Dec.08.2009 at 08:44 PM

Desmond’s comment is:

k ern ing

On Dec.08.2009 at 09:04 PM

Tom’s comment is:

Whoever worked on it must have put their hard work into it, so I’m not going to put them down for that. There’s a lot of politics that also go into things like this, so the work might have been dictated by people who know jack about design. With that said, I would like to see more ‘weight’ with the design. Philly has great history, so the design should reflect that.

On Dec.08.2009 at 10:39 PM

Catch32’s comment is:

I’m sick of people defending uncreative agencies like the Star Group with this “design by committee” rationale. It’s an affront to people who work hard in the field and don’t sell-out. Yes, the client (in this case the city) probably had little to no sensitivity to the thoughtful conception and execution of a good logo. But most clients don’t know about good design. And why should they? The are not designers.

I’m not saying that many clients have not proved difficult for agencies to please. But it’s not only the ad agency’s job to create, but also to SELL. Advertising is slick sales. And good agencies believe in their work and convince their clients to do the same, especially when they are working for free!

This logo is not even remotely something worthy of a year’s worth of work. If Star Group is willing to attach their name to this nonsense then they deserve the criticism they are getting. Otherwise they should’ve walked away months ago.

@Gordon, most of their work online is quite old.

On Dec.08.2009 at 11:19 PM

LadyTron’s comment is:

I thought the Brown Group and Red Tettemer also had a hand in this design. How are they coming out of this unscathed?

from Philadelphia Business Journal…

*snip*
The logo could be featured in merchandise the city would sell to the public. It was developed with input from advertising and public relations leaders including David Brown of Brown Partners, and the firms Red Tettemer and Star Group at no charge to the city, he said.
*snip*

http://philadelphia.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2009/11/23/daily23.html

On Dec.08.2009 at 11:20 PM

Mmmk’s comment is:

@Boomshanka: Star looking for a new Art Director has nothing to do with this ordeal. They didn’t even assign an art director to this project. Instead, they put both ADs and designers on it as they do for most projects since they like to have giant clusterf!*%s on every project. Trust me, I have known many people that work there…

They can’t hold onto good art directors because they don’t understand how the process works at successful agencies.

On Dec.08.2009 at 11:38 PM

Andrew Keir’s comment is:

“Also, it doesn’t take a bell expert to notice that the wooden hold at the top of the bell will physically never tilt that way.”

lol, I can see that conversation now…

Person A: So, what do you do for a living?
Person B: I’m a bell expert.
Person A: …

On Dec.09.2009 at 12:36 AM

Mmmk’s comment is:

@LadyTron:
Brown and Red aren’t being blamed for this logo because even though they had a hand in the original process, they weren’t chosen (or ahem, wouldn’t continue to warp decent designs into ugly messes). The final logo is from Star. Which makes sense since they often do half-assed work…whatever is easiest , quickest, and gets a big thumbs up from the boardmember with the worst taste.

You probably work for Star though, seeing as that your only defense is deflection, so you already know this.

On Dec.09.2009 at 01:57 AM

Florian’s comment is:

Why that stupid crack?
Why break the bell?

Those colors are aweful. Contrary to the review above I think that mustard yellow is absolutely unnecessary and goofy.

On Dec.09.2009 at 03:04 AM

Tyland_cr’s comment is:

I feel sorry for whomever is hired next at Star, if they are indeed looking. They will probably be forced to reduce their ideas into crap like this logo.

I say this because having lived and worked in Philly (publishing) for eight years, I’ve only met very unhappy Star employees. The people who’ve created anything worthwhile at that company have all up and left for other agencies; must be something in the water cooler.

If other cities can create great logos and get them approved “by committee,” then why can’t Philadelphia? This is embarrassing.

On Dec.09.2009 at 03:05 AM

Ryan’s comment is:

I agree that the bell is clunky and a bad symbol for an active, modern city. If Philly’s hell-bent on using the bell, there’s no need to beat us over the head with it - a more subtle or abstracted representation could look to the past and the future. Pairing Trebuchet with Helvetica makes both look ridiculous.

And for the eighteen millionth time, Wolff Olins didn’t design the NYC taxi logo… they designed the “NYC” part. Smart Design is responsible for the ridiculous Circle-T + axi monstrosity.

On Dec.09.2009 at 07:04 AM

Ryan’s comment is:

Florian: the actual bell is cracked… a Liberty Bell with no crack in it would really be stupid.

On Dec.09.2009 at 07:07 AM

LadyTron’s comment is:

@Mmmk - Nope, don’t work at Star. Never did. I do know a copy writer and an account manager from there but I don’t know them from the design industry. I know them through mutual friends. I mention it because it was the first article I read about the new logo and it stuck out because they both usually do good work.

You probably work for Red or Brown, seeing as my mere mention of those firms being involved seemed to frost you a bit. ;)

On Dec.09.2009 at 08:13 AM

jwo’s comment is:

Two things:
1. Can’t believe how often Trebuchet, the Web-specific font, is used in print. I’m stunned it’s being used in an identity. Tsk Tsk.
2. Philadelphia Cream Cheese is named after Philadelphia NY, not PA.
; J

On Dec.09.2009 at 08:54 AM

Florian’s comment is:

@Ryan
Yay, thats an awesome reason to break it. Thanks

On Dec.09.2009 at 08:56 AM

jwo’s comment is:

What do you expect from a committee made up of politicians vs. freely leaving it up to the experts? I was half-expecting a 1,900 pages of confusing legalese in support of their choice that everyone else gets 18 hours to read before voting. Seems to be the trend in 2009.

On Dec.09.2009 at 09:01 AM

Vanessa’s comment is:

Now let’s really take this to the next level and open up to a local branding competition where families and professionals are on the same plane of expertise!

On Dec.09.2009 at 09:03 AM

Noah’s comment is:

when a non-paying committee of 65 is “designing”—the designer most certainly is not. That said, there is no excuse for the execution of the web versions. Or for the use of Trebuchet. I would have, however, loved to have been in the room when someone felt it necessary to add “City of” just to clarify the subject. And those web logos… really?

On Dec.09.2009 at 10:58 AM

Jason Schwartz’s comment is:

Yikes.
I agree. This is like Print Shop 1990 clip art. Not a great way to show off your city’s creativity and what it has to offer.

However, I’ve been there and know what its like to be involved in a design by committee project. I’m sure there were much better concepts that were passed on due to mass hysteria.

On Dec.09.2009 at 11:58 AM

Ken’s comment is:

“I agree that the bell is clunky and a bad symbol for an active, modern city.”

That may be true, but we’re talking about Philadelphia here. :-)

On Dec.09.2009 at 12:51 PM

Ainsley’s comment is:

what’s with the crazy glare on that last one?

On Dec.09.2009 at 01:17 PM

Mmmk’s comment is:

@ladytron—- I apologize. There ARE good designers at Star (or at least there used to be; one was my cousin). I don’t work for Red or Brown and actually think 160over90 beats the both of them! I just know from my cousin and his friends there that Star doesn’t push or promote for good work. Their management level is seriously lacking, and they tend to hire people that are family members and clients’ kids over people who might actually make a difference there. Good designers don’t matter if they’re not being used wisely :)

On Dec.09.2009 at 02:53 PM

Gillian’s comment is:

I’m sorry, but does anyone expect great design to emerge from a company founded on casino money and the VEAL business? Because that’s the other ways Star Group makes their money. Really.

On Dec.09.2009 at 02:59 PM

Gilly’s comment is:

Weird logo. Bad logo. But does anyone expect great design to emerge from a company founded on casino money and the VEAL business? Because that’s the other ways Star Group makes their money. Really.

On Dec.09.2009 at 03:12 PM

Gilly’s comment is:

Sorry didn’t mean to post twice lol

On Dec.09.2009 at 03:14 PM

LadyTron’s comment is:

@Mmmk - No worries! 160/90 was my first thought, too, since I think they do some of the best work in the city. But I bet the city doesn’t know about them or they were approached and 160 smelled the shiteous circumstances of working on this project and declined.

On Dec.09.2009 at 06:00 PM

Tim Whalen’s comment is:

“one-sided, designer-as-bitch dialogues”

HAHA! I’ve been on the business end on a few too many of those!

On Dec.09.2009 at 07:01 PM

shiftklick’s comment is:

Gotta love that red cherry under the cracked bell. That TM after the “and you” is awesome too. The best part are the glossy web versions. Can’t get enough of gloss.

On Dec.09.2009 at 07:19 PM

Cindy’s comment is:

I’ve never been so embarrassed to be associated with Philly.

On Dec.09.2009 at 07:45 PM

Nate’s comment is:

Rocky would punch the shit out of this logo.

On Dec.09.2009 at 08:18 PM

Adrianofaustin’s comment is:

The “wooden hold” at the top of the bell is called a yoke. They’re always horizontally level, which makes the tilt of the bell in the logo ridiculous.

On Dec.09.2009 at 08:46 PM

Leigh’s comment is:

I am not from Philadelphia but have visited briefly before (based in the UK). If this is a logo to encourage visitors, I see nothing here that would make me curious about the city. I regard Philadelphia as modern and exciting - completely opposite of what it looks like here. In fact, the first thing I thought about was the LOVE sculpture, but I am a creative after all.

To be honest, it looks a bit like the designer tried to make it safely appeal to all ages and in so doing, has landed up appealing to no-one. Why is the TM after the tagline? It looks wrong somehow. Nothing like a trademark symbol to the sincerity out of a sentiment. Not sure those bullet points help.
The tagline seems to fight for attention with the main text instead of being secondary. It makes me wonder whether it was attached at the last minute without any thought at all.

On Dec.10.2009 at 03:47 AM

Dave G’s comment is:

The blue and gold (or mustard yellow, as you call it) are the city’s colors, as seen in the city’s flag.

On Dec.10.2009 at 07:18 AM

Johnny Griswold’s comment is:

Yellow and blue… I believe those are the official colors of Philly, or the colors of the Philly flag. So I’m guessing that’s why those colors were chosen.

I agree that it’s a bad logo, but if you’re looking for an iconic feature of Philly, what better than the Liberty Bell? The Rocky statue, perhaps?

On Dec.10.2009 at 08:10 AM

Philadelphia workers compensation lawyer’s comment is:

Is this going to eventually make it to Fail blog or is that too much of an opinion.

On Dec.10.2009 at 01:23 PM

Drew’s comment is:

Punish the monkey, let the organ-grinder go, eh? This logo is nothing more than the product of too many cooks in the kitchen.

Look, the requirements were to include the liberty bell, which is at the epicenter of tourism in Old City, so no harm there. And the logo was done pro-bono. But, when subject to 65(!) opinions, and probably scores of iterations, what can be expected? The project was handcuffed from the get-go. In my opinion, that isn’t the Star Group’s fault, it’s the Mayor’s office’s.

Consider this— how many tax dollars were being spent while some bureaucrat with exactly zero design savvy scrutinized the typeface, or the bell’s angle? Multiply that number by 65. It’s irresponsible, and, frankly, indicative of Philly politics over the past 40 years.

Knowing the Star Group’s track record of design, I’d be interested to see a sampling of the initial ideas thrown-out, if only for a clearer definition of what could have been.

On Dec.10.2009 at 02:48 PM

Jonathan’s comment is:

What a travesty.

On Dec.10.2009 at 08:41 PM

shiftklick’s comment is:

@Adrianofaustin is right. Those types of bells aren’t supposed to swing like that http://www.bellsandbirmans.com/bells/bellfacts.php

On Dec.11.2009 at 01:54 AM

Greg’s comment is:

Has anyone form the agency even made an attempt to defend themselves? Perhaps they’ve never seen this site. It wouldn’t surprise me.

On Dec.11.2009 at 09:19 PM

Dave’s comment is:

I certainly don’t think that the agency needs to defend themselves. If you knew anything about this business you would know the politics involved in a process like this and how things get watered down from original concept to final product. I don’t think that Star concerns themselves with the opinions of bloggers on a website. Quite frankly, they’re as unqualified as the committee of 65 that helped produce this logo. If anything, it seems that Star jumped in to take advantage of what seemed to be a nice opportunity to not only help out the city of Philadelphia, but also to get to produce something they would be proud of. I don’t think that they had anticipated the process and the outcome. And given the fact that they were probably too far into the process to drop out in the middle of it, what were they supposed to do? Drop out, get bad press, pay the price politically and burn bridges with the city and future opportunities? It’s more than ink on paper my friend, it’s business.

On Dec.13.2009 at 07:19 PM

tetra’s comment is:

Featured recently on welovetypography:

Nice and subtle way of incorporating the bell.

On Dec.14.2009 at 02:09 PM

James’s comment is:

“Granted, the choice of Trebuchet was thoughtful for its accessibility, any division of the city could easily create their own department logo if they had a PC.”
I’m mystified as to why you would want departments running off doing their own thing with your brand? If you gave the task of creating a departmental logo to ten different people - even with a style guide and the proper template - you would still get ten very different results!

On Dec.15.2009 at 03:50 AM

Philadelphia workers compensation lawyer’s comment is:

I don’t think that is as bad as everyone is making out to be. Not the best but not by any means the worst.

On Dec.15.2009 at 10:32 AM

Nathan Driskell’s comment is:

Kosal, why does it get a point for the mustard color? The color choice was the biggest turnoff to me. The palette feels dated and unimaginative, even bordering on gaudy.

I’m from a city less than half the size of Philadelphia, that recently rebranded itself much more successfully. And guess what? They paid a lot of money for it. If a city with the resources of Philadelphia can’t put money toward a quality product, then I agree: They deserve this.

On Dec.15.2009 at 02:06 PM

awesomerobot’s comment is:

With a committee that large working on the logo must have been an absolute hell. I applaud the designer for emerging from that hell with a logo that’s not good by any means, but at least not absolutely terrible.

On Dec.16.2009 at 08:42 AM

brandsimplicity’s comment is:

Are you fricken kidding me…what is this the 80s

On Dec.16.2009 at 08:53 AM

rlouisbarrett’s comment is:

What’s more AMERICAN than mustard? and a committee?

This logo looks like the work of an aspiring high school design student.

Kerning = Fail
Color = Fail
Bell = Fail

Even the crack, a part of the bell that could make it interesting, is lack luster at best.

Three strikes and this logo should be out, like in the American pastime.

On Dec.17.2009 at 12:51 PM

Pennsylvania wrongful death lawyer’s comment is:

You’d think that a city would have the budget and foresight to get a logo that was a little better. Granted to most it’s not going to be something that is going to matter however it may have been able to make a difference if it was worth spending time on.

On Dec.18.2009 at 10:52 AM

Shannon’s comment is:

As a Philadelphian, I’m extremely disappointed in this logo redesign. They should have worked with the same people who did the tourism campaign for GoPhila.com — much more effective.

http://press.gophila.com/presskits/with-love-philadelphia-xoxo

On Dec.21.2009 at 04:38 PM

Jayde’s comment is:

Defend Star all you guys want (though there doesn’t seem to be too many of you), this logo is awful in almost every respect. It should never have been presented to 65 people in the first place. Or 200 people, or 12, or EVEN ONE.

All agencies face nightmares like this at some point, and I’m willing to bet most cities go through similar processes. So why do we end up with a crud logo and they don’t?

Philly gov has chosen good design work in the past and it is a pretty artsy city. This is quite simply, a mess.
Shame on you, Star, board, everyone involved!

On Dec.22.2009 at 04:26 AM

Popartlane’s comment is:

Classic example of a poorly-executed bad idea. Or lack of an idea, even.

On Dec.22.2009 at 04:29 AM

cartucho r4i’s comment is:

If Philly’s hell-bent on using the bell, there’s no need to beat us over the head with it - a more subtle or abstracted representation could look to the past and the future

On Dec.22.2009 at 07:56 AM

Paul Rand’s comment is:

I really DO NOT care or except that fact or fiction that 65+ people “design committee” selected the final logo. If the Star Group was NOT a hack shop in the first place, their retarded Philly logo would of never been presented in the first place.

NOTE TO STAR GROUP: NEXT TIME USE CROWD SOURCING OR BUILD A TEAM OF REAL DESIGNERS AND NOT INTERNS”

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On Jun.22.2010 at 01:14 PM

SIMON’s comment is:

This is piss poor!!! Why didn’t they just go over to the Tyler School of Design at Temple U and have some student designers work on it so they could experience and feel the prestege of working on a real bonafide project.
The only good thing about it is that when you submit a proposal to the city(like we just did today)it’s cleaner then the old SEAL.

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