BY Armin

Photoshop 2.0: The Wrong Kind of 2.0

Photoshop Logo, Before and After

Of all the design applications we use — InDesign, Illustrator, Quark, Flash, Dreamweaver, et al — Photoshop has long been the most popular beyond our industry. Lawyers, architects, accountants, restaurateurs, your dad, mom, brother and sister all know Photoshop. Even if it’s only to ask, “You can Photoshop that, right?” in hopes of magically fixing an underexposed photograph, an old set of frown lines, a muffin top, or to erase a building and reveal the building behind it. Photoshop, like Google and Xerox before it, has also become a verb: Photoshoping this, having Photoshoped that, and thou Photoshopeth. Despite its growing complexity over the years, Photoshop feels like Adobe’s darling, enjoying a myriad of spin-offs targeted to creative tangents like photographers, retouchers and even novices — a treatment no other application in its suite enjoys to such extent. Adding all these versions up in 2007 results in the following line-up: Photoshop CS3, Photoshop CS3 Extended, Photoshop Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Album Starter Edition. Certainly, they need a unique unifying logo! Not.

I have been using Adobe software since 1997, starting with Illustrator 5.0, Photoshop 3.0 and Pagemaker 1.0, upgrading every single time — except for the aberration of technology that was Illustrator 9.0 — and being up to date with the beautiful CS3. Throughout the years, the branding has been simple: Every application is made up of different elements — from Venus, magnifying glasses, paper airplanes and a cornucopia of random elements in the early 90s, to feathers, flowers and butterflies in the early 00s with the introduction of CS, to the colorful periodic table icons of today — unified by a unique stylistic approach, clearly evident over the years as the packaging has evolved. What was beautiful about it, was its almost fascist execution where nothing strayed too far and, as well, rarely overlapped. Even with the addition of the Macromedia product line, Adobe found a way to render everything under a single visual umbrella that on the surface may look simplistic, but I dare anyone to attempt tie the complex brand architecture with a prettier, simpler, broader design.

Adobe Family

And now comes in a new logo for Photoshop. Introducing a completely new — and unfortunately cheesy, tacky and gooey — visual language that feels more eager to blend into the shiny world of vapid web graphics than in sustaining the brand equity of powerhouse Adobe. It is more akin to Microsoft Sliverlight than anything Adobe has ever offered. The design direction feels misguided and, even as such, it lands off target in a land of no one. Photoshop has long been a tool to master, testing the mettle of designers, retouchers, interns, printers and photographers, providing acute control over color and content… With its new logo, Photoshop feels like nothing more than a widget you can turn on and off. And it doesn’t even give you the weather.

Photoshop Logo Detail

DATE: Sep.19.2007CATEGORY: Graphics Industry 150 COMMENTS

Comments › Jump to Most Recent

Ty’s comment is:

Not only have I always appreciated Adobe's consistent and admirable branding throughout their myriad of products, I have also enjoyed the great design that they use to showcase their products on their web site and packaging, etc.

So I am perplexed. How this 2.0 piece of crap makes it out of the hallowed grounds of Adobe headquarters is way beyond my realm of comprehension.

Disgusting, it's just absolutely vile.

On Sep.19.2007 at 10:27 PM

Nick’s comment is:

Tragic and horrific.

On Sep.19.2007 at 10:40 PM

Splashman’s comment is:

Ugh. The less said about this POS, the better.

Re: the "periodic table," I must admit I was disappointed at first, as I've been using PS and IL since v1.0, and always admired their classy app icons and packaging (until CS, of course). Whatever one thinks about the period table approach, one must at least admit it's a bold design statement that efficiently achieves several defensible purposes. It's grown on me.

On Sep.19.2007 at 10:51 PM

JonSel’s comment is:

As a graphic itself, it adheres just fine to the Aqua-school of design, but that's the least of this.

The Photoshop logo on a product, service, or technology, represents the rich legacy, technical quality, and attention to detail that has made Photoshop the gold standard in digital imaging.

This is a very interesting statement (taken from the above referenced Adobe blog). It would seem that Photoshop is viewed as a technology on its own. It's like an Intel Inside type of brand. Perhaps this will play out in the coming months as items are released into the marketplace, but it's very confusing right now.

I'd also like to know what a speech bubble has to do with photography. Just puzzling overall.

On Sep.19.2007 at 10:54 PM

Ryan Coleman’s comment is:

What the heck is PBS going to do now when they want to sex up their logo? ;)

On Sep.19.2007 at 10:59 PM

Splashman’s comment is:

Heh. Lots of mystified and/or ticked-off commenters here.

On Sep.19.2007 at 11:04 PM

danny’s comment is:

why, why, why?
just when you thought a brand identity was stable and reliable...here comes the "new look" and the "next big thing" for an oversaturated brand culture.

personally, i feel like it is appealing to the lowest common denominator. photoshop has never been user friendly, but made its way into visual cutlure so much to have its own verb...maybe appealing to a market base that can't get enough of the dripping wet web 2.0 look is smart business. saddly, it alienates its more visually sophisticated users.

in any case...its so much a part of the visual industry, that it probably won't matter how ugly it gets.

On Sep.19.2007 at 11:19 PM

Daniel P. Johnston’s comment is:

Yes yes... another meaningless talk-bubble (this time with a hole in it). When was the last time Photoshop helped anyone speak? The only word that I associate with Photoshop starts with an F and ends with a K, and is generally said just after the program crashes. I'm guessing that there are thousands of designers who will voice said word on sight of this.

On Sep.19.2007 at 11:20 PM

benp’s comment is:

This has to be a joke... right...? :-/

On Sep.19.2007 at 11:39 PM

Johanna ’s comment is:

I am appalled!

On Sep.19.2007 at 11:49 PM

Chris P.’s comment is:

Huh, so that's where the runner-up design for Powerpoint's icon in MS Office v.X wound up.

On Sep.19.2007 at 11:58 PM

Ty’s comment is:

Okay so here's what I'm really not understanding:

in Adobe's many years of business, any new identities or logos for its products are introduced with a new version, but considering CS3 was recently unveiled, why is Adobe creating a new identity???

On Sep.20.2007 at 12:03 AM

Bacardo’s comment is:

I completely agree, seems like a web trendy instead of the solid identity system that had adquired in the fusion with macromedia.

Ugly and poor.

Regards.

On Sep.20.2007 at 12:08 AM

Neven Mrgan’s comment is:

I have yet to hear a positive comment about this ridiculous design. In its full 3D cheesiness, it's almost childish. In 2D, it's small and sad.

Regarding this:

The Photoshop logo on a product, service, or technology, represents the rich legacy, technical quality, and attention to detail that has made Photoshop the gold standard in digital imaging.

Let me attempt a translation:

The Photoshop logo on a product, service, or technology, represents the piggybacking of a loosely related new product on the accumulated fame of our flagship brand.

On Sep.20.2007 at 12:21 AM

Unit B’s comment is:

Like hanging foam dice on a Bentley. The best visual software package around, and they make it seem really cheesy. Disappointing, and pretty unoriginal, too. Like they used to say in Mad Magazine, blech!

On Sep.20.2007 at 12:46 AM

Colin’s comment is:

You guys don't get it, do you? The new Photoshop lets you tag your images, user comments now appear below your canvas, and you can share your imaging on Digg, Newsvine, Facebook, and del.icio.us, to name only a few!

On Sep.20.2007 at 02:29 AM

Spiros Klironomos’s comment is:

I couldn't agree more. A huge step back. Makes Adobe look like a start up. Especially after the periodic table

On Sep.20.2007 at 02:45 AM

Von Glitschka’s comment is:

AUTHOR: Von Glitschka
EMAIL: von@glitschka.com
IP: 67.171.142.125
URL: http://www.glitschka.com
DATE: 09/20/2007 03:39:48 AM

On Sep.20.2007 at 03:39 AM

Von Glitschka’s comment is:

Oops. My bad. They obviously used this new feature bloat in CS3.

On Sep.20.2007 at 03:47 AM

Bruno’s comment is:

Kill me, please. But kill who did this first, and also who approved it.

On Sep.20.2007 at 05:15 AM

Gerard McGarry’s comment is:

The one thing I'd say is that the 'periodic table' redesign launched only a short while ago. Seems too soon to be rebranding after that exercise in consistently styling all the Adobe range of products.

However, there was a backlash against that redesign, and there will be a backlash against this one. When you've got the entire design industry watching you, you can't p[lease everybody.

Strikes me though that this would tie in well to the online version of Photoshop (has it launched yet?), as an online and potentially Web 2.0 style application.

On Sep.20.2007 at 06:15 AM

Scout’s comment is:

I'm not a fan of the new logo, though I'm afraid I don't have much to say about it. One thing I can't get past though is how much it reminds me of the Open University logo. The OU may not be known in the States, but it's a home learning university in the UK, and I think within the UK the new Photoshop logo is going to look like a real knock off.

On Sep.20.2007 at 06:43 AM

Chad K’s comment is:

hopes of magically fixing an underexposed photograph, an old set of frown lines, a muffin top, or to erase a building and reveal the building behind it.

Hilarious!

What is with speech bubbles. I think there needs to be a thread about all the meaningless speech bubbles in indetities. I mean seriously:

Unless Photoshop starts speaking to me, pointless.

On Sep.20.2007 at 07:54 AM

andrew miller’s comment is:

Apple + z, Apple +z!!!!

On Sep.20.2007 at 08:06 AM

Blake’s comment is:

haven't read all the comments, so I'm sure this isn't original... we've gone from Piss to Crap. I actually came to like the new branding system for Adobe... guess I was getting sick of that god-damned sea shell/feather combination.

But what the hell is this? Pointless.

On Sep.20.2007 at 08:27 AM

edddy’s comment is:

I actually like it better than the periodic table, at least Adobe is realizing that they are not the center of the universe, and the people will not remember (or study in school) their Adobe periodic table

On Sep.20.2007 at 08:35 AM

L.Vazquez’s comment is:

April 1st already passed... why is this old post showing up... because this is really a joke, right?

On Sep.20.2007 at 08:46 AM

Frank’s comment is:

So, Photoshop is an IM application now ?

Underwhelming.

On Sep.20.2007 at 08:53 AM

Jude’s comment is:

I've got to say, Von Glitschka, you are hilarious.

Is it just me or does this logo look like a profile of E.T.?

On Sep.20.2007 at 09:24 AM

drew kora’s comment is:

who's idea was this?

On Sep.20.2007 at 09:40 AM

ed mckim’s comment is:

are they butchering the rest of their line, as well?

or just their flagship (so to speak) application?

On Sep.20.2007 at 09:49 AM

L.Vazquez’s comment is:

CHAD K: What if that's where it's headed?

Photoshop, on Start up: "Software by Adobe, See What's Possible. What type of file would you like to open?"

On Sep.20.2007 at 09:49 AM

Kosal Sen’s comment is:

As much as I dislike this graphic-as-logo, I hate to admit it probably will do a great job of catering to the crowd of wannabe designers. They'll win a lot more fans from the amateur & 2.0 world with this piece of junk. No matter how bad the logo is to real designers, will we ever disband the product from our toolbox? They've built enough product loyalty and dependency that they can now expand and indulge in pop culture fads without being totally lame. Then again maybe they'll pull a Quark.

On Sep.20.2007 at 09:56 AM

Shane Guymon’s comment is:

I have been saying the exact same thing for a year or so now, that Photoshop has become a verb. It has become something so simple and easy. The magical program that can make any crappy picture look professional.

Photoshop is basically CRACK!

On Sep.20.2007 at 10:11 AM

Drew’s comment is:

That is absolutely horrible!

What were they thinking?

On Sep.20.2007 at 10:16 AM

felix’s comment is:

I absolutely Love this mark.

Love, Love, Love it.

On Sep.20.2007 at 11:36 AM

Bill Kerr’s comment is:

To add insult to injury, they are having a design "contest" to animate the logo rather than paying a firm that buys their products to do it themselves.

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you... sheesh.

On Sep.20.2007 at 12:23 PM

Andrew J Klein’s comment is:

I would have gone with something like this:

On Sep.20.2007 at 12:24 PM

Andrew J Klein’s comment is:

I would have gone with something like this:

On Sep.20.2007 at 12:24 PM

Ryan’s comment is:

Plastic is the new arc'ed circle. It's used when people don't know what else to use.

That said, it's not as hideous as people are making it out to be. I can see where Adobe is intending to take the full Photoshop line: to the average at-home consumer with their lower-level variants (like apparently Photoshop Express). I imagine the intent is to regain marketshare from Apple's iPhoto application (it has very basic image editing tools in it).

So yeah, I understand the intent here and I think it's probably the right mindset, even if the "talk bubble" symbolism is completely lost on me.

On Sep.20.2007 at 12:27 PM

Eric Sena’s comment is:

I think it's a poor move. It feels like the Director of Photoshop Marketing at Adobe got jealous of Acrobat's stand-alone branding and decided that Photoshop (arguably Adobe's best known product) needed its own identity. By breaking it out of the color wheel/periodic table identity structure, it shoots Adobe's brand consistency in the foot. And it's such a tacky and dated approach, I don't see how it benefits the Photoshop brand either.

On Sep.20.2007 at 12:38 PM

Jon Parker’s comment is:

Just a bizarre move. And they're butchering their own corporate face, Myriad, to boot. (The crossbar on the "t".)

Adobe used to be obsessive about their typographic consistency.

On Sep.20.2007 at 12:43 PM

Drew’s comment is:

The fractional amount of time that existed between the introduction of the new Adobe Suite of logos and this new Photoshop makes me think there's some sort of branding struggle going on inside Adobe.

The Colorwheel set of logos was no small task - and yet they've pumped out a new PS logo - that breaks out of the preestablished style, does not coincide with a new product release and looks, well, dated.
I enjoyed the constantly shifting eye/window concept - it was a theme reiterated with every version release.

My guess is that there's a brand team . . .
and then there's the marketing team that wants to stick "Photoshop" on every single new hackneyed application out there just to leech off its brand equity.

Photoshop means PHOTOSHOP.
It doesnt not mean "wimpy watered-down consumer app"
It means business.

Adobe is diluting their own brand by unceremoniously ripping PS from the Adobe family and putting it on a plastic shiny translucent pedestal.

On Sep.20.2007 at 12:49 PM

Andrew J Klein’s comment is:

I'm having trouble guessing who they are trying to appeal to here... I could see this being a mark for lesser version of photoshop (like elements) that is targeted at non-pros... but for the full pro version?... i think if anything an extension or adaptation of the periodic table system would have been more appropriate.

I imagine that logo sitting on my dock...and in a rush I'd open iChat when I ment to open PS, or visa-versa...

I hope the persons at Adobe responsible for this are reading and feeling very uneasy about what they just did...

it's not to late to take it back!... we'll forgive and forget!

On Sep.20.2007 at 12:59 PM

zedzedeye’s comment is:

Its just a tool. A shiny tool.

On Sep.20.2007 at 01:17 PM

Joe Moran’s comment is:

Poop!

vr/

On Sep.20.2007 at 01:22 PM

Pol Pot Pie’s comment is:

On the positive side, it makes Quark's logo fiasco look not-so-bad.

On Sep.20.2007 at 01:35 PM

JM’s comment is:

AUTHOR: JM
EMAIL: jmatthews@metadesign.com
IP: 154.6.122.7
URL:
DATE: 09/20/2007 01:43:09 PM

On Sep.20.2007 at 01:43 PM

Niki Brown’s comment is:

CTRL + ALT + UGLY!!!

On Sep.20.2007 at 01:49 PM

Mike Mitchell’s comment is:

Terrible.

Does this mean that Photoshop is becoming a shareware product? That's what the logo "says" to me.

On Sep.20.2007 at 02:10 PM

chrs.’s comment is:

QUOTE from Kosal Sen’s:

-------------------

I don´t think so, because the "wanna’be’designers doesn´t have enough money/respect to buy the products. But you are right, we depend on PS, what are our alternatives? eclipse? Adobe got the monopol.

On Sep.20.2007 at 02:16 PM

Mike’s comment is:

"Photoshop, like Google and Xerox before it, has also become a verb"

No, Photoshop (1987) was created long before Google (1997), so we must assume the respective verbs are similarly old. The Xerox photocopier is from 1959, so you are correct there.

On Sep.20.2007 at 02:39 PM

Armin’s comment is:

Mike, yes you are right. I missed a comma that would change how that sentence reads (and how it's supposed to read):

"Photoshop, like Google, and Xerox before it, has also become a verb"

On Sep.20.2007 at 02:45 PM

Ty’s comment is:

The confusion gets worse:

Adobe is using both logos! It's keeping the periodic table.

Apparently, the new logo will be what all of the Photoshop-branded products will fall under, while "big Photoshop" will still retain its periodic table look it has with Creative Suite.

So Adobe will have one product in two different brands. Weird.

The Photoshop Family

Photoshop CS3 Extended

Scroll to the bottom of the second link.

On Sep.20.2007 at 03:17 PM

Rick’s comment is:

Why y'all hatin on the big blue ET?

On Sep.20.2007 at 03:35 PM

Joachim’s comment is:

Interesting. Adobe was able to hole punch a speech bubble candy.

On Sep.20.2007 at 03:42 PM

Tactful Cactus’s comment is:

That's not even Web 2.0 -- it's more like Mac Aqua circa turn-of-the-century!

Aside from how bad that logo is, I agree that it's way too soon to be launching a new look after the last redesign. And I rather liked the Period Table style.

On Sep.20.2007 at 03:57 PM

Andrew’s comment is:

Well, as long as the program doesn't get worse, I could care less what the logo looks like.

But, I would expect a hell of a lot more from Adobe... Someone should be fired.

On Sep.20.2007 at 03:59 PM

Michael’s comment is:

They made the icon so it can fit in your pocket...

(Produced in Fireworks)

On Sep.20.2007 at 05:11 PM

Yury’s comment is:

New logo bears a certain resemblance to Russian letter "?" (pronounced as "f"):

A mere coincidence, but this is the first letter in russian spellig of Photoshop ("???????")...

On Sep.20.2007 at 06:30 PM

Drew Pickard’s comment is:

Even worse.
Photoshop is no longer an application - it's a product family.

(no wait, it's still an application too!)

wait, what?

Photoshop is the product family - and yet Photoshop CS3 is still Photoshop with the version after it.
(CS3 is still a version number or version identifier)

They're going to need YEARS to re-train consumer to think of Photoshop as a brand family rather than a product.

And having all of the products in that family start with the family name which was previously a product name . . .
Well, it's just going to continue to be confusing.

"Photoshop CS3 is now Photoshop . . . CS3"
"But there are also other Photoshops. Which are not Photoshop CS3. They're different. But they're like Photoshop, kind of. But they are NOT Photoshop. Except, we call them Photoshop."

what??????

On Sep.20.2007 at 06:38 PM

Splashman’s comment is:

Lemme guess: What we know as Photoshop will now be "Photoshop Classic"?

On Sep.20.2007 at 07:54 PM

Breton’s comment is:

I thought the periodic table branding was a huge improvement over the CS1 icons. In the windows taskbar, at the 16*16px size, it is extremely difficult to tell the cs1 and cs2 icons apart. They all look the same. At least with the periodic table scheme, I have two visual elements that differentiate the icons: The large letters, and the color.

As for this photoshop branding nonsense, they must be breaking at least half of the 22 immutable laws of branding.

On Sep.20.2007 at 08:20 PM

Joel Shoop’s comment is:

Oh, you design snobs - I think it's great! Totally original and progressive.
Just kidding - it blows. PBS meets iChat. Only less iconic.

On Sep.20.2007 at 11:36 PM

JB’s comment is:

Know what that logo says to me?
"Hay look, I can maek kewl graphicks too!"
It resembles everything that's bad about the mire pouring out of the far reaches of the web 2.0 these days.

Whosoever said that it appeals directly to the lowest common denominator is absolutely correct.

On Sep.21.2007 at 12:05 AM

Jason Warth’s comment is:

VG -- your graphic made me laugh out loud. Well played...

On Sep.21.2007 at 01:03 AM

Splashman’s comment is:

Once again, Von nails it.

On Sep.21.2007 at 01:54 AM

Andrew’s comment is:

Well, as long as the program doesn't get worse, I could care less what the logo looks like.

But, I would expect a hell of a lot more from Adobe... Someone should be fired.

On Sep.21.2007 at 08:29 AM

agrayspace’s comment is:

Visual poopiness aside. I don't get how this works strategically. Will photoshop no longer use the periodic table version? It will be the one part of the Creative Suite not to? WHY WHY WHY WHY?

On Sep.21.2007 at 10:18 AM

Josh Emerson’s comment is:

AUTHOR: Josh Emerson
EMAIL: joshemerson@gmail.com
IP: 69.43.47.148
URL: http://www.joshemerson.com
DATE: 09/21/2007 10:51:12 AM

On Sep.21.2007 at 10:51 AM

Josh Emerson’s comment is:

I think this is the "Sam the Eagle for President Icon"

On Sep.21.2007 at 10:52 AM

Zeek’s comment is:

I'm surprised they didn't tag the word 'beta' on the logo as well.

On Sep.21.2007 at 11:56 AM

Beaker’s comment is:

Clearly, the new logo was inspired by Beaker. Meep meep!

On Sep.21.2007 at 12:58 PM

Tino Klumpen’s comment is:

ripoff of :
davines

On Sep.21.2007 at 01:07 PM

Splashman’s comment is:

Just wanted to point out that many people, here and elsewhere, are conflating the Photoshop branding with the app icons. As John Nack explains several times in the comments here, the new Photoshop icon will NOT be used as the app icon -- the periodic table icons will be used for all Adobe app icons.

Since I don't have CS3 yet, perhaps someone can enlighten me: is the period-table theme used on splash screens, packaging, etc.? For all Adobe products?

On Sep.21.2007 at 01:09 PM

Splashman’s comment is:

Forget the last request; I just Googled it (duh). The new packaging is very nice -- almost enough to make me forget CS1 & 2. So it appears the periodic table theme doesn't extend any further than the app icons. (If I'm wrong, please enlighten me.)

And now I'm wondering: What will Photoshop Elements' app icon look like? "PsE"? Heh.

On Sep.21.2007 at 01:16 PM

drew kora’s comment is:

I hate this so much I'm gonna start using Fireworks to edit moe of my photos for print work instead of Photoshop.

....huh? crap. adobe owns them, too.

On Sep.21.2007 at 01:19 PM

Armin’s comment is:

Splashman,

This is the about page. (I have too many PS files open so I wasn't going to close and open to take the start-up screen, but it's the same). AI, ID, DW, etc.... all use the periodic table icons.

On Sep.21.2007 at 01:24 PM

Photoshop Phanatic’s comment is:

The logo looks a lot better in the flat and greyscale varities.

On Sep.21.2007 at 03:55 PM

Ty’s comment is:

I disagree, I still think it looks like crap in every one of the permutations.

On Sep.21.2007 at 04:17 PM

Anonymous’s comment is:

what the f***
i won't waste anymore time with this single train thought you have all jumped on like lemmings.

i'm so tired of all these creatives trying to make a statement just to be "different". the kind of control freak, ego driven designers i have worked with for nearly 20 years now, who feel the need to change everything; sort of like a dog that has to leave his mark on the fire hydrant.

i mean f***, get over yourselves.

On Sep.21.2007 at 11:20 PM

David B.’s comment is:

Whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop....

On Sep.21.2007 at 11:27 PM

Malevi4’s comment is:

AUTHOR: Malevi4
EMAIL: malevi4@gmail.com
IP: 195.137.226.67
URL: http://malevi4.wordpress.com
DATE: 09/22/2007 06:35:13 AM

On Sep.22.2007 at 06:35 AM

Splashman’s comment is:

Heh. Funny thing about that -- "anonymous" and "drive-by rant" seem to go hand-in-hand.

Armin, thanks for the screenshot of the splash screen. I like it. Lots.

On Sep.22.2007 at 06:35 AM

Ty’s comment is:

Anonymous,

If you are so disgusted with creatives, why are you hanging around here?

I mean f***, get over yourself.

On Sep.22.2007 at 09:11 AM

Jeff Fisher LogoMotives’s comment is:

I've got to agree with David B. My very first thought was Pac Man Web 2.Oh-Oh...

On Sep.22.2007 at 11:34 AM

Julie W.’s comment is:

At least the "Black (flat)" version gives me the impression of a camera lens. Maybe that was the original concept and it got overworked?

On Sep.22.2007 at 12:07 PM

Anna Bella Stationery’s comment is:

Hilarious - I LOVE how you've all placed the logo in the different images - LOL!! On a serious note, this design fad will end soon. It's too stylized to last long. I think we all need to realize who is designing. We've got a newbie generation of graphic designers who have been taught nothing about ruling pens or letterpress or blue lines...they live in a digital world, 24/7. This style of design is brand new to them. Remember - they were born in the 80's, so they missed the 80's icon boat when we were all in the thick of it.

P.S. Long live PageMaker - LOL!

On Sep.22.2007 at 02:27 PM

iancu’s comment is:

I'm sorry Ms Anna Bella, I am one of the 80's-born designers, and I can asure you I've always tried to learn from great designers like Rand, Fletcher, Chermayeff etc (and in school our teachers were almost fanatical for 20's to 50's design - too old I thought then, but now I know they had good reasons).

If we were to blame some "generation" (which is quite innappropiate in the first place, you can never say something so general like "people from the 90's don't know real music" and such) maybe we should talk about the last ten years, because the "design frenzy" started when programs like Photoshop became popular and easy to use even for non-professionals.

Nowadays most of the "web 2.0" design is made by people with little knowledge of what design really is, what Bauhaus means, how typography works and so on. It's very easy to learn any Adobe software, you just watch Total Training or something similar, and "Poof!", you're a "designer".

The big problem is when people in high places (managers, marketing directors, CEO's and so on) don't see the difference between amateurish design, made by some high-schooler in his spare time, and good, solid design, made by a professional with years of experience and studies.

I know this will die. Just like Quark got it really bad not so long ago. We'll just wait and see.

On Sep.23.2007 at 06:50 AM

Su’s comment is:

visual language that feels more eager to blend into the shiny world of vapid web graphics

Since nobody else sees fit to bring this up...
I continue to wonder why The Web, generally by way of non-sequitur, gets connected to or even blamed for every piece of crap design that makes it out into the world(And yes, I still think that Rand logo is crap.)

Web companies with barely pronounceable names and lazy web designers may have taken this cheezy conceit and run it into the ground years ago, but it hardly represents the current state of web graphics that this is ostensibly trying to fit into. By that comparison—any, really—this is incredibly dated; even the web people are laughing at it.

We all know the blame for this logo falls squarely in Apple's lap, right? The fact you're 89 comments in and this has gone unmentioned is absolutely baffling.

But hey, it looks like an ET head Jell-O mold LOL!!!1

On Sep.23.2007 at 07:58 AM

debbie millman’s comment is:

We all know the blame for this logo falls squarely in Apple's lap, right? The fact you're 89 comments in and this has gone unmentioned is absolutely baffling.

hey Su, tell us more about what you mean by that, please?

i was thinking that perhaps Adobe was trying consider how the logo would look on our docks:

On Sep.23.2007 at 02:21 PM

indyfitz’s comment is:

Actually, as bad as that blue bubbly logo is.... and the bland ordinary-ness of the periodic table look..

I'm finding it easier to search my mac dock for Ps, Dw, and Fl.... I mean, on that front.. for the easy factor, it's great.

But other than that.... I think Photoshop (the app) keeps getting streamlined, and it's a lot better than previous versions. Although they took away the display panes in the upper right where I used to dock my history. That sucks.. But then again, selecting multiple layers is easier than ever.

f*ck it... let's go bowling.

On Sep.23.2007 at 11:03 PM

Jamsta’s comment is:

I feel sick, adobe have really dropped the ball on this one...

I've been a user of PS since its birth, and I have to say it's an awful looking 2.0 thingy-ma-jiggy!!!

On Sep.24.2007 at 06:40 AM

Anonymous’s comment is:

How to dumb down a great creative tool. Hard to imagine a better way to destroy an image of a classy product.

On Sep.24.2007 at 10:52 AM

Oly’s comment is:

Ooohh, someone famous in the comments. Hi Debbie!

Anna Bella, could you be any more patronising?? (and you're wrong as well by the way)

As for the logo, I think the worst thing is that it's so dull, kind of makes me respect the boldness of the 2012 logo.

On Sep.24.2007 at 02:21 PM

Tresch’s comment is:

fixed!

Needs a tagline, though...

On Sep.24.2007 at 03:41 PM

Andrew J Klein’s comment is:

Heh, looks like the original version got polished by a team of web 2.0 nomes!

On Sep.24.2007 at 03:42 PM

zedzedeye’s comment is:

Debbie, Whats up with the AOL logo in your dock, laugh out loud. I cant ever entirely get rid of that darn program on my old computer.

On Sep.24.2007 at 08:39 PM

debbie millman’s comment is:

It's a funny story. I have been renting a little house in upstate NY and I have been going there on the weekends. The house has *no* internet connection, none. The only way to get online is through dial-up. Like you, I still had AOL in my computer, but it literally took me weeks until I could figure out how to set up my preferences to connect via the telephone. I can't tell you how sentimental I got when I finally heard that familiar screech over the phone line letting me know I was about to be connected...

On Sep.24.2007 at 09:23 PM

C-Lo’s comment is:

Who Killed the little PBS guy? And what happened to the feather? I liked the feather.

On Sep.25.2007 at 03:40 PM

James M. Scott’s comment is:

I am not a graphics minded person by any means, but I would say I haven't seen or read too many ideas that blow the current logo away.

To all of you crafty criticizers, are you afraid to show us what you've got.

On Sep.25.2007 at 05:04 PM

Jessica ’s comment is:

I think it's trying a bit hard but just so we don't look too uninformed on this topic. Might want to check out John Nack’s Blog (works at Adobe) where it explains that the new logo is NOT replacing the "PS" one but rather it's a Photoshop family logo representing the entire line from low-end to pro. The top of this blog is a bit misleading by showing a before and after layout and I'm sure the folks over at Adobe are not giving much credence to our whining based on misinformation.

On Sep.25.2007 at 06:59 PM

Su’s comment is:

Debbie,

The icon is essentially an Aqua button(or scrollbar) that lost a fight with a hole punch. Bonus points: Take that screenshot, overlay the button on the smaller version of the new logo up top, scale, and compare the curves.

When Aqua was introduced in July 2000, the web still looked like this:

A List Apart, Jeffrey Zeldman, Eric Meyer,
Molly Holzschlag, Slate, Jason Kottke,
Dack, Suck, Little Yellow Different,
Design is Kinky, Robot Wisdom, The Times,
Yahoo, CNet, Memepool(and still does)

(Sorry. I tried a table, but it got stripped)

Nobody was doing anything remotely as involved as glowing translucent blue plastic. Apple originated this look, and while yes, it got run into the ground by hordes of copycats on and off the web, it's a rather cheap and more importantly inaccurate pot shot to say that this logo is trying to fit in with them. The web doesn't look like that now, either. I don't particularly think it ever did with the exception of people who were openly aping the Aqua interface, which was generally limited to Apple fan sites, anyway.

On Sep.25.2007 at 11:09 PM

Tony Goff’s comment is:

Oh I get it its a P...as in P for Photoshop. I was blinded but its ugliness but now I can see the concept and the branding. I was slightly confused but I can see clearly now. This makes all the difference. Its no longer an obscure, glossy, over thought reflective shambles of a logo but its an obscure, glossy, over thought reflective shambles of a logo which isn't even trying to be symbolic.

I wasn't a fan of the periodic table logos but in comparison they are quite beautiful...

On Sep.26.2007 at 07:32 AM

Armin’s comment is:

> The web doesn't look like that now, either.

Su, just the latest entry in aqualiciousness. Circa September 2007.

On Sep.26.2007 at 10:22 AM

Su’s comment is:

Oh, right. Propeller, the needlessly renamed rehash of Netscape's failed reconceptualization after it's failed rebirth. Not buying *grin*

Also, I'd have to dig[g](ha!), but the wet floor thing came well after Aqua proper, somewhere around 2005, and is arguably more to do with their progressive move away from it to the new Uinified look. I say, read: hope, those buttons are next.

On Sep.26.2007 at 02:52 PM

Madphill’s comment is:

Very trendy. I think it's the next big thing.

On Sep.26.2007 at 05:24 PM

Mark’s comment is:

Whats with this sudden facsination with speech bubbles all of a sudden? first Bravo,then Realplayer now this. :S

What an ugly P.

On Sep.26.2007 at 10:06 PM

Donna’s comment is:

WOW, did Microsoft buy Adobe. That really is the only explanation that makes sense.

On Sep.27.2007 at 01:11 PM

C-Lo’s comment is:

Nice one Donna

On Sep.27.2007 at 01:44 PM

Joseph’s comment is:

Drop shadows, not good logos prior to this one.

On Sep.27.2007 at 04:53 PM

JM’s comment is:

"Donna’s comment is:
WOW, did Microsoft buy Adobe. That really is the only explanation that makes sense."

No Macromedia did.

On Sep.27.2007 at 08:02 PM

photoshop user’s comment is:

"The only word that I associate with Photoshop starts with an F and ends with a K, and is generally said just after the program crashes. I'm guessing that there are thousands of designers who will voice said word on sight of this." LOL!

On Sep.28.2007 at 07:13 AM

yase’s comment is:

James M. Scott said, "I am not a graphics minded person by any means, but I would say I haven't seen or read too many ideas that blow the current logo away. To all of you crafty criticizers, are you afraid to show us what you've got."

Are you saying that because we're not Rand-like designers we have no right to criticize this logo? That's like saying we don't have the right to complain about the quality of food we're served in a restaurant because we're not chefs..

On Sep.29.2007 at 09:09 PM

Matt’s comment is:

Bring back the periodic table logos. They worked well with the CS3 package and made it feel like a whole. Many may have complained but they do work and you get used to the colors that resemble each adobe product after a short while - and it becomes helpful. After all they are tools, they should be as helpful as they can.

On Oct.01.2007 at 11:17 AM

TY’s comment is:

For a different context, check it out onTolleson's site.

On Oct.01.2007 at 11:26 PM

Matt’s comment is:

Nah, its still the same web2.0 glowing logo trying to be placed in a experimental environment.

On Oct.02.2007 at 03:17 AM

joqui’s comment is:

it's ugly as hell, but hey, just close your eyes for a couple of seconds during startup...

On Oct.02.2007 at 03:17 AM

TheUprock.com’s comment is:

@Matt: I'm pretty sure that it's already been mentioned that the periodic table system will not be going away, as someone already mentioned up above you. For whatever reason, this is being used to brand the family of Photoshop products.

On Oct.02.2007 at 06:15 PM

Jess’s comment is:

It looks like a comic bubble where someone would say "zero" :-/

Weird stuff indeed...

On Oct.05.2007 at 07:07 AM

f-factor’s comment is:

Welcome to the social network !

On Oct.05.2007 at 08:32 AM

f-factor’s comment is:

Welcome to the social network !

On Oct.05.2007 at 08:35 AM

Mark’s comment is:

take out the p-speech bubble thing and you might actually have something...

heres how you do it, put your thumb over that speech bubble thing so it covers it, so that you don't see it.

Now tell me how that looks ;)

On Oct.07.2007 at 02:50 PM

Amnell’s comment is:

First i thought this logo was made for the upcoming/beta web based Photoshop, but apparently I was wrong?

On Oct.13.2007 at 01:19 PM

synthpulse’s comment is:

I think it's craptastic! See "What's Passible?"

On Oct.18.2007 at 04:03 AM

snitzels’s comment is:

synthpulse - Ha! that's great...

I can see how this logo happened... the designers created iteration after iteration, and someone in an executive position kept saying "well... its good but what if we made it shiny and see-through? that's what the kids are doing these days right? shiny and see-through? and I like PBS, so make it look like that, only shiny. And see-through."

at some point the designer simply jumped from that corner office window to his/her death and the executive said "eh. good enough."

;)

On Oct.25.2007 at 02:06 PM

theaceist’s comment is:

that's highly plausible, snitzels. ;)

On Oct.25.2007 at 10:21 PM

Jepthe’s comment is:

This must be a joke... it's just perfect for Innocent's day

On Nov.08.2007 at 08:31 PM

Bigjerk’s comment is:

Looks very Corel or Quark...bad move

On Nov.09.2007 at 11:47 AM

Whatever-ishere’s comment is:

thanks for the GREAT post! Very useful...

On Nov.21.2007 at 10:18 AM

organe’s comment is:

It looks like E.T.
Especially the flat color one.

Interestingly, they use the logo just once on the whole "Photoshop" family pages. Not too proud, it seems.

On Dec.02.2007 at 03:29 PM

Michele Champagne’s comment is:

Wow. Crap blog entry. This is not the new logo for Photoshop.

Who is Armin?

On Dec.19.2007 at 04:19 PM

Mark’s comment is:

turn it right 90 degrees and you can see the utter shock expressed of how bad this logo is.

On Dec.21.2007 at 11:31 AM

shanna’s comment is:

the ugliest logo I've ever seen. I mean, if you want your product to be taken seriously, you don't come up with this. Ugly beyond words.

On Jan.29.2008 at 11:11 PM

Felipe’s comment is:

I can't believe this, they come up with logos worthy of the suite and now they f'd it up...

On Feb.15.2008 at 01:26 PM

Alex R’s comment is:

i remember reading somewhere that the elements table was created by macromedia employees. don't know who at adobe-mm was responsible for this unrelated cookie-cutter symbology, tho. makes no sense at all.

On Feb.21.2008 at 05:40 PM

Wim C’s comment is:

"remember reading somewhere that the elements table was created by macromedia employees"

MetaDesign suggested the original 'elemental table' concept to Adobe, Macromedia did the finished art.

On Feb.21.2008 at 07:48 PM

John’s comment is:

AUTHOR: John
EMAIL: jumbo123@Mailinator.com
IP: 82.173.215.91
URL:
DATE: 02/28/2008 01:13:57 PM

On Feb.28.2008 at 01:13 PM

zgritz’s comment is:

Here is the real truth about the "new" Photoshop logo: it was copied.
Take a look...
http://pattayacity.com/topcharoen/index.html
http://flickr.com/photos/junekhaw/521963132/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etbLawm_FBA

On Mar.20.2008 at 11:00 AM

siete’s comment is:

IT SUCKS BIG TIME!!

it remembers me the first buttons I did when I was in college playing on fireworks, like 5 years ago or more
Para nada profesional, casi infantil y demasiado brillante para un programa pro como PS :(

On May.15.2008 at 11:27 PM

aims’s comment is:

kind of reminds of the PBS logo when i first saw it. i really don't think the logo should even change.

On Jul.09.2008 at 04:20 PM

Linesy’s comment is:

Hmmm... This logo would be better placed in a Milton Keynes shopping centre covered in bird sh*t with a fountain around the base.

Hey, then we could all throw pennies at it without technically committing acts of vandalism.

'Everybody's happy'

On Aug.05.2008 at 09:57 AM

Nate’s comment is:

You guys are a bunch of uninformed elitist knob knockers. If you go to photoshop.com its obvious they're trying to build up some kind of community atmosphere using the photoshop name. it explains the speech bubble, it explains the drastic difference from the actual application icon. it's so frustrating to scroll through page upon page of bullshit high and mighty ignorance.

On Oct.01.2008 at 08:24 PM

AVwIMDdzHK’s comment is:

zfMoZO

On Dec.29.2008 at 05:13 PM

Kaos’s comment is:

You've got to be kidding me guys. You all have issues. You say this logo has nothing to do with taking photos, but you're all fine with a feather? I like this logo -_-

On Aug.19.2009 at 02:00 PM

Mark’s comment is:

Still looks butt ugly, it needs a replacement.

On Aug.19.2009 at 02:51 PM

Santa’s comment is:

Well it's been 2 yrs since it's release. This has got to be one of Adobe's dumbest moves ever. It related to what they had hope for people to recognize as "Photoshop" products such as the application and the PS Elements app. As a designer I cannot see the concept or meaning behind this execution except to jump in on the "glossy 2.0 look." Other comments here have stated it looks like the PBS logo, & I agree. It is horrid. I think Adobe's website is also terrible since their redesign around the same time. I wish after they had bought out Macromedia they would have brought in the classic elements from that site. Photoshop really should go back to the "eye" icon back from version 3-6. It was great and could have been redone to reflect icons today.