Opinion BY Armin

Mall of America Gets Wrapped Up

Opened to the public in 1992 in the suburb of Bloomington in Minneapolis near the Twin Cities, the Mall of America (MOA) is he United States’ largest retail and entertainment complex as a 4.87 million square foot structure sitting in a plot of land 78 acres big — either 7 baseball stadiums or 32 Boeing 747s would fit inside. Attracting 42 million visitors annually, MOA houses 520 shops, an indoor amusement park with 27 rides, an indoor aquarium, a 14-screen movie theater, and even a chapel that weds over 300 couples every year. In other words: it’s big, it’s bombastic, and, um, it’s big. Yesterday, MOA introduced its new identity designed by Minneapolis-based Duffy & Partners.

Continue reading this entry

Opinion BY Armin

Oklahoma City University

About: (Est. 1904) “Oklahoma City University is a coeducational, urban private university located in Oklahoma City, in the Uptown district. The university is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and offers a wide variety of degrees in the liberal arts, fine arts, sciences and business. The only Oklahoma institution listed in the top tier of the regional, master’s-level university category by U.S. News and World Report, Oklahoma City University is also listed in Forbes’ “Best Christian Colleges” & “100 Best College Buys.”“

Design by: Pentagram (DJ Stout, Austin).

Ed.’s Notes: It’s definitely an improvement but it’s hard to associate that kind of star drawing with higher education than Hollywood/Entertainment industry. Type is super pretty though. A few application image below (or after the jump) and more at the link.

Relevant links: Pentagram case study.

Select quote: “Before Stout and Delgado redesigned it, OCU’s primary logo featured a silhouetted likeness of the university’s iconic Gold Star Tower, a 286-foot red brick tower built in 1953 to honor Methodists who died in World War II. The tower, an Oklahoma City landmark located prominently in the center of campus, is topped off with a 200-pound star positioned at the end of a long pole like a star on a Christmas tree. ‘OCU’s sports teams are called The Stars after the Gold Star Tower, and many of the university’s celebrity alumni, like the Tony Award-winning Kristin Chenoweth, are singers and dancers and ‘stars’ of the stage,’ says Stout. ‘So it only seemed natural to turn their static star into a dancing star, with just a hint of the long pole it’s attached to at the top of that building.’”

Continue reading this entry

Opinion BY Armin

Houston Astros Looking Stellar

Established in 1962 as the Houston Colt 45s, the Houston Astros, as they were renamed in 1965 when they moved into the Astrodome, are the Major League Baseball team for Houston, Texas. The team’s best season came in 2005 when they made it to the World Series but were swept by the Chicago White Sox. In November 2011, it was announced that, after 51 years in the National League, the Astros would move to the American League, a move that balances the two leagues, now each with 15. I’m sure to actual baseball fans this has more philosophical meaning but to me, as math equations go, it makes sense. This past Friday — after MLB stole its thunder by leaking merchandise with the new logo early (and offering an apology) — the Astros unveiled their new logo, uniforms, and mascot at their stadium.

Continue reading this entry

A B-Side BY Armin

Dallas

About: Dallas as described by the client in this project, the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau: As the ninth-largest city and part of the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the nation, Dallas covers approximately 343 square miles and has a population of 1,223,229. The ultra modern and sophisticated city attracts worldwide travelers, making the area the No. 1 visitor and leisure destination in Texas.”

Design by: N/A.

Ed.’s Notes: In the embedded video below (or after the jump) you can see the logo can change the shape inside the “D”.

Relevant links: NBC DFW story.

Continue reading this entry

Opinion BY Armin

The Stars of Roller Derby

Established in 2001, TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls is a 6-team, skater-owned, all-girl roller derby league in Austin, TX. They are credited as one of the main reasons for the modern-day revival of the sport, appearing in the 13-episode reality series Rollergirls on A&E as well as being the namesake of the league in the mildly popular Drew Barrymore film Whip It!. Playing on the harder-core banked track (as opposed to flat) the TXRD is made up of the Hellcats, Putas Del Fuego (Fire’s Whores), Holy Rollers, Rhinestone Cowgirls, Cherry Bombs, and Hired Gun$. A new identity was introduced in May, designed by Austin-based Greatest Common Factory.

Continue reading this entry

A B-Side BY Armin

Star TV (Turkey)

Launched in 1989, Star TV was the first private television channel in Turkey, showing original programming as well as international shows. Recently a new logo was introduced.

Thanks to Günes Ülker for the tip.

A B-Side BY Armin

Georgetown BID

Established in 1999, the Georgetown Business Improvement District makes sure that the lovely Georgetown neighborhood in Washington DC stays lovely. A new logo, tagline, and website were introduced earlier this month. A story about it here.

Thanks to Matthew Collins for the tip.