A B-Side BY Armin

Goal.com

About: (Est. 1958) “Goal.com is the world’s largest football website and is owned and powered by digital sports media business PERFORM. The success of the site is down to the hard work and dedication of over 400 editorial staff based in over 50 countries around the World who produce an average of 1,500 news stories per day in 15 languages across 22 editions. This unparalleled global reach and in-depth coverage of the world’s most popular game attracted over 23 million unique users in May 2011 (Source: Google Analytics) from more than 220 countries.”

Design by: Elmwood.

Ed.’s Notes: First, WTF was the old logo? Second, how awesome is the ™ symbol in a circle as the ball being kicked right into where it’s the hardest to stop?.

Relevant links: N/A.

Thanks to Nickolai Sukharev for first tip.

Opinion BY Armin

The Future of Fox is Now

Hinted to as early as July of 2012 and officially announced this past December, Rupert Mudorch’s News Corporation is splitting into two separate businesses. The first, to remain named News Corporation will handle all the publishing properties — newspapers and magazines — like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post, with the former’s managing editor, Robert Thompson, as CEO. The second, to be renamed 21st Century Fox will handle the entertainment properties — cable and television channels, filmed entertainment, and direct satellite broadcasting businesses — including the FOX network, 20th Century FOX, FX, among dozens of other channels with Rupert Murdoch as CEO. Absolutely every single property will retain its existing name and logo. The name, 21st Century Fox, will serve as the parent company only and the logo — announced this past Thursday via an e-mail to employees — will only be a business-to-business mark. It was designed by Pentagram partners Michael Gericke and Emily Oberman.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Nevada (Tourism)

About: As described by the client, the Nevada Commission on Tourism: “Nevada is one of the largest states in the U.S., meaning you won’t find a shortage of action in the Silver State. It’s one of the only places you can ski world-class runs in the morning, then walk world-class greens in the afternoon. You can bike or hike the Tahoe Rim Trail, navigate a kayak on the Truckee River through downtown Reno, take an ATV up Sand Mountain near Fallon and snowmobile miles of wide-open terrain near Elko. You can even test your Indy car or NASCAR skills in the Mario Andretti and Jeff Gordon Racing School at Las Vegas Motor Speedway—after you take in a world-famous show and dine at a five-star resort and casino, of course.”

Design by: Y&R.

Ed.’s Notes: Good update. Any idea what the symbol over the first “a” means? TV spot below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: Press release. Reno Rebirth blog story

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AMC (TV)

About: (Est. 1984) “AMC is an American basic cable and satellite television channel that is owned by AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs theatrically released movies, along with a limited amount of original programming. The channel’s name originally stood for “American Movie Classics”, though since 2002, the full name has been deemphasized as a result of a major shift in its programming. AMC’s most successful original series include Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and Hell on Wheels.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Design by: Troika.

Ed.’s Notes: Not sure this was needed, but okay, I guess. The “gold” effect feels more cheap than premium and reminds me of some of the not so old on-air graphics of HBO.

Relevant links: Troika case study. Press Release.

Select quote: “AMC announced today a new look and brand positioning, ‘AMC: Something More,’ which reflects the network’s ongoing commitment to providing a place for original stories and characters that defy expectations. Now featured on-air and online, ‘AMC: Something More’ punctuates a refreshed graphic identity for the network. AMC’s new identity features an updated logo, with letterforms surrounded by a gold box which suggests both premium quality and popular appeal.”

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Opinion BY Armin

Autodesk Folds

Established in 1982, Autodesk is one of the most well-known and widely used 3D design, engineering and entertainment software companies. Their two flagship products are AutoCAD, a staple in the architecture and engineering industries, and Maya, a powerful 3D animation software used by the likes of DreamWorks Animation SKG. During TED at the end of February, Autodesk introduced a new logo designed in-house.

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Cabot

About: (Est. 1882) “Cabot Corporation is a global specialty chemicals and performance materials company, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The company is the leading producer of rubber and specialty grade carbon black, activated carbon, inkjet colorants, cesium formate drilling fluids, fumed silica, aerogel, and elastomer composites.”

Design by: N/A.

Ed.’s Notes: I feel like we’ve seen this a dozen times for a corporate logo but, hey, it works and it kills a double-swoosh logo. A rather nice brand video below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: Cabot press release.

Select quote: “Cabot’s new corporate logo, developed to support the new brand, connects the company’s past with its future. To honor Cabot’s heritage, the new logo maintains the all-black, all-capital letters of ‘CABOT.’ The new chevron, meanwhile, represents the brand theme of advancing. The red, orange and yellow color palette emphasizes Cabot’s approachable, collaborative spirit, and energetic approach to innovation and customer service. The added dimension and colors highlight the many facets of Cabot’s businesses.”

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A B-Side BY Armin

Western Union

About: (Est. 1856) “Western Union connects people and businesses around the globe by providing fast, reliable and convenient ways to move money. Our 160-year history and 510,000 Western Union Agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories strengthen our commitment to offering our services in every corner of the globe.”

Design by: N/A.

Ed.’s Notes: Monogram view below. There is something interesting about this or at least there is some potential there for the WU monogram to be interesting.

Relevant links: N/A.

A B-Side BY Armin

T Magazine

About: (Est. 2004) “T: The New York Times Style Magazine is a perfect-bound magazine dedicated to fashion, living, beauty, holiday, travel and design coverage. The magazine was launched in August 2004. It is published 15 times a year and distributed within the Sunday edition of The New York Times newspaper. Since December 2007, an international edition has been distributed with the weekend edition of the International Herald Tribune. Stefano Tonchi was editor until 2010; his replacement was Sally Singer. Singer left in 2012 and was replaced by Deborah Needleman. T is not a supplement of The New York Times Magazine, but a distinct publication with its own staff.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Design by: In-house.

Ed.’s Notes: It’s sad to see the iconic, blackletter “T” go, but perhaps this will give the magazine its own wings to be considered separate of The New York Times. Before/After of the cover below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: Fishbowl mention.

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Opinion BY Armin

Home is Where the Holes Is

In April of 2012 it was announced that two Manchester cultural institutions — Cornerhouse, an “international centre for contemporary visual arts and independent film” and the Library Theatre Company, who produce a mixture of contemporary drama and modern classic plays — would merge to create a single, producing arts organization. Now, this new organization has a name, HOME, and new identity designed by o street and Creative Concern.

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FSE Energy

About: (Est. 1935) “FSE Energy specializes in the design, manufacture and installation of biomass and solid fuel boilers. Boilers account for more than 80% of the world’s power through nuclear, coal, and biomass, which is renewable energy converted from plants and animals.”

Design by: MetaDesign.

Ed.’s Notes: Bigger view of the logo and sample applications below (or after the jump). See link for additional images and project description.

Relevant links: MetaDesign case study.

Select quote: “A contemporary abstraction of flame, the logo depicts the transfer of biomass to fuel through fire — the heart of FSE’s business and the most dependable source of renewable energy.”

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Opinion BY Armin

Next Stop: PHL

Founded in 1682, Philadelphia is “one of the leading cities in the world. Located in between New York City and Washington D.C., 40% of the U.S. population is within a day’s drive.” This succinct description — more facts here — comes from the Philadephia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), the official Tourism Promotion Agency for the city and the primary sales/marketing agency for the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Its mission is to “generate economic impact and job growth by increasing the region’s hotel occupancy and revenues” as well as doing “whatever it takes to attract ethnically diverse regional, national and international convention and tourism customers through creative sales, marketing and communications efforts.” To that effect PHLCVB introduced late last year a new destination brand designed by J2 Design Partnership based on strategy by Ex;it — both local firms.

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LAMDA

About: (Est. 1861) “LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) is one of the leading drama schools in the English-speaking world and conducts the most eminent set of public examinations in speech and drama.” “As a world-class drama school, LAMDA has been fuelling the global performing arts industry with new talent for 150 years.” Notable alumni: Donald Sutherland, Richard Harris, Brian Cox, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Design by: Hudson Fuggle.

Ed.’s Notes: New logo hasn’t shown up on their website yet but it is on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. A small sample of their seasonal brochures below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: N/A.

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A B-Side BY Armin

HOP!

About: (Est. 2013) “HOP stems from the alliance between 3 regional airline companies (Airlinair, Brit Air and Regional) within the Air France group. Thanks to its powerful network combined with the efficiency of its over 3,000-employee staff, the company is THE new transport solution for inter-regional flights, in France and Europe.”

Design by: Brandimage.

Ed.’s Notes: Between Joe on the main side and this, the French are stealing all our words. Nice, simple logo. Tail fin is kind of crazy and hard to read. Bigger view of the logo and livery sample below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: HOP press release. HOP press images (more liveries and ads). HOP media kit (PDF).

Select quote (from media kit): “The name “HOP!” evokes rapidity and the ease with which travellers can get from point A to B. Synonymous with agility, HOP! illustrates its capacity to bounce back and adapt to customers’ needs. The simple typography and red colouring featured in the HOP! logo illustrates the Company’s flexibility in a creative and playful manner. Positioned alongside a slanted exclamation mark, symbolizing an aircraft’s take-off, HOP! illustrates an ambition for reactivity and mobility.”

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A B-Side BY Armin

Entropic

About: (Est. 2001) “Entropic is a world leader in semiconductor solutions for the connected home. The Company transforms how traditional HDTV broadcast and IP-based streaming video content is seamlessly, reliably, and securely delivered, processed, and distributed into and throughout the home. Entropic’s next-generation Set-top Box (STB) System-on-a-Chip (SoC) and Connectivity solutions enable Pay-TV operators to offer consumers more captivating whole-home entertainment experiences by transforming the way digital entertainment is delivered, connected and consumed — in the home and on the go”

Design by: Promar Designs.

Ed.’s Notes: You know what they say: once a swoosh, always a swoosh. Detail view and epically-scored logo introduction video below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: Press release.

Select quote: “The corporate logo has been modernized to reflect the newly integrated Company, yet maintains the integrity of key elements within its original logo such as the curved symbol, which is illustrative of the entropy curve from which the Company’s name is derived. The new logo adds dimension and motion to the previous logo symbol, reflecting the Company’s ability to move video and other multimedia content into and throughout the home and on the go.”

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Opinion BY Armin

Saab’s Griffin Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Established publicly in 1949 with the launch of its first model, the Saab 92, Saab Automobile AB is a Swedish car manufacturer with a strong history of safe, sturdy, well-performing cars — unfortunately the same can’t be said for the stability and continuity of those cars’ parent company. Read on for the soap opera-ish story.

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Fandor

About: (Est. 2011) “Fandor is the leading on-demand independent film service, expanding the audience for independent films and offering an innovative new distribution platform that shares revenue with filmmakers. Fandor’s rich editorial environment and active community of film fans makes it easy and rewarding to discover movies from its handpicked library of independent and international films.

Design by: Surface Under Fire.

Ed.’s Notes: If the Playboy bunny and the Penguin penguin had a baby this would be it. Bigger view below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: N/A.

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The Biggest Loser

About: (Est. 2004) “The Biggest Loser is a reality television show which first started in the U.S. in 2004. The show centers on overweight contestants attempting to lose the most weight to fight for a cash prize. There are different variations of The Biggest Loser around the world. Each country has made its own adaptation to the show; however, the contestants always have the same goal: to lose the highest percentage of weight (or most weight) to become the Biggest Loser.” (Source: Wikipedia).

Design by: N/A.

Ed.’s Notes: Very important logo redesign we are talking about here. Bigger view of the logo below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: N/A.

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Opinion BY Armin

Accion gets some Action

Established in 1961 in 22 small towns in Venezuela to “empower the poor with the knowledge and tools to improve their lives,” Accion, a global nonprofit organization, is currently one of the world’s leaders in microfinance having established 62 microfinance institutions in 31 countries on four continents that in turn reach millions of clients with loans and support, fulfilling its mission of “giving people the financial tools they need to improve their lives.” All the way back in March with a rollout in the middle of the year, Accion introduced a new strategy, established by New York, NY-based IDEON, and new identity, designed by New York-based Joshua Levi.

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Lupus Foundation of America

About: (Est. 1977) “The Lupus Foundation of America is the only national force devoted to solving the mystery of lupus, one of the world’s cruelest, most unpredictable and devastating diseases, while giving caring support to those who suffer from its brutal impact.”

Design by: Siegelvision.

Ed.’s Notes: I get the concept, I just wish the execution were competent. The result is painfully amateurish.

Relevant links: Press release.

Select quote: “The organization’s new positioning strategy, messages, and tag line — Help Us Solve the Cruel Mystery — were created in collaboration with the New York branding team Siegelvision, headed by brand guru Alan Siegel. The riveting phrase “cruel mystery” inspired the Siegelvision team to create the new Lupus Foundation of America logo which features a strikingly positioned question mark in place of the letter “P” in the word lupus.”

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Opinion BY Armin

Good Lookin’ Parasites, Bacteria, and Viruses

Established in 2011, The Bloomsbury Institute for Pathogen Research is a joint initiative between University College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to “form a centre for excellence in experimental medicine” by bringing together cutting-edge pathogen research, experimental medicine and clinical development; translating research on bacteria, parasites and viruses into new modes of detection, treatment and control. A new identity was introduced earlier this month, designed by London-based Igloo.

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