Obama Cat

Put my li'l cat through the Obama-izer, and out came this.
I'd vote for that cat!

Changing Logos: Why They Do It

Why do magazines change their logos? Logos are their calling card, whether on newsstands or just when the magazine plops on a subscriber's desk or is dropped into their mailbox. Unless the logo is a disaster, should it be changed?

Some magazines like to change their logos. See my earlier postings on Out, Starlog, Fangoria, Männer Aktuell, Fantastic Films, The New Republic, National Lampoon, and Fortune.

Some magazines do not change their logos. Heavy Metal, for example. Or Der Spiegel.
Other magazines have not changed them so much as tweaked them, altering the size or spacing of the letters. Playboy, for example (see photos). Time, for another. Or National Review.

What must go through the minds of a magazine's managers to make them change a logo in which they've invested years and dollars worth of promotion and goodwill? Is the publication flagging? Is newsstand competition heating up? Are they reacting to new developments in the logos of other publications? Are they just trying to make a change for change's sake? Have they lost their minds?
I've already said what I think about the change in Starlog's logo. But I've been through the process twice before on magazines for which I worked, having seen one magazine change its logo from a distinctive design to a fairly boring one. More recently, I had the pleasure on my own magazine of changing a nice-looking logo (that was difficult to make visible on many cover images) to a bolder text that has cleaned up our covers immeasurably.
In the latter case, we had to worry about what our readers would think, but we heard no complaints. So it was a good change. But what, for example goes through the minds of people who change a logo that's been in use for three decades?
"If it ain't broken, don't fix it" is generally a good rule. But when a magazine changes its long-standing logo, it should keep in mind and try to balance its need to be fresh and interesting to its readers (the new ones and the old ones) with its need to be familiar and communicate its quality (and qualities) through its established trademarks.

And, of course, publishers do sometimes make a change – and then change back. Warren's Creepy magazine did it. National Lampoon did it. Will Starlog do it? Should it?
What do you think?

Changing logos #8: Starlog

Starlog, the magazine that has covered science fiction films, television, books, games, and live attractions since 1976, recently changed its logo design for the first time. A brave move, considering the long-lasting status of its original design.

Though I prefer the original, the new design does have some strengths, such as stretching all the way across the cover (the original design in the late 1980s shrank to the center of the magazine's top to allow for more cover promotion of inside articles) and the box around the logo, which allows it to stand out against vairably colored background images.

Changing logos #7: Fangoria

Fangoria magazine, which has covered the world of horror films, books, television, and games for about 30 years, recently unveiled the next iteration of its logo (see bottom). It coincides with doing away with the filmstrip that ran across the left-hand side of the magazine for several decades.

In all of its versions, Fangoria's covers have remained colorful and attention-grabbing, but I was always more of a fan of its original version (see "The Shining" cover). But the newest version is an evolution of the previous one, and I think it works quite well.

Changing logos #6: Männer Aktuell

M or Männer Aktuell is a German gay magazine that not only changes its logo every five or 10 years, but it changes the entire magazine's design, tone, and focus.

Changing logos #5: National Lampoon

National Lampoon, the humor magazine that ruled the newsstands during the 1970s but died away during the late 1980s and 1990s, changed its logo from the soft-edged original version to a more modern-looking one, but it eventually changed back to its original.

Changing Logos #4: Out

Out magazine has changed its logo a number of times during its life. The gay lifestyle and personality magazine benefits from a nice, short name, which makes it easier to do all kinds of logo treatments – though I can't claim to like the space-out, chunky logo of the Melissa Ethridge cover.

None of the logos are exactly attention-grabbers, but then, when you're putting a speedo-clad hunk on the cover, who cares what the logo looks like?

Changing Logos #3: The New Republic

The New Republic has changed its logo many, many, many times, and none of them seem to work. Though this was my bible during the 1980s, I must say, design has not been its friend.
Strangely enough, the latest version (with President Obama photo, bottom) is the worst of all, seemingly lost against almost any cover illustration or photo. It looks desktop-published and cheap.

Changing Logos #2: Fortune

Fortune magazine has changed its logo many times, and the changes have been complete -- no simple evolution here. Not all of the logos are represented here, such as the one-letter-per-box version that I remember when I was in high school in the 1980s. Anyway, their readers are billionaires and I'm not, so what do I know?

Changing Logos #1: Fantastic Films

Fantastic Films, a magazine published out of Evanston, Illinois, from 1978 to the mid-1980s, changed its logo three times. It went from the logo shrinking in size as it went across the cover (ugh) to the logo that focused on "Fantastic" (probably best) to the nondescript logo that ran for the magazine's final few issues before it closed up shop. (The publishers continue to publish the well-regarded Filmfax magazine.)