Blogs are known for giving logo makeovers a hard time—The Gap is the most recent example of this, although the Sci-Fi Network’s SyFy rebranding was rightfully excoriated not so long ago, too—but we should all take a moment to admire Comedy Central’s new logo:

comedycentrallogo.jpeg

It’s clean, it’s smart, it’s a play on the copyright symbol, and it hints at comedy without being wacky. The old logo was exactly what you’d expect out of a bad comedy club, the new logo is perfect.

26 replies on “This Is How You Update a Logo”

  8. totally reminds me of Creative Commons, where the riff on the copyright symbol makes sense. I don’t understand why Comedy Central is making a visual reference to copyright.

  10. @8 Seconded. This makes no sense, especially given Viacom.

    @9 Kind of like how I expect unnecessary apostrophes to creep into your prose?

  11. @6 & @8, I agree. Plus having an opening on the left even calls to mind the term “copyleft”, making the association even stronger with copyright issues.

  14. Gap still holds the Worst. Redesigned Logo. Ever. for their redesign.

    But, this is bad. Like BAD. Its dry, not that witty, not nearly as obvious as the rest of CC’s programming, and rather confusing. Is CC’s content now all copyright free?

    Also, I’m severely tired of this minimalistic European sans serif logo crap. Gap, Pepsi, Tropicana (who went away from it), Walmart, Seattle’s Best, Time Warner. Ugh. So done.

  19. @7 – Urban Outfitters is a curious major company that doesn’t really have a logo, or rather, has about a dozen logos. It’s probably a statement on how much they value artistic property, intentionally or not.

  21. it looks like the kind of logo you would switch to if you either wanted to make your programming more high-minded (unlikely) or you wanted to de-emphasize the logo and make the identities of the individual shows and comedians more prominent (likely).

  22. Their current logo does look kinda outdated to me, but more than that I hate the hiphop overtones to everything else. They could keep the logo for the next 20 years if they promise to get rid of the record scratches, the “tagged” look to all their art, the obnoxiously loud volume of it all, etc.

  23. And what’s the significance of the “play on the copyright symbol”? I know copyright is a huuuuuuge theme in stand-up comedy, but ya lost me here.

  24. I like it. I have a promotional products company and have seen corporations throw so much money into logos that just don’t work and can’t be printed on most products. This is very functional, simple, and striking.

  25. I don’t know… It’s very bland and corporate looking. I picture a tagline beneath it that involves phrases like “business solutions” or “wireless connectivity.” Also, why would you make a logo that looks nearly identical to an existing, very familiar logo? And why would a reference to the copyright symbol be so significant to the identity of Comedy Central that they’d make it their logo? I think they missed the mark.

  26. brilliant design?

    hardly. not much design involved.

    brand strategy? brilliant?

    damn straight! to the new world of branding and corporate ID strategy, i am welcomed. what used to be all about context is now, well, ALL about context. eh? wha????

    to position your brand in THE arena successfully, no doubt requires an onslaught of self-reproach, examination, analysis et al. to be sure.

    to do so with foresight, vision and flexibility really takes finesse; not only clever execution, but an almost incestuous and indulgent cross-eyed approach that might resemble the old “so liberal you become conservative” argument often heard in political science discussions. is the new CC logo so funny it seems conservative?

    CC’s new logo using a font too bold? the broken circles not arranged properly? weight of the circle’s line to thin?

    NONE OF THAT MATTERS AT ALL:

    First day of graphic design school, logo design class 101. MUST WORK ON ITS OWN, IN BLACK AND WHITE, FIRST BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE.

    the new CC logo cannot, and will not – and frankly, really SHOULD not – work in a vacuum very well. it cannot be effective sitting high and mighty, smack dab in the middle of a blank white page all alone. or on a blank, white (nee empty) html page. and it need not, anyhow.

    context. the only context that is not suitable for this logo, is no context at all. therefore, any, ANY context serves this logo expertly. CC, and lets face it, satire, comedy and humor at its most effectiveness works because of context. hence the, “you had to be there…” right?

    the circle “c” mark is likely one the most ubiquitous icons in our modern society. of course this wasn’t a planned outcome, but they rarely are. is the circle “c” really an icon? oh yes, the best kind. the surreptitious kind.

    the circle “c” means money. it means exclusivity. it means protection, right, permission, value, recognition, community, deservedness etc. all well-meaning attributes associated with copyrighted content. we see it all day everyday. a cultural archetype, often seen as representative of the “powers that be.”

    CC can now affix their brand id to, and comment on, any context whatsoever. they can re-contextualize anything at all, provoking thoughtful contemplation, evoking political insight, humorous interjection, underscoring otherwise unspoken ideas by simply adding a little CC logo punctuation. sort of like lifetime poetic license to CCify anything concept, idea or message.

    to me, this is a perfect example of how important it is to embrace the notion that a brand is not its logo. especially now, knowing that experience is going happen, whose experience is yet to be determined.

    i can say that i did not get the real value of this until i saw an example application (read context) other than the bottom right corner of tv screen. albeit the most uninspired application for CC’s new mark, no doubt.

    corporate brand graffiti tagging with a circle “c” symbol (because that is your logo, after all)is sheer brilliance and quite possibly the branding coup of the millennium. being somewhat of an anti-corp mentalist, i wonder why i am so behind this strategy. i suppose that has to do with the fact that almost all of the programming on CC is not filtered through a political agenda. that much of the programming is, in fact and arguably, anti- “us vs. them” or at the very least, honestly provoking such contemplation. i have trusted CC more than any other network for years and years. how many gen-x and gen-y peeps are with me on that?

    while debates will go on ad-infinitum about the font, the craftsmanship and execution of the CC logo – in the big scheme of things, none of that matters. the new CC logo is exempt from “design police” censure because it doesn’t matter. same way that the circle “c” and circle “r” symbols have historically been reproduced using the wrong typeface, or poor execution but the meaning is still very much intact. the plain-ness is in fact very much part of the strategy – but in my mind, perhaps, for a different reason than others might cite. you just cannot stylize a symbol like this and preserve the inherently generic meaning or affiliation.

    my next logo design for a client will include a cross. hell, it will be that – just a cross. nothing else. not one with jesus, cause that, obviously, is implied anyhow and well, the context is no longer important. i would do the circle “r” symbol but radio shack already ruined that opportunity, and well, the circle “c” concept has just been expertly co-opted by Comedy Central.

    Logo Design 101: co-opt archetype and change color, put your client’s name on it, and go go go.

    PS: boy, i always thought the radio shack logo was ultra-stupid. of course i still do. but had they similar opportunity as CC, which a retail electronics store would never have, their concept would have had so much more plausibility. fail.

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