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My gut reaction is that this new logo is strictly worse than the old one. This is my first time seeing either of the logos. Can someone with a graphic arts bac

My gut reaction is that this new logo is strictly worse than the old one. This is my first time seeing either of the logos. Can someone with a graphic arts background explain why the LoC is so attracted to this new design (after only 8 years with the previous one)?

aristus 8y ago
Heh. Rebrandings are often more valuable for the fact of rebranding (press hit for LoC!) than any aesthetic reason. It's rare to find an administrator with any graphic sense. The current librarian (confirmed in 2016) is a bit of a new broom, and is the first to serve under a term-limit. Previous librarians served for life, and the last one refused to understand computers.
- jumelles 8y ago
  Carla Hayden is the first Librarian of Congress to be an actual professional librarian in decades.
Eric_WVGG 8y ago
They traded what was "just a logo" for an entire design system. This is the branding equivalent of Google’s “Material Design.” Also for what it’s worth Pentagram — and Paula Scher — are very prestigious, considered top-of-their-field. But I agree they phoned this in. Unnecessary and uninspired.
- zerocrates 8y ago
  Ah, so it's a much more expensive bad logo.
- sdrothrock 8y ago
  I wonder why they couldn't make a design system that integrated or utilized the previous logo, or an updated version of it. The new one is hideous and redundant, as are all of the alternatives (which look more like positioning/alignment errors in Microsoft Word). 1. "LIBRARY Library" -- really? 2. The colors don't evoke a library OR Congress, but a construction site. 3. There's no "logo" here, strictly speaking: just a bunch of words. The article even explicitly says "Our view here at the Library of Congress is the image of a treasure chest, filled with limitless information and services, ready to explore and amaze if you open it up." There's absolutely nothing in this new logo that communicates "the image of a treasure chest" filled with anything at all. Similarly, the "bookshelf" examples look less like a bookshelf and more like someone having issues putting clip art into text in Word. I really hope feedback about this logo influences all involved parties to reconsider this design.
- kup0 8y ago
  Despite their prestige, Pentagram's work is very hit or miss, often erring on the side of minimalism to the point where it sucks any soul or character out of the brand
Fomite 8y ago
It's part of a push to help people recognize that the LoC is for them, not for congress.
hbosch 8y ago
Because when you pay an extreme amount of money for something, you are automatically biased towards liking it.

aristus 8y ago

Heh. Rebrandings are often more valuable for the fact of rebranding (press hit for LoC!) than any aesthetic reason. It's rare to find an administrator with any graphic sense. The current librarian (confirmed in 2016) is a bit of a new broom, and is the first to serve under a term-limit. Previous librarians served for life, and the last one refused to understand computers.

jumelles 8y ago
Carla Hayden is the first Librarian of Congress to be an actual professional librarian in decades.

Eric_WVGG 8y ago

They traded what was "just a logo" for an entire design system. This is the branding equivalent of Google’s “Material Design.” Also for what it’s worth Pentagram — and Paula Scher — are very prestigious, considered top-of-their-field. But I agree they phoned this in. Unnecessary and uninspired.

zerocrates 8y ago
Ah, so it's a much more expensive bad logo.
sdrothrock 8y ago
I wonder why they couldn't make a design system that integrated or utilized the previous logo, or an updated version of it. The new one is hideous and redundant, as are all of the alternatives (which look more like positioning/alignment errors in Microsoft Word). 1. "LIBRARY Library" -- really? 2. The colors don't evoke a library OR Congress, but a construction site. 3. There's no "logo" here, strictly speaking: just a bunch of words. The article even explicitly says "Our view here at the Library of Congress is the image of a treasure chest, filled with limitless information and services, ready to explore and amaze if you open it up." There's absolutely nothing in this new logo that communicates "the image of a treasure chest" filled with anything at all. Similarly, the "bookshelf" examples look less like a bookshelf and more like someone having issues putting clip art into text in Word. I really hope feedback about this logo influences all involved parties to reconsider this design.
kup0 8y ago
Despite their prestige, Pentagram's work is very hit or miss, often erring on the side of minimalism to the point where it sucks any soul or character out of the brand

Fomite 8y ago

It's part of a push to help people recognize that the LoC is for them, not for congress.

hbosch 8y ago

Because when you pay an extreme amount of money for something, you are automatically biased towards liking it.