A Brand New Brand for AltDaily
Words Hannah Serrano
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010 at 11:56 pm
A year ago, before Jesse came on as editor of AltDaily, this web magazine was called 24SevenCities.com.
We changed the title for a few reasons, but above all, it was because the thing was just too long, cumbersome and confusing. (Imagine having to explain every time: It’s the number 24 and the words Seven Cities.)
In almost every way, the re-brand has been effective. “AltDaily” has proven to be more memorable and more evocative of what we do, which is to provide a daily source of alternative news and culture. It’s shorter and snappier, and in the web world, that counts for more than you’d imagine.
But what I do regret about losing the old moniker is burying the old logo. Created by local designer and artist Robert Simmons, the 24SevenCities logo was flashy and hip, but also clean and easily adaptable. It utilized a distinct font that itself is both hip and minimal; Avant-Garde, popular at the time at least in part because of the Rock Band logo, which uses a variation. But what interested Rob and me most was the lines–the way the 4 and 7 make a parallelogram and the V and N make a smaller parallelogram within. The text-based logo required nothing additional to be artful.
The switch to AltDaily was swift, and as a makeshift I threw up a logo in the font Bodoni. It’s extremely understated in comparison to the 24SevenCities logo; more elegant and a little newsier. I wanted to give us some clout, and Bodoni is certainly a no-frills, “Take-me-seriously-I’m-a-grown-up” kind of a font.
We had always meant to return to the brand logo and rework it when the proper time came. But it never really did. We found ourselves working pretty much nonstop, until suddenly we realized it’s been nearly a year since we re-branded (our anniversary is in about a month and a half, actually). In that time we have put our stamp on several great projects, including Love for Haiti and Art|Everywhere; developed a distinct voice through solid feature-writing, consistent columns and a recognizable aesthetic; and carved out a niche in our wide-open market. There seemed no better time than now to revisit the AltDaily logo and what it means to our burgeoning brand.
A grab from Auxiliary's inspring website.
This time around I tapped talented local designer, Craig Williams, owner of Auxiliary Design Co., to help us re-imagine our look. We chose Auxiliary, whose specialty is “developing and updating identities for both print and web,” because [one] their site is amazing (it got some love on here, and the mobile app got some love on here), [two] Boxed City, Craig’s brainchild with his wife Kathleen, was stellar while it was around, and [three] we like Craig, he’s a nice guy.
So Craig sat down with us recently to help suss out just what it is we are going for. And to put it lightly, we weren’t quite sure of that ourselves. In fact, the casual drink at Hell’s Kitchen seemed more like a couples counseling session than a preliminary meeting.
“Do you like the site’s current aesthetic?” he asked.
Me: “Yes, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Jesse: “No, it’s a little too slick for my taste. I’d like to rough it up a bit.”
Craig: “What ideas do you have for the logo?”
Me: “Something text-based; simple but striking.”
Jesse: “Something with illustration. A little black whale would be cool. Or a cracked-out mermaid.”
Craig: “Should we consider some versions with a condensed ‘AD’?”
Me: “I’m not sure we’re there yet. We’re still a young brand.”
Jesse: “But there’s no harm in giving it a look.”
From Round Two
The one thing we did agree on–a very important thing, too–was our answer to Craig’s question, “Who is AltDaily speaking to?”
“Our audience,” we responded firmly, “is the engaged, intelligent people of any generation. This logo will need to speak to a tattoo artist with the same appeal it does a board member of the Opera. Our readers range from high school students to university professors, skater kids to yuppies, retail slaves to restaurateurs.
“It’s like The Daily Show. It’s funny to people of any age–you just have to be with it to get it.”
Trident number one
So armed with that (lack of) direction and a few examples of logos we like, Craig and his team took a stab at several designs. The first round included text-based logos. Though we liked one of these in particular, we thought that next we’d like to go ahead and see something more conceptual. Craig revisited our conversation at Hell’s Kitchen where we also had talked about things that identify this area; the ports, the bridges, the water.
Inspired by that idea, Auxiliary put together another couple logos. The first of the marks Craig sent over (pictured at right, above) takes cues from vintage shipping and trucking logos. It also repurposes the type that we liked from Round One. The other (pictured at right), a take on Neptune’s trident that creates the letters AD, stuck with us a bit more.
Which leads us finally to Round Three. Auxiliary has polished up the trident some (I’d found the first one a little too masculine), and (to Jesse’s delight) they’ve gone ahead and thrown in both a whale and a mermaid.
So now, we would like to hear from you. Our brand, after all, is a reflection of you as much as it is of us. So let’s consider this one big board meeting and you guys are the stakeholders. Below are the logos that are on the table and up for consideration. Take a look, reflect on what AltDaily means and feels like to you, and comment below.
The ladder was originally from another Auxiliary project. I liked it and wanted to see if it worked with AltDaily.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
"Even though Serranos can be a good deal hotter than the average, their flesh is much thinner so you get a friendly fire rather than a mouthful of afterburn." — Alton Brown
Other posts by Hannah Serrano.
Other posts by Hannah Serrano.
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The Ladder – all the way. Represents the building of a community which seems to be the ultimate goal of the site.
+1
I vote in this order:
1. Whale on right (with text bubble)(I vote for this twice)
2. Mermaid
3. Ladder
I honestly liked the first one (the “vintage trucker/shipping”). I like how concise and classic it looks. However, it is not officially on the table, so my official vote from the options is the trident with the words below. Or possibly the ladder, but why not use the shape of the ladder as the A?
I was definitely hoping to see the ladder as the A in AltDaily, but I didn’t really force the issue. Thanks for your input, Nathan.
I would like to Third this.
This was my first instinct as well. Trust me though, it just doesn’t work.
My top 3:
1. Ladder
2. Trident
3. Mermaid
My Options:
I agree with Tim, the ladder implying building, is the strongest and most original of these logos. The Trident is a little hard to see the AD in it, although I really like the Typeface. The Mermaid conceptually is good, but I think it could be stronger. All I think about when I see it is late 80′s design. Also not to fond of the “+” and typeface used in the speech bubble. The whale on the right, I swear I have seen it before, not sure where. The Whale on the left just doesn’t look right, Maybe if it was just the tail coming out of the A it would be stronger? I do like the fat script typeface though.
My thoughts…
the whale looks too much like preppy vineyard vines to me.
http://www.colesofnassau.com/logos/49.jpg
Ladder as the A? Yes. Yes I like that. I really like the idea of the trident, but it is kind of hard to see/read as AD.
How about a bucket of paint on that ladder, spilling a rainbow of color onto the logo….
the trident looks like the W&L logo, but I like the concept. http://www.logoserver.com/college/WashingtonAndLeeGenerals.GIF
I think you should go for another round at HK.
Trident with Alt Daily words, or something else with a ladder. I like the trucking one (first), as well. Not grooving on the mermaid or whale… yes, maybe another HK visit! You’re getting there!
I like the Ladder design… as well as the concept in the “classic trucking” design… Oh, I also like the font on the final “Trident” version. Personally though, I think I still lean towards the “feeling” I get from the current logo.
Though it is kind of barren, and could use some updating, it says to me, “We do news, that is serious, credible, thoughtful and trustworthy.”
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the new designs seem to do a great job of presenting a hip, urban-minded brand (be it trendy or kickback) that would be fitting of a publication with somewhat less serious intentions. Like community, events and entertainment (chiefly for youth). But on the surface… I don’t think I would expect to find the serious discussions about government/politics, equality, civil rights or the environment that happen on this site.
I know that’s all just my opinion, but I would love to see the concepts swing more towards a middle ground. Something that looks established, yet progressive. Serious, yet edgy.
MMM. after a second look.
“Trucking” monogram over the Trident Typeface might be yummy.
Thanks for your comments everyone! Just want to jump in and say that these marks are not at the final stage–more than anything we’re hoping to get a feel for what direction we should pursue.
Keep your thoughts coming! Your input is invaluable.
For all the reasons Hannah elucidated, but about which I’d never reflected in such specific detail, the 24SevenCities logo possessed an unimpeachable polish and sophistication, and I had quite a bit of affection for it.
What I realize now, as these new possibilities are being presented, is that I’d also developed quite a bit of affection for the quirky whaleness that had come to be synonymous in my head with the AltDaily brand. True, I felt that the font needed some revision and polish, and that the whale and typography needed to somehow embrace, but none of these new concepts feel quite as right to me as has what has been in use.
The tridents don’t appeal to me because I can’t stop thinking “Neptune Festival,” and, as others have pointed out, the presence of an A and D is tough to spot.
As for the “new whales,” the “AltDaily inside of a whale inside of a whale” (the one on the left) leaves me vaguely uncomfortable. And although I’m not in love with the font used in the whale concept on the right, I can’t help but feel there’s promise there with revisions.
My gut response was that I favored the ladder logo, except that I find the font a bit bold and stodgy. (Would the ladder live well with the font used in the second trident design?) And like others have suggested, the ladder as an “A” would be a natural, and I also *love* BC’s idea of a bucket of paint spilling a splash of color onto the words.
However, I do have reservations about the ladder concept. It resonates because you really are building community, but I think you’re also about celebrating what exists and is underappreciated — and even this does not encompass all you do, so is the ladder iconography sufficiently capacious to represent the AltDaily brand?
Sorry I can’t cast a definitive ballot, even after such intense contemplation. (And no, I’m not usually one of those people who bothers to vote in an online poll if I’d need to choose “I don’t know.”)
I agree with you about the font in the ladder logo.
IMHO,
1. Whale with balloon – start here and work some more, especially play with the text. The whale is young, quirky, green-y, and adaptable. A whale moves with (or against) the currents, and suggests motion, strength, flexibility and endurance. Whalesong travels for great distances.
2. Sleek trident with different typeface to make it more modern, less staid. But – maybe think about how much it reminds one of the Neptune Festival logo.
What I didn’t like -
1. “monogram” trident – confined, really dated – made me think “stop sign”.
2. Mermaid – personal, I just don’t like our mermaids
3. AD in circle – too vintage for your message
4. ladder – ties you very closely to theatre, regardless of the implied “building” idea. Didn’t the logo for some long-running broadway play feature this ladder, or one very similar?
Helpful suggestion: when you consider a logo, include it in a page mockup with one of your representative editorial pieces.
I really like the symbolism Sandi brings up. Yes, work more with the whale. Train it.
Side note, why is the Norfolk symbol a mermaid and not a whale?
Train the whale to eat mermaids.
The first trident is elegant, but I fail to see the connection to AltDaily. On the second one, the font doesn’t seem to match the graphic.
None of the other logos blow me away. Why change it unless it’s going to be a considerable improvement?
Criticisms aside, my favorite part of this entry is the dialogue about the AltDaily audience, specifically this line: “This logo will need to speak to a tattoo artist with the same appeal it does a board member of the Opera.”
If you can capture that spirit in a black and white icon, you will truly have something special!
I would like to see a mermaid inside a whale.
Ladder: get your own effing logo.
Agree with the “credibility” comments Paul makes regarding your current font.
Really like the “classic trucking” logo. Sounds like you guys are over it, but I’m not.
Likewise, I’m not over the first triton (though it creates an optical illusion, which can be hard on the eyes). With some slight reworking and 60s high-fidelity sound waves bouncing off it, it would become a transmission antenna. I see a clear connection to your mission there.
The trident is kind of scary. Seems a little devil pitchfork-y to me. I like the whale concept the best, it seems to fit the tone of the site better.
This is my first official commenting on this site…….WOOHOO. I am liking the idea of the ladder logo but it is missing………something, maybe put a whale in the background. I am eager to see the final decision all y’all make.
Nice to see you guys finally set down to go over this.
I’ll start with i don’t like and sorta transition into what i do:
The mermaid: the diagonals are too busy, i really don’t like the contour of the mermaid in general, and plus the mermaid is too Norfolk. Altdaily may be based in Norfolk but should reflect the greater area.
I’m not feeling the trident, which as posted earlier comes off as a devil’s pitchfork. There just seems to be disconnect there i can’t seem to explain and the AD for the trident is a bit forced. But i do love the slab serif used for the font.
As for the whales, the first one makes he feel claustrophobic for the text. The whale within a whale is too much. And i don’t care for the script. The second one is an improvement. I like the text bubble but seems to be a misallocation of space. The whale is too dominant as the name itself only takes up a 1/3 or 2/5 of the space.
I actually wouldn’t mind a standalone text bubble for the logo.
The ladder is probably the most complete concept. It conveys a message, has a decent typeface, and fairly minimal. I’d like to see if the ladder in a more simplified form would work. It’s somewhat disjointed to have such a detailed form in what is a rather minimalistic logo.
So basically, not feeling the mermaid, not feeling the trident but like the slab-serif, not feeling the whale but like the text bubble, and like the ladder but would like to see further exploration with the concept.
Never give the masses the choice to choose who you are, because some are going to like it and some are going to hate it. It’s a huge problem with committees with committees get involved.
I say go with what the gents from Aux and you guys choose and feel comfortable with. They are all valid choices as long as you consider the medium for which it is going to be used.
I don’t recall it being up for a vote. It’s not bad to get feedback from the community before making a decision.
Funny, because I don’t recall saying the word “vote” anywhere in my comment. Funny how that works out for you. But really, thank you for putting words in my mouth.
What sort of feedback? The guys at Aux are professionals and the same can be said for the people at AD. I trust their decision either way. They are going to get feedback regardless and people are going to cheer and jeer over whatever they choose, more so because people have now seen the choices, yet have no clue on the applications. I have seen (and worked on) some pretty big things where a ton of people are involved and it never comes out right.
There is more that goes into this than creating a sweet logo, and I believe those in charge know this. Depending on how far they are willing to go outside of a web banner. It’s not as simple as showing it off. You need to consider other facets of production (such as reproducing a 1 or 2 color version for printing, like on a silk screened shirt run), or the ability to resize it from the size of a thumbnail to the size of a banner or billboard. You can also see there is a little whale on your browser called a ‘favicon’ with a whale, so maybe it goes as minute as this detail.
So while I do love a bit of feedback, as I said ultimately let the people in charge of decisions make them. I am pretty sure they know what they are doing. That’s no disrespect to those posting, but in the end I want them to make a solid decision based on the collaborative effort, because they aren’t going to please everyone.
your cool.
Steve Urkel thinks the same of you <3
i kinda want trident number one as a tattoo
I was going to say the whale because it grabbed my attention the most, but I have to tell people that I write for this site (on the rare occassion that I submit something) and I’d like to be taken seriously as a writer and a grown-up. The whale only appeals to a small audience and I don’t know that “cute people” is really a demographic to be targeted. I mean, I like it and I like cute people; let’s make it a t-shirt, but not the logo.
Then the ladder. I was all for it, but according to these comments it’s associated with something I obviously haven’t seen. That’s not a good look.
The trident. I don’t like the trident.
Or the mermaid.
Here’s the thing; I have no idea why a “logo” is so important. I agree that a basic font has a certain sophisticated cerdibility and I’m all for the classic look. I think the current and beloved font logo could be punched-up or roughed-up or given some depth, but I like it.
I think I need some people behind me on this. Help out guys.
Shit. You know what? Trident. Pitchfork. As in the huge music website that has kind of a stranglehold on the entertainment blogging world. I’m just saying.
Hrm.. I have to admit, I’m pretty underwhelmed by them all.. Does that sound dickish? I’ve been through this process many times before, and I’ve found that the best way is to go with a site like 99designs.com where people compete and you only award $$ if you like the design. I’ve had some really good logos come out of this process -> http://99designs.com/users/250837/contests
The problem is when you’re tied to one company or set of graphic artists, if you don’t like what they’re doing, you’re stuck.. You can’t get them to be more creative or better artists…
Shop around. You guys deserve better. And sorry for being a dick.
As a professional, i abhor these kinds of websites.
Abhor is being too kind. It’s cheap and demeans the whole process. You wouldn’t ask three different carpenters to build you three separate houses, would you? This is why you check out builders, see what they have worked on in the past and build a relationship with someone you can work towards a common goal.
Hopefully someone never comes along and does that to you did to your profession.
I’m not sure I understand. AltDaily could announce their contest on 99 designs and we could all (the current artists included) compete for the best design. What’s wrong with that?
And, they *have* done this in my profession, and I’m thankful for it. If you’re good enough at what you do, you don’t really fear competition, cheap or otherwise.
First of all, thanks to everyone who has taken their time to weigh in so far on these marks. I wanted to add some thoughts that will hopefully reframe the discussion.
To begin with, Alt Daily inviting their readers “into the board meeting” is really innovative, and right in line with what they’re all about. But I don’t think it was made clear that this was the first board meeting, not the final one. To give you some idea of where we are in the process, we regularly show brand concepts at this same stage as sketches. Pen & ink. That way, nobody is getting hung up worrying about typefaces or color or even execution.
What would help Alt Daily most would be for it’s readers to think broadly about what the brand should represent. Should it be reflective of the area, and the culture of Hampton Roads? As a group of cities, what cohesive ideas do we share?
Should Alt Daily embrace it’s role as an “alt” publication? Does it play up the fact that it’s the youthful, sometimes snarky alternative to something like the pilot? Would you even agree that that’s true?
And finally, the last direction we explored was Alt Daily’s role as a community catalyst. To us, the ladder wasn’t just indicative of building something new, but also of offering a step up to an area that could really use it.
So remember, these are essentially sketches. They’re places to start from, and concepts to discuss where they can go. Are there more that Alt Daily & Aux haven’t considered yet?
Another opinionated dickish thought :)
Not sure you need anything that represents what you guys are about… Leave that image in the minds and hearts of the reader. You guys *are* AltDaily. Not, “AltDaily” the ladder guys or “AltDaily” the cute whale site. Be simple. Don’t overthink it. Embrace the zen of design.
I wont say this is right or wrong for AltDaily… but I agree
Feels like Design by committee. Glad it’s not
I think the ladder and mermaid are the right direction
someone may have already Pointed this out, but the trident is precariously close to Waterman’s Applied Science. That said, it’s probably my favorite. Whale inside the whale’s a really cool concept as well.
I think the whale and the ladder are both, equally good concepts to pursue.
Nothing comes close to the elegant design of the original 24SevenCities.
My problem with the new name as well as the logos is that ,for the most part, when I hear/see them, I get no indication of what the site is. While the previous name might have been wrong for your stated reasons, at least there was some indication of the content within. I think these designs are nice ideas but I would love to see a different designer’s take on the branding. A few different perspectives may be beneficial. Also I think the site could use some work in the layout. The content is A+ and the overall visual design is good but the way the content is positioned makes it awkward. I don’t mean to sound like I’m putting down anyone’s work cause I don’t mean to, I just think there’s some room to improve. I want this site to be as big as anyone else and the talent is definitely there, just some tweaks would be nice.
My vote is for the ladder one (with the ladder as the A, not next to it- that seems redundant). My second choice is for the trident with the words under it (it took me too long to find the A and D in the one without words. Third choice would be the whale on the left… I think the ones with graphics are cute, but the speech bubbles are a little too cartoony, and I think a little less “take me seriously” than you guys are looking for…
I like the second whale with the text bubble. It feels like Hampton Roads to me with the whale and the presentation is fun.
I rather like the first trident that is pictured beneath the text at the end of the piece, although I feel like it needs the name in it, connected somehow, instead of just being initials.
I favor the trident remaining as it is with the “lt” coming out on top and just to the right of the center of the trident (and it’s “A”) and then “aily” coming out below, also on the right side of the trident but fully to the side of it’s “D”. Does that make sense? Trying to describe an design in words is a bit tricky. Perhaps making the trident as it and the “lt” and “aily” in contrasting shades, even using a miniscule color brushstroke through the letters of the trident to make it a bit clearer…
The longer pole on the trident I’m not particularly fond of. It’s a bit phallic, and I’ve got plenty of love for the phallus but not as a logo for your paper.
The whale… I confess I’m far too much of a sci-fi geek to think of anything but the whale from Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s a bit too close to the “Fail Whale” shirts that ThinkGeek sells online.
Still, if it was done delicately enough, perhaps as an outlined letter stylized in the shape of either the mermaid or the whale (using the “y” in “daily”) it could be worked in, but it would have to be bordering on the thinnest calligraphy brush strokes to make it work in with the boldness of the trident…still, I could see it.
The ladder does little for me, it just looks like a metaphor that’s waiting for me to discover the inside joke or reason behind it- whereas the trident is pretty well known in this area and fitting for a local paper.
That’s my two cents.