logo redesign - （evaluation）

Literature Review

In this literature review, the current logo design of CSUN Matadors will be introduced, combined with the logo design literature analysis of the parts that need to be improved. The logo design needs, as characterized by the design basis, including history, culture, color, Simplicity, color strategy and scalability, and ideas, will be explored based on existing design literature.

The importance and reason for the logo redesign.

The Reason for the Logo Redesign

CSUN Matadors Athletics comprises a series of csun-related logos, including the primary logo and the secondary logo. The secondary logo's matador element is divided into a half-length matador with a cape and a full-body matador. The other secondary logo is the school letters, and the names of the sports events are marked below the school letters (CSUN Matadors: Brand identity, usage, and style guide.). Although the Matador is the official mascot of CSUN, the image is controversial due to the bloody violence and other factors in the matador competition. When CSUN designed this logo, it emphasized the beauty and grace of the ballet moves (Mascot history and background). Therefore, the design in sports and competition and other aspects of the expression is slightly deficient. Since the logo is the CSUN matador athletics brand logo, it should highlight the expression of sports and competition. So the new design should be based on retaining the original meaning of increasing competitive aspects of the elements.

Principles of Modernism

CSUN's current logo, which has been in use since 2014, is a departure from the traditional school mascot Matty matador logo. The recent logo increases a cape (Camarillo，2014). It also went down well with students, who thought the logo had a more modern feel. And compared to the old logo, the current logo is less aggressive because the old logo has an angry face (Ajanel, 2014). The image of Matador with cape shows an "imposing manner" and "temperament." The modernist design movement, which was born in the 1920s, significantly influenced design thought. Specifically, its emphasis on communication and humanization is a significant influence on logo design. It can be instrumental in redesigning the CSUN Matadors' logo and ensure that it effectively attains its purpose. The style is concise, uses geometrical lines extensively, and reflects modern aesthetic viewpoints (Greenhalgh, 1990). Mies van der Rohe, the Modernist Maestro, pointed out that "less is more" (Amiri, 2016). Therefore, based on modernism principles, logos should use the 0simplest and least number of elements to create the best effect. Based on these specifications, CSUN's Matador logo is a bit cumbersome in graphics and line design, so a lot of details need to be updated. The logo can be visually enhanced through such a change while eliminating any visually controversial elements that may be undesirable.

Factors of violence

The current Matador logo still depicts some violent factors. For instance, the prominent figure in the logo is a matador, who is slaughtering the bull at the end of a bullfight to show his dominance. In addition, he wears a red cape. Although, the cape is associated with the matador sport, but according to Mitchell (1991), the Matador is associated with violence, male chauvinism, among other ills in society. As a way of changing all these negative perceptions about the Matador. I will first consider getting rid of the cape, it will reduce aggression and increase meticulousness and nature, which will have a more positive impact (Payne, 2013).

Composition and proportion

In terms of composition and proportion, the triangle composition of logo ontology is relatively stable visually, but its proportion can be more stable in composition. When choosing the logo composition, the design should pick an alternative composition. Triangle composition does not consider the quality of the image as long as it can draw the imaginary triangle points. The new design can be expressed in the form of visual lead lines. It can guide people's vision through composition. In this combination, people will have a subjective impression of the LOGO. The lead line does not have to be a solid line; it can also be the element itself. Moreover, the dynamic lines make the logo full of vitality and vitality (Liao & Chen, 2014).

Font

Fonts play an important role in the identity of the logo as well as other visual representations. The current logo uses bold font, which makes it look static and outdated.Therefore, this article will recommend a new font style that is dynamic and stylish. Change the hard twist of an existing font to a relatively round font, because the shape of roundness is associated with positive emotions (Salgado, 2014). Or try something bolder, like using a more personal artistic word. At present, the provisional decision has been made to redesign CSUN fonts with sans serif font.

Color

The primary colors used in the logo are CSUN "Hero Colors" red and black (CSUN identity platform), but the gray is an additional color that can be removed by other means. For instance, The same graphics but minus the shadow stroke, keeping its existing characteristics, using modernist style, make the figure flat and geometric (Greenhalgh, 1990). The primary colors in the logo that are official colors, but the grey in the logo makes its visual appeal to be less effective. Color is such a powerful tool that can influence the thinking and reaction of the audience (Kimura et al., 2013). For instance, they argue that red is a color that is synonymous with the male and extroverted people. It symbolizes passion and aggression. On the other hand, black is a color that symbolizes strength, authority, aggression, and elegance. However, gray will takes away all the energy out of the logo. It represents compromise and caution. It appears neutral, which contradicts the two colors of color (Kimura et al., 2013).

The importance of redesigning the logo

Both the updates on graphics and color optimization will have a better impact on the CSUN Matador logo. The previous graphics should be improved and optimized in the logo redesign process, and new elements should be added to express new meanings. This will make the logo easier to recognize and enhance its visual appeal (Liao & Chen, 2014). The second is to make some changes to the colors because colors can give people visual impact, and the proper combination of colors can also have a positive effect on the new logo. When a person sees the new logo, it would be easier to associate it with the sports club of CSUN.

The design basis of redesigning the logo.

Cultural and Historical Factors

In logo design, the first consideration is the brand. Because the brand is ultimately for the customer, it is essential to understand the core values of the organization. Therefore, the logo has to represent the organization. On this basis, it is necessary to understand the history and culture of the organization as well as the significance it represents, and conduct in-depth research. In the research part, we need to deeply analyze the key concepts of the company, such as its core color, special shape, where the current logo that needs to be modified or defective, and what factors have been neglected and need to be added. Without consideration of these issues, the new design will be meaningless. Therefore, before the redesign, it is necessary to understand the cultural context of the Matador's adoption in the design. Because culture reflects society, ecology, politics, and the technology of an area, it is necessary to consider how aspects of culture impact the design process. It believes that culture and changes in culture are essential in the design process. Different symbols may represent different meanings in other regions, but each character should reflect the history and culture. Therefore, in this society that values harmonious culture, we need to avoid images that may clash with the culture.

Simplicity

When designing a logo, it is important to keep it simple and avoid over complicating it. Design solutions should follow from heavy to concise, this will leave a clear impression on users. Many large companies' logo is simple, which makes the logo suitable for various purposes (Li, Z. (2019). A potent symbol should have several elements, each of which can be easily identified and combined with the key concepts and ideas of the organization. At the same time, the logo should contain all the information that the organization seeks to convey to the audience (Greenhalgh, 1990).

Color Strategy and Scalability

In the design of logos, color choice is an important design principle. It plays a critical role in determining how the logo is perceived and interpreted by the target audience (O’Connor, 2011). If the color resonates with the image, it will substantially impact the viewer's vision. So when choosing a color, we need to consider the central idea of the design. The framework of the color palette can be used. Under the framework, a color is selected by the background factors of logo design, and then the performance of these colors is studied (O’Connor, 2011). The palette frame helps us choose the right color. In color psychology, each color has its spiritual power. For example, pink symbolizes softness, romance, and no pressure, so it is more suitable for women's designs. In reverse, pink can be dis-empowering, so it is not ideal for sports or competitive strategy. When we choose the design direction, we will need to convert these parameters into colors, so the colors in the logo should be reflected from the cultural background and design theme.

CSUN mostly uses red, black, and neutral colors (white) as the primary colors (CSUN Identity Platform). To ensure that the logo remains attractive, it is necessary to choose a color combination that makes it look unique. For example, its match color is still red as the primary color; black is the auxiliary color. The graphic presentation should feel energetic, radical, young, and challenging. And I was combined with the brand upgrade and design trend to complete the expression of the scheme. Therefore, in the redesign project, it is necessary to reflect this choice and the corresponding meanings attributed to these colors. Failure to consider these aspects may change the original design context's cultural traditions, which may be counterproductive to the whole process.

On the other hand, the logo design should be scalable in that it can be used on various surfaces. For a logo, with the same characteristics and the shape of the same in any size is very important.(George, 2012) For instance, when used on billboards, the logo should not lose its sense of proportion.

Golden section

Golden section theory is derived from the Fibonacci sequence, each number is the sum of the first two numbers. To better understand this theory in art or design, it better to consider golden rectangle that fits the parameter of 1:1.618, so drawing the relationship between each new golden rectangle will result in a golden spiral. Golden section theory when applied in logo design, it will provide a perfect harmony and proportion. Therefore, I will using this theory in the design through the theory of thirds and the grid system, which are important in creating consistent, well-structured and visually pleasing layouts. For instance, intersecting lines on these grids create natural focal points for the placement of shapes and content boxes (Jeong and Seo, 2018).

Design ideas in logo design

The manipulation of different design elements results in the conscious formulation of visually perceivable design themes (Wheeler, 2017). In the logo, it is necessary to include the needed design ideas. These ideas include aesthetics, society, expression, material, variability, and so on. Usually, a culture emerges as an intermediary standard (Hui, 2011). It is also important to rely on a shared symbolic language to convey information and exchange ideas. Some symbols in the design seem abstract, but they are symbolic. Every natural phenomenon has its connotations, such as feeling cold at the sight of snowflakes and thinking of peace at the company of pigeons. Moreover, the final design should have creative composition rather than a random arrangement, and some elements can evolve new meanings when combined. Therefore, when designing, we should also consider the design emphasis, rhythm, diversity, and proportion to leave a lingering impression on people's vision. In conveying ideas, we can transform the object's nature and the information to be conveyed into geometric shapes (Seelow, 2017), reducing the user memory curve more straightforwardly. To explore brand communication's long-term effectiveness, based on Ebbinghaus memory forgetting curve and brand core value. All objects we know are seen by remembering colors, and we associate colors with familiar objects (Kimura, 2013). Improve logo recognition and memory with brand communication to achieve the purpose of deep memory.

Methodology

Content analysis

The redesign of the logo is critical and dynamic, as customer preferences and business needs change with time. This article uses content analysis to analyze the logos of PG&E, Coca-Cola and Google. The three popular companies redesigned their logos to suit the current environment. Some of the key factors determining logo redesign include customer preferences, business needs, competitors, and costs. An organization should focus on the impact of their new logo on market dynamics, and their feasibility. Therefore, in order to get the factors that can be considered in logo redesign, Based on content analysis, I investigated various factors that could be considered in logo redesign.

signature and color

Coca-Cola Company is a popular one, and invests a lot of money in public relations. Some people may feel that the majority of the company's budget is spent on marketing, but this case sets a great impact in its sustainability. Since 1886, when the Coca-Cola Company was seeking to perfect its brand, there has been 12 different logo (Pendergrast & Crawford, 2020). Since establishing its signature and color in 1950, the company has introduced five logos. Therefore, signature and color are two critical aspects of the Coca-Cola logo redesign.

Evidently, Olofson (1993) states that the logo of PG&E is appealing because of three key factors comprising of design, color, and contrast in color. The design signifies the signature of a logo and the other two aspects represents the color. PG&E redesigned the overall shape of its logo from the former rectangular to the newly square shaped logo (Olofson, 1993). The signature was also evident by changing the sing ‘and’ to ‘&’ and adding a triangular graphic to show the changed symbol clearly. Therefore, from this analysis, it is clear that organizations are considering factors when redesigning their logos, and that changes in signature and color are intended to have a positive impact on business and marketing.

Relevance to the market

One reason for the redesign of the Coca-Cola logo was to remain relevant in the marketplace. The company's logos, launched in 2003 and 2007, reflect its focus on the younger audience in the market, although these aspects have been reflected in previous logos. The 2003 logo had an attention-grabbing yellow ribbon having bubbles that focused on fizziness and reality of the company’s campaign (Pendergrast & Crawford, 2020). However, considering the market dynamics, Coca-Cola focused on designing a logo that reflects the tradition of Coca-Cola in 2007.

Font and color

The aspects of design and color in redesigning an organizational logo are also evident in Google Company. The Google Company’s team are aware that a word-mark logo such as theirs having addition features need to be redesigned by focusing on fonts (Carter, 2005). Therefore, the design aspect of their new logo focus on changing the Catull typeface into flat sans-serif. The latter enabled the company to achieve lighter and more modern appearance which would definitely appeal to its market. On the aspect of color, Google's previous logo lose its luster by the use of shadows. However, the lightness in font and the changes done to coloring made the new logo brighter and more modern.

Modernist

According to Carter (2005), minimalism in logo design is a powerful feature that enables it to capture customers. This provisions explains why many popular companies, such as Coca Cola, PG&E, and Google make simple redesign in their logos, but they achieve their redesign objectives. For instance, the PG&E logo quit its logo and clarified this change by changing the work "and" to a symbol "&" with a triangle figure, but the impact of its new logo is indisputable (Olofson, 1993).Google changed the font appearance to lighter ones and dropped its shading in its current logo. These aspects may seem minute but the impact in marketing dynamics and business needs are clear.

Through content analysis, the five design factors that a company should consider when redesigning their logos encompasses of design, color, font, market relevance and modernism. However, every aspect is determined by the market dynamics and the business needs. For instance, Coca-Cola in 2007 focused on designing a logo that embodied the Coca-Cola tradition because it wanted to be relevant to the trends of the day, while Google focused on changing its fonts to lighter ones to satisfy its customers.

Evaluation

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Appendix 1

(Source: CSUN Matadors: Brand identity, usage, and style guide).