OK, maybe this one will grow on you. Paula Scher has created a new logo and graphic identity for the New York Philharmonic. I can't say that I'm loving the look right off the bat(on) but I do like a few of the pieces where the red line as baton are worked into the piece. Honestly, my first reaction to the logo was that it was a play on one of the red circle with a line through it "No" symbols -- so it was basically saying "say No to the New York Philharmonic." My husband said the same thing when I showed it to him with no comments. Probably not what they were going for. The Pentagram blog details the development and use of the new identity in New Work: New York Philharmonic.
There's additional discussion over at creativebits where the blog title tells you what JimD thinks: Holy horrible logo design makeovers Batman.... At Under Consideration Armin writes, " I was so taken by surprise to see uppercase italics on a circle that I just couldn't think about anything else. And what at first seemed like some sort of typographic faux pas turned into a really interesting and engaging set of letterforms with an inherent dynamism that, to me at least, is a nice representation of listening to a live orchestra: A kind of whirlwind of emotions." Read blog entry, The Sound of Italics.
Love it? Hate it? Can't decide?
I actually preferred the original logo. Although change in logo design is a must over time, the change should be meaningful and well thought out. The design is a bit plain and doesn’t exactly attract the eye.
It’s horrible. All good logos are simple designs and stylized images of the entity they represent–but this one is just downright pedistrian, simplistic, and totally uninspired. The Met deserves better–much better.
As a designer of over 20 years, I’m shocked that a “great” design firm like Pentagram put something so elementary out. And for such a high profile brand like the NYP. The typography looks unintentional. The red line represents a baton? If that’s the extent of their “high concept” approach to design, I’d say this was a major fail.