There’s a bigger problem with it: it’s in the graphic design realm, not typography.
{Ducking the anti-purist rotten fruit…}

hhp

on the UPS design, the ‘r’ is way off, probably
because it was a flipped ‘u’ to begin with…

I saw a hat for sale yesterday with the new UPS logo.

It was a NASCAR thing.

bj

the UPS logotype was Rand’s custom design…so it could have to do typography — at least moreso then the pick-a-font, any font -FF Dax decision. Still though, that comment, Hrant! If logotype isin’t in the “typography” realm what is? Would you save all the perfect kerning, genius font choices, and intuitive applications for your newspaper headlines instead?

won’t most of the t-shirts have to do with making a nice looking “logotype” stylin’ for typophile in any case?

no stems on Rands upright u..still the r maybe off.

Tanya, Tanya, Tanya — you’re so impure.  ;-)

Even though it has some letters in it, that shirt is about a logo, and a logo is graphic design, not typography.
The two have overlap, but they’re not the same thing; graphic design can happen without type.

hhp

yes, graphic design can happen without type — but logo(types) can hardly happen without type. last time I checked TDC annnuals, included many, many logos for awards and review…in the typographical vein.

If a logo is pure graphic design, and typography is an element or tool for graphic design you still can

> logo(types) can hardly happen without type.

What’s a “logo(type)”? A logo can be devoid of type just fine.
The shirt is about logos, which makes it related to type, but only tangentially.
Take it to Logophile, lady!  ;-)

hhp

“”Logo” is Greek for “word”, though it is widely used to indicate all corporate trademarks. Marks may be symbols (marks without type), lettermarks (letters form the name), logos (a word), or combination marks (symbol and logo together).”  — Alex White, the elements of graphic design, p.342.




David Hamuel

Joe, what are the rules as far as a revision…

just curious, can that designer fix that ‘r’ for example, before
it goes to judging.

(no, i didn’t design that one!)

bj

> I think the UPS/RIP one is hilarious.

Me too. I also like Monty Python.

> don’t get offended when ….

No, only when somebody thinks a logo is typography. Kind of like a driver thinking he’s an engine builder.

hhp

It’s all well and good for us to sit around and trash the UPS logo, and I agree, as a designer I lament the decision to “update” it in the manner they did. That said, none of us were privy to the dicussions, strategy, planning, research, etc. that supported the identity change. It was a process to be sure, and one which I am very sure everyone involved took very, very seriously.

Is it good design? My gut response is no. But let’s take a minute to ask ourselves what really makes design good. Is it being pretty? Stylish? Well crafted? Relevant? Effective? Clear? Maybe, just maybe, UPS’s primary audience is not graphic designers, design historians, and so-called typophiles. Maybe this new logo WORKS for them.

That’s it. Just a little injection of perspective. Personally I use FedEx.

a logo is an image to represent a company (but can contain text), a slogan is the text alongside the image.
have you noticed that most school/university/college
logos tend to have text (the older ones have latin) as
part of the image.

these are pretty funny:

definitions:

Logotype
(n.) A single type, containing two or more letters; as, ae, Ae, /, /, /, etc. ; — called also ligature

LOGOTYPE
Pronunciation:

‘rip’ is humorously incorrect.

Hrant: so typography is only a part of logo design if you draw the type yourself? Some designers tweak every letter in a logo, even if they started with a font. Maybe derivative, but I think it’s typography (lowercase t).

The fonts I use are derivative of Roman letters … they got ‘em from the Greeks, before was the erm, phoenicians, etc. ;]

> typography is only a part of logo design if you draw the type yourself?

Typography is part of the logo design if there’s something in it that came from a font. Sometimes the line with lettering is blurred though.

hhp

Maybe, but I certainly don’t want to advertise a company
on my chest. Also, I think this whole UPS logo discussion
is incredibly blown out of proportions.

> Ducking the anti-purist rotten fruit…
Although I usually disagree with your purist viewpoints,
this time you hit it on the head, Hrant. Just don’t start
about calligraphy nor lettering please…

Yves — Hrant’s argument does make sense. Wearing this
shirt wouldn’t be advertising the company but drawing
attention to the old logo, which in turn draws attention
to graphic design. So if you have a problem with the
Typophile shirt focusing on graphic design — so be it. But
this shirt is not promoting UPS.

…I think your bad day is getting the better of your usual
good judgment. I hope tomorrow is better, pal.

>…I think your bad day is getting the better of your usual
good judgment. I hope tomorrow is better, pal.

No Stephen, my bad day got the better of my funky use
of ye olde English: I confused a Dutch expression with an
English one. When we want to express that someone has
made a correct remark, we say “you hit the nail on the head”.
I did totally agree with Hrant. Sorry for the confusion.

PS I still feel like barfing after that Soprano-style
BSA bust yesterday. I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst
enemy. It even pays to tip off the competition…

Ugh… I’m still not making a lot of sense. I’ll shut
up for now.

Start thinking outside the bouma.

I think the UPS/RIP one is hilarious, despite the chopped u
awkwardness. The bow plus the word “remember” is great
(i.e. tying a string on your finger to remember).

Just don’t get offended when graphic designers use type to
tell a story / create a mark / make someone pause or
consider something other than glyphs and word-shapes.
It’s what graphic designers do. In fact, we deliberately
invited two graphic designers to sit on the judges panel for
that very reason.

We allow revisions. Please just tell us, by number, which
one(s) to replace. Just don’t mistake revisions for
versions. We don’t want submissions with every
conceivable color option applied to the same design.

The UPS homage is cute.