Should the Red Dwarf logo be refreshed?

[McAleeCh]

Not suggesting anything too drastic, but would anyone else like to see the Red Dwarf logo tweaked a bit for Series XI and XII?

The logo evolved a fair bit from 1988 through 1992 – beginning by just using the nameplate of the ship itself, the first iteration of the more designed logo was introduced in 1989 for Series III. As of Series V, it lost the purple halo surrounding it and was altered to use a thinner serif-style font, establishing the recognisable version that’s been used to this day. There’ve been slight variations in colour – Back to Earth added a more three-dimensional looking shiny effect, and Series X used subtle gradients in colour, but by and large the overall look and shape of the logo has remained unchanged since the early ’90s.

My question is – since we seem to be potentially moving forward into a new era of Red Dwarf, would you like to see the logo tweaked or updated at all as the show moves forward? Some would argue that changing it at this point would hurt the brand image as the current version has become instantly recognisable. However, at its height Red Dwarf was never afraid to reinvent its image, and I personally think there’s still scope to develop it while keeping the now-iconic shape and colouring.

My suggestion would be simply to ditch the serif font, as it’s looking very ’90s at this point. Switching to a cleaner, bolder look could update the logo to look a little more modern while still keeping all the instantly recognisable elements, such as the background “swoosh” and the overall colouring. I actually did a mockup along these lines using the Eurostile font, which is a squarer version of the lettering used on the ship itself. It’s a classic font which is quite clean looking and in keeping with many modern design trends, but also has ties to the history of the show itself as variations of Eurostile have been used for graphics throughout many series of the show.

I threw together a quick mockup image here demonstrating how I reckon it could look: https://twitter.com/DisapprovingOwl/status/608604529018478592

How about you lot – any G&Ters want to see the logo tweaked or updated, and if so, what would you like to see?

Topic

[si]

It should be exactly the same as the one used here.

[McAleeCh]

Technically that’d be a reversion rather than a refresh though, Si. = P

Although maybe not – the on-screen logo never used that font without the purple halo, nor with that oddly wonky non-overlapping version of the “swoosh”… Hmm. Touché.

[Jonathan Capps]

I really like those mockups, McAleeCh.

This one is my favourite of the recent logos, but I don’t think it was ever used for any broadcast series, just on the website (and as the basis for th newer Fan Club logo).

[International Debris]

That cover makes my eyes itch.

[Pete Part Three]

After several hours spent on Photoshop, I think I have something special:

http://pasteboard.co/192YAgil.jpg

[Ridley]

Life has no meaning, the moment you lose the illusion of being Eternal.

[Seb Patrick]

*cough*it’smicrogrammanoteurostile*cough*

[peas_and_corn]

I like Pete’s design. It keeps the essence of the original design, plus it adds the word ‘smeg’, because it’s what everyone wants out of Red Dwarf.

[Stephen R. Fletcher]

I like it when they say ‘smeg’.

[pfm]

I like it when the vampire does a dance.

[Moonlight]

I like it when Alphabet Man arches his nostrils.

[si]

I asked Team G&T what they thought of my completely unique and original idea for a new Red Dwarf logo. What say you good people?

@ganymedetitan That thread on the forum about a revised logo. How about this? pic.twitter.com/8Q9le3r2j4

— Si (@bromley001) June 11, 2015

[Blisschick]

I really like the slickness of McAleeCh’s logos, and applaud Si’s concept of a RD/DW-ish logo, but truly, I love Pete’s design the best. It makes me feel all warmish.

[Jawscvmcdia]

I’ve merged Pete’s logo with the Series 3 titles. Here are the results:

https://youtu.be/vY_qdbaTtgc

[si]

The difference it makes is remarkable.

[Blisschick]

I can’t tell you just how awesome that really is. My day is made.

[Pete Part Three]

>I’ve merged Pete’s logo with the Series 3 titles. Here are the results:

I love it! Thank you kindly.

[MANI506]

Reminds me how cool the Red Dwarf III titles are as well as demonstrating how they could be even cooler.

[Author]

Replies