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Logo Discussion: 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil
Yesterday was unveiled the logo of the next World Cup that will take place in Brazil in 2014. With the new emblem came also an avalanche of criticism that started last month when the logo was first seen. Among critics there are some that say the logo is reminiscent of Chico Xavier, a famous brazilian psychic, or that it is more suited to a volleyball contest than for football/soccer because there are hands holding the ball, which is not allowed in the sport. So in this post I will share my opinion among with the other Abduzeedo writers. Before we express our opinions take a look at the new emblem and the video shown during the introduction of it yesterday in South Africa. Video Logo Opinions Alexis (Aloa) What you can see in the history of the world cup logo is that its gets simpler with less texts and shapes every time. The 2014 Logo for brazil is by far the most plain logo of them all, that is why I liked it the most. Amanda I really like the concept, however I do think it was poorly executed. I think a big part of that is due to poor placement. I like the idea of hands forming the iconic shape of the trophy, but for some reason, to me, the negative space in between the fingers seems kind of awkward. I wish they'd played around with that a little bit more to where the fingers didn't appear frail and dainty, which I guess is why it has gotten criticized as shameful to the nation. It reminds me of Symbolist painter Edvard Munch's The Scream. You know what I'm talking about? The painting where the distressed man holds his hands up to his face, representational of the universal anxiety in modern man. Also: 2014 in red? I would have liked for it to be in blue as a more clear depiction of the Brazilian flag. All in all, I do appreciate it for its simplicity, I just think it could have been developed better. Fabiano As for every logo design, there will always be those who like it or dislike it, but I believe that for this 2014 World Cup logo there's too much buzz. I particularly didn't like it, I don't know if it's either because of the form or the concept with hands on a trophy. I don't think it's something terrible either as a lot of people have been saying...that's a bit of an exaggeration. In my opinion the idea behind it is showing the happiness and friendliness of the Brazilian people with the colors of our flag all of that while creating a trophy with hands, so it sounds pretty cool but the outcome is not. It's not a logo that WOWs us. Nevertheless, it's a logo with concept but could be much better executed. Fabio Sasso Well I will start off by saying that I quite liked the new logo since the first time I saw it on an article where Alexandre Wollner, a famous Brazilian designer which I admire and respect, was pretty upset with it saying that it represented hands covering a face of shame. Interestingly enough I saw something totally different. First, it clearly reminds me of the World Cup trophy and usually the captain of the team who wins the World Cup holds the trophy with his hands, not his feet, as do the rest of the team when they run around the stadium carrying the trophy and celebrating the triumph...so that would explain the hands. Second, there's no question that Brazil is the country of football/soccer/futebol. If you live in Brazil and watch any sports on TV it will be at least 80% football and 20% all other sports if not more. The logo reminds me that the whole nation is embracing the event and will root for our team so that in the end we can be the ones holding the trophy as winners, something that unfortunately didn't happen in 1950, the only time the World Cup took place here in Brazil. Last but not least, the graphic execution. In my opinion they looked for a very loose style as we can see on the shapes of the logo, something very hand-drawn. I believe it's a good choice because of culture and carnival, however, in my humble opinion it could be better executed. I also didn't understand the red on the 2014 and I hope it's not because of a major sponsor. Nevertheless I don't know the briefing or even if there was one so everything I say here will be based on my opinion and on my taste and that's like saying that blondes are prettier than brunettes and vice-versa when it comes to design. With that being said I believe the thing that concerned me the most is that they hired an advertising agency to do a design job and I believe that was the cause of this discussion among the design community which is totally understandable and I agree with that. However I think criticizing logos is very easy because we simply do it based on what we see and our own taste. Now if we think about how this logo has a target audience of 190 million Brazilians and billions of people around the globe...damn, that is a hard task. I think the discussion here has to be about how to avoid that other professionals do the design work that we are supposed to do and why that happened, that is really important to understand because that we can change, the logo whether good or not it is done and cannot be changed. Gisele To be honest I expected more from our 2014 World Cup logo. Yeah, I know that several people will say that Brazilians like to complain and all that, but I believe that the logo could be way better. With such great designers and logo pros we have these days, this is not exactly a master piece. Of course the logo is nice, the idea of the hands forming the trophy is very interesting, but I still think it's not that impressive. Paulo Gabriel Poorly done, it looks like those cliparts that come with Microsoft Word. It also looks like they spent 30 minutes doing it and were inspired by Chico Xavier, the psychic. It has become a national joke. Actually, I am still waiting for them to announce that it was just a joke and show the official emblem. To make matters worse they applied some cheesy gradients, it's for sure a national shame and they should fire the intern who did it. Paulo Canabarro In my opinion the World Cup logo should mainly represent 3 things; football, the host country (Brazil), and World Cup. Most of the old logos do that well on their own way but this one kinda fails to well represent these elements. I personality don't like it but I don't think it's that bad of a logo, it will do the job, even though it could be a lot better by taking a different approach to it. I would love to see the brainstorm prior to this logo design and that would help everyone see the logo with the same eyes of the creator. Some World Cup logos Discussion We here at Abduzeedo want to make the blog an open channel for the design community to discuss these subjects towards an evolution of our industry through sharing experiences and opinions, always with respect. We really want to hear from you, share with us your thoughts about the new logo always trying to explain your opinion so we can learn from you as well.
A Design is Finished when... 23 Pro Designers' Opinions
One of the most important and hardest things to overcome when designing is to understand when the piece you are designing on is actually finished. while creativity is sometime boundless the end result should always be the result of a clear objective, the end result. I often get caught between creativity and completion and from the emails I've received, I have discovered im not alone .So we asked the experts. Before the answers I’d like to thank all designers that answered this question. And a special thanks to Justin Maller for the great help. Also we'd love to know your opinion, so leave a question telling us when do you think a design is finished. Chuck Anderson - http://nopattern.com When any more would be too much and any less would be too little. Knowing when something is finished comes down to an eye for composition and detail, in my opinion. If I can look at the image and it has good balance and just "feels" right. It's hard to explain, you just kind of know when it's time to stop. Of course, if you're working for a client, it's time to stop when they say it's time to stop! James White - http://www.signalnoise.com I see my artwork as one big organic process. If I like elements and methods I developed in previous pieces, I am prone to re-use them again in a different way for a new work. Art is constant exploration, so in a way I am never finished my work. However, when I feel an individual design is going well the best thing to do is close it and step away for a while. I let my eyes rest for an hour or so. When I return to look at it again errors and inconsistancies tend to be very obvious. In the end, if I can look at a piece of my art the next day and it still looks okay, then I'm on the right track. Everyone has to think about their personal workflow to find the proper balance of achieving your goal with a given idea, while not overworking it at the same time. Justin Maller - http://www.superlover.com.au I know a piece is finished when I set it as my wallpaper and don't notice any flaws. Guilherme Marconi - http://brain.marconi.nu/ I always ask myself the same thing, like if it has met my expectations. It's done when I let my feelings tell me if everything is OK. I use the same thing to choose colors, where to add shadows, and the most important, if the process to get to that point was pleasant and satisfactory. That for me is more important than the end result, and for me, it's done. Then it's just save it and show to my fiance, my main critics. Collis Ta’eed - http://eden.cc, http://collistaeed.com/ "I know a design is finished when every time I add something or adjust something it seems to get worse. I often create a set of history snapshots of the design trying different things - additions or small alterations - and then show them to my wife - who is also a designer. When we both agree that the original is already complete then I delete the snapshots and stop there. Of course sometimes adding one more element can lead you down a whole other path of design, and I have wound up totally reworking a look. But that's the joy of design, there are always many solutions to a problem!" Alberto Seveso - http://www.recycledarea.co.uk well.. i don't know! I'm never sure when a piece is ended or it seems good, I try and risk, but I have a small secret to say, I never look the illustration of forehead when I believe is ready, I tilt my head of 45° on my left side and I look the monitor, if I like from this position I consider done. Jeremie Werner - http://www.evasion.cc/ When I think my artwork is finished, I usually put it in an another place for one week. It's important to think to other things, then to look back to your artwork. You may see details you haven't seen before. You may also look at it very close, then very far to see if composition is really working. Another good trick to find composition problems is to flip your image vertical. When flipped, the artwork tends to show easily his problems. I may also get feedback from other designers friends, but most the time the artwork is something personnal that only you can feel. Sean Hodge - http://aiburn.com/ A design is finished once it has accomplished the project goals. What those goals are varies depending on the nature of the design project, whether it's client work or personal work, the audience you're targeting, and others. Every project should have criteria that need to be met. Throughout the process you work to meet those criteria. Once they are met, you're done. You need to build in stages into your design process where you are the critic. If you're a constant skeptic you can't create, but you need to build in time to analyze your design. Ask yourself questions. Is the design interesting? Does it communicate what we're after here? Is the typography legible? Does it meet our goals? Run through a checklist in your head. A good designer is their own worst critic. Keep in mind though that you need to set reasonable limits on this process based on the end audience, deadline, and project scope. If you're refining details that the audience won't notice, then your pushing unnecessary pixels, and your hindering both your business and your clients. Bruno Borges - http://OIT8DOI2.com I think every design when reviewed has some room for improvement. Actually it's true because we can always make it better. When it's possible I review my designs a couple of times to sort of work more on the details, small things that only are revealed when you stop working on that piece for a bit and then get back. So, when the design is literally done is when it meets the client's needs. Chris Haines - http://neondistractions.com I think a design is finished - it doesn't mean I am always right - when everything works cohesively and the details hold up from far away, without looking cluttered. Jeff Huang - http://www.thefifthorder.net You just know it. You are the artist, so nobody else but you have the right to say that it's finished. I work on my own artwork until I'm 100% satisfied, so I guess I know my piece is finished when I am fully satisfied. Kai Isselhorst - http://riskshiftlabs.com I normally throw alot more in my illus then neccessary. After a day or two I start to remove every weak element to give it a perfect look. Its finished when I know that the viewers cant be overexerted by the composition. Max Spencer - http://www.monostation.co.uk I'm never 100% happy with any piece I've made, so in my eyes, no piece I have ever made has been finished. There is always more I feel I could do to the design when I look back after a week or two. Perttu Murto - http://www.perttumurto.com It's hard to tell when the piece is really finished, because you could fix and fix it forever.. When it looks good and everything is nicely together, you should save it and check it next day. That's how you will notice if there's something still what needs to be fixed. Joshua Smith I am finished with a piece when nothing else I add looks good. To me this means the piece isn't finished, it's simply reached my creative limitations. Nick Delaney - http://cargocollective.com/nickdelaney I never really feel finished with an art piece. In my opinion all my artwork is an ongoing artwork, and I always seem to refer to my old ones to create another one. Essentially all my art work is one big one, because they all relate to each other one way or another. Alexander Radsby - http://www.aeform.net I always overdo my work and usually resort to going back and erase most of it. If I'm still happy with the work the next day then I'll say it's finished, but it could really go on forever. Bart van Leeuwen - http://www.imallfake.com A design is finished when satisfied at the moment in doubt what to add next. Jonathan Wong - http://www.artofwong.com A design is finished when it communicates your message clearly and concisely. Kervin Brisseaux - http://www.brisseaux.com I'm never sure if a design is done unless i take a break from it and don't bother looking at it until the next morning. If what I see the next day puts a smile on my face, then it's done. Phil Dunne - http://www.lovetherobot.com As Andy Warhol once said about art, 'If you don't think about it, it's right.' When I start to get goosebumps while I'm working on an illustration, it feels right. That's when I know it's time to stop. Erik Finsrud - http://www.thenorik.com My work is normally never finalized till I've received feedback from my peers, they will always see something in a way I haven't. I enjoy involving others in my process. James Wignall - http://www.mutanthands.com When the deadline is met.