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Primary Logo Poll  

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2 hours ago, GP1 said:

Reminds me a lot of this only not as obvious. Work on differentiating the A from the Z.

 

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I'll guess at one time a good edit had the A and Z separated more like this logo separates the b and m. The brewers logo was probably an inspiration of that edit. 

 

Edit 4103 

 

FSUj20zVgAAG2vT.jpeg

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32 minutes ago, MangoZip said:

It took me almost 24 hours but I finally figured out what the new A reminded me of - the old A from the AFL football league. Very similar if you take of the top right “wing” and take a notch out of the right side of the cross on the A. Has a very similar feel to it. Having said that, I don’t hate it, don’t love it either. One thing that really helps it is the color combo, that navy and gold is so nice. As others have said, it’s just not identifiable enough yet. I wish the Roo could have been tied in somehow but overall I’ll give it a solid B. 

9E60021D-5136-423B-BE52-84216E8A943B.gif

 

What blue and gold? I see blue and gray. All hail the blue and gray!

 

 

image.png.6265a4081c466b6bdf9b29d8236d7495.pngimage.png.6265a4081c466b6bdf9b29d8236d7495.png

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43 minutes ago, Dr Z said:

I'll guess at one time a good edit had the A and Z separated more like this logo separates the b and m. The brewers logo was probably an inspiration of that edit. 

 

Edit 4103 

 

FSUj20zVgAAG2vT.jpeg

 

This is more what they should have gone with. But I still like the new A overall. 

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The designer Joe Bosack made some comments on a design board I thought were interesting. He did the original logos back in the 2000s and gave some insights. 

 

Quote

The previous Akron word marks and subsequent font were really awkward in their execution. I feel comfortable saying that because I did them. In fact, that was the first custom key-able font we ever did and what I didn't know then really shows.

 

This is a simple, clean, Division I collegiate logo that's built for the long-haul. It's jarring, for sure, considering that Akron is going from almost double digit logos (9 in the system) to one. A mid-major like Akron only has so many opportunities for media impressions. As such, it's very difficult to build any kind of brand equity with 9 logos.

 

He also confirmed that the new logo takes small touches from all of the Zips previous logos. Serifs from the motion and oval A. Sharp edges and angled lines from the most recent logos 

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1 hour ago, akzipper said:

The designer Joe Bosack made some comments on a design board I thought were interesting. He did the original logos back in the 2000s and gave some insights. 

 

 

He also confirmed that the new logo takes small touches from all of the Zips previous logos. Serifs from the motion and oval A. Sharp edges and angled lines from the most recent logos 

 

Thank you for gathering this info. I can definitely see a few things from the old logos being incorporated, including what looks like a FedEx-esque arrow hidden in there. I guess my issue with it is they're so very very subtle that it almost seems like a stretch to me. If the Z was a bit more obvious I think this would have gone over a lot better. Also is that supposed to be a kangaroo shape at the bottom? Again, it's great that these things are included, but the people this logo is geared toward will largely only ever see a fancy A. Die hard fans can see the nuances, but that's about it. I guess I would just like to hear from Guthrie/Miller a dissection of the logo and how exactly it signifies moving forward and all that jazz that they claim. 

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Damn!  I'll start by saying how much I DON'T care about logos.  Today is literally the first time I've looked at this ZipsNation thread!

 

Post obligatory:  It's just too cartoonish looking for me.  The best comment was on Zips Athletics Facebook, "It looks like something my 10 y.o. made with Microsoft Paint!"  🤣

 

BUT, the best part of this entire exercise was that AMAZING video.  Whoever did that should get more work from the U.  I LOVED the oldtime video outtakes like Lenny Paul -AND...was that Keith Dambrot rounding the bases?? 😚

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I'm going to jump in and say it doesn't work for me.   Frankly, just because we had 9 other logos doesn't mean we need to add a 10th.  Talk about brand exhaustion.  Frankly, I don't know what was so awful about previous logos.  The A with the Kanagroo was very cool.  The Kangaroo is unique to Akron (and I guess UMKC).  Why not go back to that logo. Who was the one who objected to that?  Why did they move to the "Z."  How many schools use the first letter of their mascot as their brand?  "F" for Bowling Green?  W for Wolverines?  T for Trojans?   I'm not even sure where the script Akron came from?  download.png.e0b2cb4dd1983291706a78b1cb97ad75.png

 

It's all just too much.  I think they should have simply gone back to the A with the Kangaroo and stuck with it.  Everyone wants to make their mark and put their imprimatur on the program.  When that happens, you get brand exhaustion and confusion.

download-1.png

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As I continue to warm up to the new logo I wanted to make one more point. Most logos, especially one letter logos, become identifiable over time. Check out the Big 10 logos. Honestly, most are very boring and unimaginative. In my mind the new A is easily as good or better than Nebraska, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, and Illinois. Debatable vs Ohio State, Minnesota, Indiana and Northwestern. Less imaginative vs Iowa, Michigan State and Penn State. Bottom line, win some MAC championships and bowl games and it will look much better. 

AFD3F215-5AFC-47EA-B6D2-FB08C6D5B55A.jpeg

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10 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

I'm going to jump in and say it doesn't work for me.   Frankly, just because we had 9 other logos doesn't mean we need to add a 10th.  Talk about brand exhaustion.  Frankly, I don't know what was so awful about previous logos.  The A with the Kanagroo was very cool.  The Kangaroo is unique to Akron (and I guess UMKC).  Why not go back to that logo. Who was the one who objected to that?  Why did they move to the "Z."  How many schools use the first letter of their mascot as their brand?  "F" for Bowling Green?  W for Wolverines?  T for Trojans?   I'm not even sure where the script Akron came from?  download.png.e0b2cb4dd1983291706a78b1cb97ad75.png

 

It's all just too much.  I think they should have simply gone back to the A with the Kangaroo and stuck with it.  Everyone wants to make their mark and put their imprimatur on the program.  When that happens, you get brand exhaustion and confusion.

download-1.png

 

It's not that we had 9 logos in history, we had 9 different marks introduced as a set in the 2000s. Z logo, full kangaroo, kangaroo head, primary kangaroo head with A, etc. For one school that is a LOT. It prevents you from having one unique mark that every recognizes as Akron. This is what the new logo accomplishes. It's simple, clean and unique enough to become iconic. 

 

I hated it first. It's different and especially a hard adjustment for a school recognized by it's unique mascot. But at the end of the day, a big chunk of the major schools in the country are most known for a simple letter mark like this. Notre Dame, Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia, UNC, Duke, etc. Of course most schools have a mascot marks, but I see no reason why Akron can't have Zippy stick around in a minor role like the ND fighting Irishman or Alabama's elephant. 

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2 minutes ago, MangoZip said:

As I continue to warm up to the new logo I wanted to make one more point. Most logos, especially one letter logos, become identifiable over time. Check out the Big 10 logos. Honestly, most are very boring and unimaginative. In my mind the new A is easily as good or better than Nebraska, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, and Illinois. Debatable vs Ohio State, Minnesota, Indiana and Northwestern. Less imaginative vs Iowa, Michigan State and Penn State. Bottom line, win some MAC championships and bowl games and it will look much better. 

AFD3F215-5AFC-47EA-B6D2-FB08C6D5B55A.jpeg

 

Agree 100%. Most college logos are simple letterforms. But have been around so long that nobody really thinks about it anymore. The new A would be one of the top logos in a lot of conferences. Just because it's different than what we're used to, doesn't mean it's bad. 

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25 minutes ago, MangoZip said:

As I continue to warm up to the new logo I wanted to make one more point. Most logos, especially one letter logos, become identifiable over time. Check out the Big 10 logos. Honestly, most are very boring and unimaginative. In my mind the new A is easily as good or better than Nebraska, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, and Illinois. Debatable vs Ohio State, Minnesota, Indiana and Northwestern. Less imaginative vs Iowa, Michigan State and Penn State. Bottom line, win some MAC championships and bowl games and it will look much better. 

AFD3F215-5AFC-47EA-B6D2-FB08C6D5B55A.jpeg

Great post. I LOVE the new A. It strikes me as an adult logo. Grown up. Serious. Big time; not at all minor league.

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22 hours ago, Dr Z said:

I'll guess at one time a good edit had the A and Z separated more like this logo separates the b and m. The brewers logo was probably an inspiration of that edit. 

 

Edit 4103 

 

FSUj20zVgAAG2vT.jpeg

 

Just made this my profile pic. 

 

The more I look at this, the more I believe they need to make the subtle change of adding the line(s) to highlight the Z in the logo. It adds that special flare that helps make it identifiable with the University of Akron Zips. 

Edited by Let'sGoZips94
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25 minutes ago, akzipper said:

 

Anyone who still hates the new logo needs to see this page. Look at the rest of the MAC. The Zips easily have the nicest, most professional looking logo out of that whole group. 

 

I looked. I especially like all 9 of the logos that incorporate the teams mascot better than our hidden-Z logo.

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Before I was informed that there is a “Z” buried in the logo, all my eyes saw was a capital F welded to an A, as in f Akron.  I think I can warm to the new logo but will have to rewire my brain to ignore my initial impression.

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1 hour ago, akzipper said:

 

Anyone who still hates the new logo needs to see this page. Look at the rest of the MAC. The Zips easily have the nicest, most professional looking logo out of that whole group. 

 

I hate to admit it but BG and OU do a good job w/ logos. BSU and CMU need to step up their game.

 

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1 hour ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

It just seemed funny to me that the latest Zips Headline is 1472 days old. 

One of their lead “Zips” stories is about McKinley LB Josh Chandler still looking for his first D-1 offer. 
 

Today, Josh Chandler is in the TP as a graduate of WVU 😂

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