MLS Chicago Fire FC Reveal Disappointing New Logo

[The_Admiral]

59 minutes ago, Bucfan56 said:

If I didn't know any better, I would almost think your a plant by the Chicago Fire front office

 

[Sport]

1 hour ago, andrewharrington said:

I think it’s important to note, though, that this isn’t branding.

 

It’s a logo; a single piece of a larger whole. If the club believes in and is proud of what they’re building, then I think they’re doing the right thing by saying, “Let’s all simmer down, let this marinate, and wait for the side dishes to be done. At least eat the meal before you decide to throw it up.”

 

In that sense, I think it should be studied in design schools, but as a cautionary tale on hot takes, mob mentality, non-constructive critique, and passing final judgment before taking in all of the design.

 

I'm not following. I was talking about the whole new brand - The larger whole uses elements of this logo for the entirety of the new brand and in doing so tossed out the old brand. I don't see anything I like in the new logo or the new brand. 

 

1 hour ago, andrewharrington said:

 

Ultimately, I think they made a few too many mistakes changing out solid, ownable design elements that instantly communicate for ones that are not only conceptually thin, but also more ambiguous and unfortunately similar to the identities of other relevant organizations (Vancouver, Salt Lake, and the Latin Kings).

 

which is weird because this is pretty spot-on the way I feel about the new logo. 

 

1 hour ago, andrewharrington said:

Time will tell, but I still applaud them for not caving to the mob this early.

 

I'm not going to give them an award for this. Their options right now are 1. look bad with their crappy logo and move forward with it while saying something like "we'll be measured in years, not days" or 2. look bad and spend big money to pull all the merch back, go back to the agency, have them work on another rebrand of the rebrand they just did, rush all the new merch and uniforms to be ready in time for the new season all while admitting they were wrong. Option 1 is the easier path.

[seasaltvanilla]

1 hour ago, andrewharrington said:

I thought the use of the St. Florian cross was one of those perfect design choices that should stick with the club until the end.

 

The one singular point in their favor is they mentioned somewhere that with the old logo people would often get confused and thank members of the organization as if they were actual firefighters, and they felt awkward about that. I don't think it defends the poor quality of this logo at all, but it is a fair critique of using the St. Florian cross as a sports logo.

[FiddySicks]

10 minutes ago, seasaltvanilla said:

 

The one singular point in their favor is they mentioned somewhere that with the old logo people would often get confused and thank members of the organization as if they were actual firefighters, and they felt awkward about that. I don't think it defends the poor quality of this logo at all, but it is a fair critique of using the St. Florian cross as a sports logo.

 

Again, I’m not even buying that as an argument. Their previous design definitely did kind of give off the vibe that they were firefighters, but that was the point. The brand honored the history of the Chicago Fire Department, so in that sense it was effective. 

 

Plus, as I said a few pages back. I’d rather be mistaken for a member of a meaningful organization than correctly pegged as a member of an idiot organization. 

[FroBroStudio]

This logo fiasco reminds me so much of the LA Clippers rebrand for the NBA (even though the Fire haven't revealed their kits yet). Which puts the Chicago Fire in this scenario:

1: Win the next few MLS Cups, US Open Cups, etc. with the new logo or at least be a consistent top tier club (like the Clippers (NBA) & Columbus Crew this decade)

2: Suck so hard and do another rebrand in a year or two.

3: Be a middle of the road team and do slight alterations over the years. (Similar to the... Clippers again at least with their uniforms)

 

To be honest though, the logo is looking more and more like a bad idea due to the potential/future gang affiliations; how it fits with other Chicago sports teams; and the fanbase response to said logo. Even when the new kits come out for the Fire, I'm not sure the Kits would save the logo.

 

Also:

      

 

While it may not bother most people, I'm curious if Fire Management saw the typeface used for Austin and Columbus and told Doubleday & Cartwright to do just that...

or if's it a design trend to use a blocky sans-serif typeface? Hmmm.....

[The_Admiral]

It's the Brooklyn yuppie version of when every NFL wordmark in 2005 had little spikes coming off the letters:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hawk36]

24 minutes ago, the admiral said:

It's the Brooklyn yuppie version of when every NFL wordmark in 2005 had little spikes coming off the letters:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Man that is depressing. 

[Brian in Boston]

4 hours ago, andrewharrington said:

I think they’re doing the right thing by saying, “Let’s all simmer down..."

 

This is is a decent badge. I’m just not sold on it being right for this team. I thought the use of the St. Florian cross was one of those perfect design choices that should stick with the club until the end.

 

Ultimately, I think they made a few too many mistakes changing out solid, ownable design elements that instantly communicate for ones that are not only conceptually thin, but also more ambiguous...

 

Time will tell, but I still applaud them for not caving to the mob this early.

On the day of my high school graduation, my grandfather took me aside and gave me some of the greatest advice I've ever received.

"Brian, you're off to college... and beyond that, you'll be off into life. It's going to seem as though time is passing more quickly for you now. That's because you're going to have more on your plate - school, work, friendships, family - that you have to take care of for yourself. If you have a good head and a true heart, and you're willing to take the time to stop and really listen to them, most of life will sort itself out.

"The only piece of advice I feel comfortable giving you is this. You're going to make mistakes. Everyone does, because no one is perfect. What's going to define you is how you deal with your mistakes. My experience has been that if you want to be able to live with yourself, there's just one way to do it.

"Be wise enough to recognize your mistakes. Be honest enough to own your mistakes. Be responsible enough to fix your mistakes."    

It wouldn't be "caving to the mob" for the ownership and management of Chicago Fire FC to follow my grandfather's advice. The soccer team's newly-unveiled logo may be a "decent badge" in the opinion of some, but it isn't "right for this team". "Too many mistakes" were made during the design process and the result is a visual identity that has replaced "solid, ownable design elements" with those that are "conceptually thin" and "ambiguous".

It's time for Chicago Fire FC owner and chairman Joe Mansueto to exhibit the wisdom necessary to recognize this mistake, the honesty necessary to own this mistake, and the responsibility necessary to fix this mistake. Period.  

[JayMac]

1 hour ago, the admiral said:

It's the Brooklyn yuppie version of when every NFL wordmark in 2005 had little spikes coming off the letters:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But they are all so different!!

[The_Admiral]

13 minutes ago, Brian in Boston said:

On the day of my high school graduation, my grandfather took me aside and gave me some of the greatest advice I've ever received.

 

Plastics.

[Brian in Boston]

5 minutes ago, the admiral said:

Plastics.

 

No, that was Mr. McGuire. He was our neighbor.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I have to feel that anyone defending the new Fire logo is either paid to do so, a contrarian, or "it's the children who are wrong" memeing.

 

The Fire logo is nearly universally hated by anyone not connected to the organization or anyone not being provocative for whatever reason. I dislike being told the majority opinion is "mob mentality." Sometimes the majority does rule.

[Jer15]

18 minutes ago, DG_Now said:

I have to feel that anyone defending the new Fire logo is either paid to do so, a contrarian, or "it's the children who are wrong" memeing.

 

The Fire logo is nearly universally hated by anyone not connected to the organization or anyone not being provocative for whatever reason. I dislike being told the majority opinion is "mob mentality." Sometimes the majority does rule.

I have to agree. 
Even if we were to forget/write off the whole gang issue part of this it’s a poorly designed logo. 
I’m not saying anything new but; every time I look at it I swear someone has posted a stretched out version of it. 
when you compare it to the Whitecaps it looks like someone who is first learning photoshop vs Vancouver’s professionally designed crest. 
 

I think that is pretty obvious. I donno maybe my  12ish years on this board has made me a “logo snob” but I can’t see how anyone can think this is a good logo. 

[Dilbert]

6 hours ago, Bucfan56 said:

I’d rather be mistaken for a member of a meaningful organization than correctly pegged as a member of an idiot organization. 

 

We are often mistaken for the Federal Communications Commission here in Cincinnati. The team has received letters in the past from people complaining about something they didnt like on television.

[JTernup]

On 11/25/2019 at 4:05 PM, Brian in Boston said:

That said, if potential fans were ignoring professional soccer in this country because they felt that there weren't enough teams sporting names akin to those in the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, etc... well, that strikes me as terribly disappointing.             

You’re right that changing to Euro names wasn’t necessary. This is made clear by early names such as Rapids, Crew, and Fire. These perhaps unsurprisingly sound like Eeuro names (i.e. Dynamo, Spartak, Rangers, Hearts) in their own right which may play into their relative longevity.

 

What you’re discounting is that the Euro name changes came about to fix messes such as Wiz, Clash, Burn, etc. we got a few awful ones like Fake Salt Lake but that pails in comparison to the old names. 

 

These names could've just been better American names but MLS had to fix the problem they created to be taken seriously. Headlines reading: “Wiz sink Burn in shootout” were a reality. That’s an embarrassing mess that was fixed by a mixture of retaining good American names and adding soccer sounding names. I think we struck a nice and uniquely American soccer balance. 

[Foxxtrot44]

12 hours ago, JTernup said:

You’re right that changing to Euro names wasn’t necessary. This is made clear by early names such as Rapids, Crew, and Fire. These perhaps unsurprisingly sound like Eeuro names (i.e. Dynamo, Spartak, Rangers, Hearts) in their own right which may play into their relative longevity.

 

What you’re discounting is that the Euro name changes came about to fix messes such as Wiz, Clash, Burn, etc. we got a few awful ones like Fake Salt Lake but that pails in comparison to the old names. 

 

 

Holy shiz, I just woke up in 2006!! Excuse me while I go buy some Disney stock.

[gosioux76]

On 11/26/2019 at 11:15 AM, andrewharrington said:

I think it’s important to note, though, that this isn’t branding.

 

It’s a logo; a single piece of a larger whole. If the club believes in and is proud of what they’re building, then I think they’re doing the right thing by saying, “Let’s all simmer down, let this marinate, and wait for the side dishes to be done. At least eat the meal before you decide to throw it up.”

 

In that sense, I think it should be studied in design schools, but as a cautionary tale on hot takes, mob mentality, non-constructive critique, and passing final judgment before taking in all of the design.

 

This is is a decent badge. I’m just not sold on it being right for this team. I thought the use of the St. Florian cross was one of those perfect design choices that should stick with the club until the end. From a purely aesthetic point of view, though, this is attractive, refined, and versatile, and I could see it being very appealing and working well under different circumstances.

 

Ultimately, I think they made a few too many mistakes changing out solid, ownable design elements that instantly communicate for ones that are not only conceptually thin, but also more ambiguous and unfortunately similar to the identities of other relevant organizations (Vancouver, Salt Lake, and the Latin Kings).

 

Time will tell, but I still applaud them for not caving to the mob this early.

 

I don't disagree, especially if this was a circumstance in which the mob was angered only by bad or poorly executed design. But this Latin Kings issue is something else entirely. How valuable is this "larger whole" of a brand if it's ultimately embraced or co-opted by a violent street gang. I'd say that diminishes the value of the brand quite a bit. It's more than enough reason to invest now to make the changes necessary to appease the mob. 

 

Doing otherwise — or worse, ignoring the issue all together, as appears to be the case now — is just an exercise in stubborn defiance. 

[Brian in Boston]

15 hours ago, JTernup said:

What you’re discounting is that the Euro name changes came about to fix messes such as Wiz, Clash, Burn, etc. we got a few awful ones like Fake Salt Lake but that pails in comparison to the old names. 

 

These names could've just been better American names but MLS had to fix the problem they created to be taken seriously. Headlines reading: “Wiz sink Burn in shootout” were a reality. That’s an embarrassing mess that was fixed by a mixture of retaining good American names and adding soccer sounding names. I think we struck a nice and uniquely American soccer balance. 

In point of fact, amongst the examples you cite, the only American-style branding "mess" that needed to be "fixed" was in Dallas, where Nike managed to convince the Hunt family to adopt the embarrassing Burn identity. One has to wonder why the Hunts didn't simply resurrect the Dallas Tornado brand that had graced their United Soccer Association/North American Soccer League franchise for 15 years in both outdoor and indoor competition? It's clearly an identity they think highly of,  as Hunt Sports Group has gone so far to reacquire and secure the trademark rights to the Dallas Tornado name and logo in recent years.     

As for Major League Soccer's Kansas City franchise, it played just a single season as the Wiz. By the time the team rebranded as Sporting Kansas City, it had played 14 seasons under the far less egregiously asinine Wizards name, winning its first MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup titles under the banner.

The San Jose Clash played just four seasons under that sobriquet and, upon rebranding, didn't undergo a "Euro name change". Rather, they adopted the North American-style Earthquakes moniker that had previously graced soccer teams in the market for 15 years across three outdoor and two indoor competitions.

Incidentally, Sporting Kansas City co-owner Robb Heinemann has claimed that in selecting a new identity for the Wizards, he and his partners weren't following the wave of Eurocentric branding that MLS underwent with the advent of team names like FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake, and Toronto FC. He has stated that they "made the decision in a vacuum", further noting that there was a lot of uncertainty within the ownership group about the Sporting Kansas City name. In fact, when the leader of a market research group that the team was working with suggested that they conduct some testing of the name with the public, Heinemann said, "I don't know why we'd even bother; we know it's going to come out that people are going to hate it." Ultimately, the members of the ownership group felt that if they "could deliver on the promise, and connect with the community and do things right, people would buy into the name."

I believe that last bit from Heinemann is crucial. It ties into what I said earlier in the thread regarding the relative importance of the European-style naming trend to Major League Soccer's growth and development.

 

A critical component in revitalizing Major League Soccer in the Kansas City market was a new ownership group whose priority was operating a single MLS franchise in Greater Kansas City, rather than juggling the responsibilities inherent in running three MLS teams and an NFL franchise. Once On Goal, LLC took over from Lamar Hunt, they were able to focus on achieving the single most important task in righting the MLS ship in KC market: construction of a soccer-specific stadium. Children's Mercy Park - formerly, Livestrong Sporting Park - is what "fixed the mess" for MLS in Kansas City. The name and logo changes were window-dressing. In point of fact, when the Sporting Kansas City brand was first unveiled, Wizards supporters were furious. They wanted nothing to do with the change. What won existing fans over - and drew new enthusiasts to the team - was the commitment of ownership to improving the product on the field and taking the steps necessary to insure that said pitch would one day - hopefully, sooner rather than later - be situated in a state-of-the-art facility that Greater Kansas City's MLS team could call its own.

 

The Sporting Kansas City brand isn't what got Children's Mercy Park built. The Sporting Kansas City brand isn't what acquired the coaching and playing talent necessary to win the MLS Cup Championship in 2013 and the U.S. Open Cup title in 2012, 2015 and 2017. The members of On Goal, LLC did that. Heinemann and his partners were able to "deliver on the promise, and connect with the community and do things right" with regard to the construction of Children's Mercy Park and the building of a competitive on-field product. That is what revitalized MLS soccer in Kansas City and that is why fans eventually bought into the Sporting Kansas City name.

 

All things being equal, as long as the On Goal, LLC partnership succeeded in getting the stadium built and putting a winner on the field, the stands would have been full... even if the team was still named the Wizards.                   



   

[leopard88]

23 hours ago, Brian in Boston said:

 

No, that was Mr. McGuire. He was our neighbor.

 

Are you sure it wasn't Mr. Robinson, your dad's business partner with the hot daughter?

[Brian in Boston]

3 hours ago, leopard88 said:

Are you sure it wasn't Mr. Robinson, your dad's business partner with the hot daughter?

No, it was Mr. McGuire who tried to steer me into plastics. Mr. Robinson gave me a hard time about my driving, confronted me about my affair with his wife, and threatened to have me jailed if I ever so much as looked at his daughter again.