Rockets new logo

[CDunn]

I can't tell, is that logo outlined in black/navy?

 The R, which was the first thing I saw, has the two straight parts which make up the H with the ring being the horizontal part.  I see the stem of the R being the Rocket and having the vapor trails.  I thought, like Sterling, that the right part of the R is the scaffolding thingy.  I think you could "justify" it trailing off too representing the massive amount of smoke from the launch.

 Speaking of blowing smoke, what is the designer talking about.  I hate the explaining of the deep meaning of the logo.  That "Demonstrates the vertical nature of basketball" crap is so annoying.  Explaining, "We're named the Rockets because we play in Houston, home of NASA ground control" is fine.  When you start explaining it on other levels, that's when I shake my head and wonder who's dumb enough to dish out $20,000 for this.  It's a mediocre logo and I know several guys here could have done something to put that one to shame.

I took the poll on the Houston Chronicle page.  I'll just write it out.

What do you think of the new logo?

Looks Great:27%

Not Bad:31%

It's a Joke, Right?:42%

5530 total votes.

42% HATE IT.  That was my vote.

Not every new logo has to be all razzle-dazzle, but this is bad.  They tried to encorporate too many things.

 Why did they get a COSTUME designer to do the new logo?  Why not go with a logo professional?

 Oh, wait, I just thought of something.  Maybe the stem of the R is the nose cone, and the rounded part is like the cockpit.  Still, it's stupid.

[oilfaninvan]

i love this logo. i think it's finally a step away from the generic logo's we've seen for YEARS...basketball logos suddenly all became the same. they are boring and trying too hard to be funky and modern. the "R" is unique and a bit retro. it's plain yet sleek and pleasing to the eye. I just hope the uniforms are as great.

[jlucas4092]

If anyone is interested, there's a great thread on ClutchCity.net talking about the logo.  Seems to me that most of the people don't like it, but there are a few that really do.  Discusses a lot fo the things we've discussed here already.

[Moser316]

I think it's gonna be one of those logos that grows on me over time.  My knee-jerk reaction to the logo:  Meh...

[Brian in Boston]

How appropriate:

A team named the Houston "Rockets" unveils a logo that deserves to be "lost in space"... the sooner, the better.

Absolutely, unequivocally HORRIBLE!

Are the current uniforms too busy? Yes. Is the current logo a bit too "cutesy". Sure. My "no muss, no fuss" solution to both of those problems? Get rid of the pinstripes on the uniforms... remove the face "painted" on the rocket. Simple. Apparently, TOO simple for Les Alexander and his cronies to figure it out.

IMHO, this instantly becomes one of the most uninspiring logos in the history of professional sports.

"Houston... we have a problem. It's this #^*%ing logo. Over."

Brian in Boston

[Brian in Boston]

Oh, in case anybody's wondering... I don't like it.

Brian in Boston ???

[laettnerstrikes]

It looks like a new Above the Rim (reebok) logo

[jlucas4092]

Remember the rumor that the Rockets were going to just have a big R on the front of the jersey and the city and player name on the back?  I think we found the big R.

Do you guys think that this will be on the jersey instead of "HOUSTON" and "ROCKETS"?

[Phil]

First off, to all of the people who have written it off: WE HATE EVERYTHING WHEN IT'S FIRST RELEASED. We can't even deny it. I've only been here for a year or so, but for every unveiling there's always the majority who "absolutely hate it, it's the worst thing to happen to logos since the colour black was invented."

Having gotten that out of the way, I can't say this is my ideal vision of a rockets logo. I hate it when people try and explain bad designs ::cough Edmonton Oilers cough::, but what I hate even more is when people look for something that isn't there. Vertical nature of basketball? Try vertical nature of rockets. Love to hear the designer's meeting with the team... "Having spent $30,000 of your team's budget, we've figured out that rockets go up."

Anyway, the logo isn't great (largely monotone, font isn't obviously different enough to be considered visionary, but isn't cool enough to be considered, well, cool), but they've picked a direction and run with it. It isn't too busy. It doesn't look like a five-year-old drew it. The hoop effect is cool, the fact that they incorporated the team initials is cool, and it's certainly not a rip-off of something else.

I firmly believe that some of the pros up in here could've done a better job, but it isn't the Charlotte Bobcats and it sure as heck ain't the Canton Ice Patrol.

[Mac the Knife]

I can agree - it isn't the best thing since sliced bread, but it isn't bad, either.  I had a little trouble finding the "H" in the design, but then again I didn't figure out the Milwaukee Brewers famed "MB" baseball glove design (my favorite, incidentally) for 5 years after it hit.  

[kc51design]

GReat job Rockets, so classy and so original, nothing we've seen already in the "we all look the same" NBA logos. At first if I wouldn't know what Houston Rockets are I would say it's some business logo, and I'm glad somone made a move from those thick outline logos that we see everyday. Maybe because it's only one color logo (black is also invisible) it's weird, but when you see the wordmark and the logo on the uniform and other merchandise, then I think it would look awesome. I go in the group of people that see the part of R as a lounching pad, and the bottom of the R with orbit thing as letter H. At first I didn't understand why they hired that fashon designer dude, but now I have to congratulate him.

[Brian in Boston]

SyPhi... As someone who DOESN'T immediately say he hates every new sports logo/identity package that comes along, I must respectfully disagree with your assessment. The Houston Rockets' new logo is a failure, plain and simple. A successful modern, professional/collegiate sports identity/logo package needs to succinctly - yet, boldly - capture the speed, strength, skill and/or aggression (preferably, all of the attributes) inherent in athletic competition. This example FAILS.

Even in trying to praise the design, kc51design states, "At first if I wouldn't know what Houston Rockets are I would say it's some business logo..."

FAILURE! If I wanted to root for a "business" - a local law firm... the neighborhood insurance agency... a multinational pharmaceutical concern - I would either join a community softball league or read the Wall Street Journal. Actually, an apology is in order: most of the firms represented in my local softball league have BETTER logos than the Rockets.

Brian in Boston

[BrentyN3]

It's simple, retro, and unique. Whatever they do, DON'T BRING BACK THE PINSTRIPES!!!! I should change my name to BrentHatesPinstripes.

[Saintsfan]

The more i look at this logo the better it gets! Its still isnt great dont get me wrong but its ok!

I also reckon that the uni will be fairly straightforward, fairly plain red with touches of the other colours (black and silver was it??) And after all as I said earlier in Basketball, without too many logos on the uni, its the uni that counts.

[nitroseed]

Well, I guess this is an appropriate thread to make my comeback post on!

I don't really have that much of a problem with the new logo, but some things do concern me about it. There is a tremendous lack of color in it, which makes for a very bland mark. Second, I can't help but see a "B" when I see it. Maybe that's just me but... I don't know. If they had maybe made the round ring thing a navy color or something, it wouldn't be so bad.

Now are you seeing a trend? Almost all of the new logos that have debuted don't follow the old comic book look that most of us have grown to love. They're bland, modern, and just plain ugly. This Rockets one isn't bad, but it's nothing spectacular. It's kind of boring, really. I have a problem when people take a sports logo, which is supposed to represent a team, its aggression, power, strength, and energy by being powerful and aggressive itself, and turn it in to their special little art project. Making a simple little R with a swoosh around it just because you think it "demonstrates the vertical nature of basketball." Indeed... I've been in design long enough to know when designers are feeding us B.S. and that's nothing but a load of the finest. All these artsy, deep explanations can't save a bland logo. Most of the people in world may not notice that all he did was take the R from one of his fonts and put some little streaks on the legs and tie a ring around it. Sadly, they probably paid him hundreds of thousands of dollars for that, which makes me sick. That maybe took all of ten minute's work. Granted, I can do a logo in an hour or two, but it at least has some depth and genuine relevance to the team.

I'm beginning to fear where the direction of sports logos is headed. It scares me even more to think that one day, our favorite teams with classic logos might decide to sell out to this new modern trend, defiling any tradition we may have and making some godawful expressionistic piece of trash and call it a logo.

WE NEED A REVOLUTION!

[Ez Street]

YUCK!

[Sterling84]

Hey.......

good to see you're back SEED.

There does need to be a bit of a revolution but I think it needs to come in a different direction.  I think teams need to stop throwing these tremendous ceremonies and unveilings immediately.

I'm not going to debate whether or not sports branding art is high art.......that's subjective.  But the truth is that 25 years ago designing one of these things was like one step above painting the price on a fruit cart or sketching a charicature in the park.  THere was no (little) pressure for instantaneous merchandise revenue.  What was good, or at least catchy and familiar, stuck.  What wasn't........didn't.

Now, they have cheerleaders dancing around...some outdated techno song they think is "hip" playing in the background, some stiff owner and the commish drop a sheet and voila!!  I logo is not a last second three or a band or even a naked chick.  You dont cheer a logo......no matter how awesome it is.  And what kid or what adult on earth for that matter wants to be told..........so blatantly...that THIS IS COOL.  YOU WILL LIKE THIS NOW.  These things have very little chance as it is right now and that's unfortunate.  There are too many dollars at stake and these marks may or may not have time to worm there way into the culture of the game.

Are we really going to be looking at commercials for sports logos some day??  It's all just stupid...I don't think teams should be embarrassed when they change....just sly, reserved, subtle.  Leak some promo stuff strategically....have a couple kids see another couple kids in it....and let it build a grass roots type movement.  Even issue a hat for an alternate a year before its ever seen in the arena.........

If it takes off it takes off.  If it doesnt.......it doesnt.  Let the work decide it's own shelf life Academy Award winning wizards and fancy owners.

I know this will never happen.  But this NEXT BIG THING fluff has all the "magic" and "ambience" of the Republican National Convention.  Old OLD, out of touch , rich men telling you what you want???  Please.

[Sterling84]

I don't know that I made one part clear.  I was saying that not too long ago...wearing sports branded material was not the mainstream.  It was a rare thing to acquire a jersey from another state, sport , country.

It took work to find, work to possess and seemed much purer.

NOw, it's different.  

Darn, I had hoped I wouldnt be one of those "Up hill both ways to school in 3 feet of snow" dads....but it looks inevitable now.

[shiznit1083]

I think it's a great logo.  Right now, I'm pretty sure every thinks they could have done alot better.  I agree it is a very simple logo with not much color, but for some reason that's why I like it so much.  Sometimes the simple ones stick around the longest and become some of the most liked.  It has the ability ot grow on everyone, even though right now feelings are mixed.  I think we look back at this one in a few years, and we think "classic".  Or maybe it's just me.

[-kj]

Ok, after a few days... I still don't like it.  It's highly unimaginiative.  It's a secondary mark -at best-, certainly not a primary.

And keep in mind I'm usually the guy that likes what everyone else hates. *heh*