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YMCA changing logo/brand


chestnutz

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It's one of the top 5 most recognizable logos in the world (according to many surveys), and they're changing it this summer (I believe that's when). That's right, the YMCA is changing their whole brand and way they go about doing things.

For the past few weeks I've been interning at the Y of Greater Rochester, with the association office, and met with the CEO today. He said that nationally the Y is changing their brand, including their logo and motto. I'm not sure about your areas, but around here the Y is a big deal, and most people associate it with just going to the gym and working out. They want to change that, as I've learned over the course of my internship that it's much, much more than just a place to work out. That's what they want to show people.

Naturally during my meeting with the guy I was super interested on what they were changing their logo too. I didn't get to see an actual image of it, but here's what I do know:

-Changing the colors. People don't like the black and red, they don't see it as welcoming. He said they have like 7 different color combinations they can use, but they aren't "primary, strong" colors, like blue, black, red, etc. they're secondary colors, or what he referred to as expansion team colors (referencing teams like the Jaguars, Dolphins, Raptors, those kinds of colors)

-Instead of having sharp edges, everything is going to be rounder, including the red triangle

-Cutting off the top part of the black Y I think?

-Adding "The" in front of the "Y," because everybody calls it The Y anyways (not a fan of this)

-Adding "MCA" vertically along the leg of the Y

He said a very famous design firm did it, listing off logos they made (he compounded like 4 guys into one, so I'm not sure who exactly it was). Still, it'll be interesting to see what's unveiled and how accurate these things he told me are. Either way, I'm really not a fan of them changing it. Why fix what isn't broken? It's one of America's largest associations and one of the biggest not-for-profits, I think it's just silly to try and modernize it and make it trendy. It's lasted the test of time (the current version is from the 60's) and will cost loads of money to change it.

What youthink?

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erikas | go birds | dribbble 

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Interesting. The part where you said they're going to add "The" in front of the Y and then put MCA down the trunk of the black part sounds very cheesy to me, kinda like the old Hartford Whalers logo (with the whale pic and then "ers"). I don't like how every company has to modernize, but I think people would get used to it. Like the new Pepsi logo, did anyone like that when it first came out? But now everyone's used to it and there's no bad feedback anymore.

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"That ball has a hit in it, so I want it to get back in the ball bag and goof around with the other balls in there. Maybe it'll learn some sense and come out as a pop-up next time," Mark "The Bird" Fidrych

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  • 1 month later...

The YMCA is a joke, I don't get why anyone gets a pass there, first...200 bucks to get a membership and then 35+ A MONTH? There's a community gym that has everything except the pool (which old people use to urinate and float around in pretending to do exercise) that costs me 99 bucks for the membership and 30/mo for the gym pass/rec center pass.

They should just change it to a dollar sign with the slogan "You still think we care about your community, shut the F up and pay up"...

LETS GO PENGUINS!

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The YMCA is about a lot more than just a gym.

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

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The YMCA is a joke, I don't get why anyone gets a pass there, first...200 bucks to get a membership and then 35+ A MONTH? There's a community gym that has everything except the pool (which old people use to urinate and float around in pretending to do exercise) that costs me 99 bucks for the membership and 30/mo for the gym pass/rec center pass.

They should just change it to a dollar sign with the slogan "You still think we care about your community, shut the F up and pay up"...

That's a ridiculous statement. If you had kids, the Y is a great place. For us, there was ZERO registration fee and it's 67 bucks a month for the entire family. I go every Tuesday and Thursday for a 5:45 "Intense Fit" class and that alone is worth the money, not to mention the pickup basketball games. My kids are involved in the Y's athletics and love it. They have classes that cater to the kids, from yoga to "Kids Fit" classes.

The Y is more than just a gym, but a community center and a "social network" for my family. We all love going there, and anything to spruce up their image is fine with me.

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The above posts illustrate exactly why the Y did this rebrand in the first place. They want people to see it as more than just a gym, and I guess they accomplished that with the new logo since it definitely looks more kid and family friendly. It's about a lottttt more than just a gym, providing child care and really bringing together whole communities.

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erikas | go birds | dribbble 

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