DC Comics and DC Entertainment Unveil New Lackluster Logos

In the world of logos and corporate branding, DC Comics may have fallen asleep at the wheel with their latest logo redesign. Gone is the star and the circle or swirl. While it’s understandable that their classic logo may have been confused with the DC Shoes Logo that also featured the two letters with a star. Bleeding Cool reported that DC Comics and DC Entertainment would be getting a new logo this year and sound the trumpets, it has arrived to uninspiring results.

The new logo has been submitted for trademark protection and is being registered for all kinds of merchandising. It appears that because it’s being submitted for trademark the official logo lacks any color and ultimately when it will be used, any color can be applied. For those still staring at it and scratching their heads, it’s the letter “D” that’s being either folded down or peeled back to reveal a letter “C”. I also don’t like how the words are stacked on top of each other, left justified with the logo instead of one line for the DC Comics logo. The DC Entertainment logo is especially awkward since “Entertainment” runs twice as wide as the logo itself.

The current DC Comics logo was redesigned back in 2005 and was met with mixed reactions but I found myself immediately drawn to its action swoosh and slightly contemporary font choice. I realize that the pictures of the new logos lack color but it still feels so cold and lifeless. The peeling image to me conveys the flipping of comic book pages, but that’s only because I know this is the DC Comics logo. Take the text away and what do you have? A logo should speak on its own and communicate something on its own. That’s how powerful a good logo can be. Perhaps they want to say that something lies beneath the surface, or are they one thing, but actually something else? If this was a billboard, it looks like they didn’t use the right adhesive to cover up the previous advertisement. I’m being a little facetious but I’ve seen investment firm logos with more pop to them.

As someone who has a graphic design background, I can understand an effort to re-brand and head towards a new era of the company with a new identity. This though seems like a step backwards into a corporate cold feel that does more to obscure what the company is than it does to shout it out proudly but, hey, that’s just my opinion and I am a design nerd so logo designs are very near and dear to me. Maybe this is just the static version of the logo and when it appears before a movie or an animated film then it will feature a full D and an animated flipping of the corner to reveal the C. I guess we’ll find out.

What do you think of the new logo?

Anonymous

That’s why Marvel is the Apple of comic industry and DC is the Microsoft.
Spider

Looks like a logo for a cigarette patch
Kryptoniteking

DC Comics died September 2011. I don’t know what this company is that’s masquerading as “DC Comics”.
GC001

The DC Bullet was classic and iconic… It was the natural evolution of the circle with DC letters that was printed on many DC Comics covers for decades!

The bullet with the four stars looked great printed in black, red, blue, and green… Why DC thought rebranding itself with a “Toilet Swirl” was a great idea to begin with, I don’t know. The latest logo rebranding manages to be dull, confusing, and uninspired at the same time. Who got paid 3k or better for this crappy design???

It seems ironic that my declining interest in monthly comics (in general) coincides with DC’s attempts to remake its corporate logo.

The logo was NEVER the main problem… The problem has always been shitty writing, clueless editorial, and lack of any clear direction that honors the past while not being slavish to it or destroying it every 5 years.

3 Crisis mini-series within 17 years and 4-5 rewrites of Superman’s origin within the same period does not point towards a company that has a clue of its own identity.

I doubt even telling current DC creatives to read the reprints of the company’s Golden and Silver Age classics for better ideas of who these characters are as individuals would do much good… They’re more interested in making things “edgy” and don’t even realize that the character revamps confuse the hell out of the public…!
Listerart

Absolutely horrible. No life, imagination or action. Very generic & bland no matter what color you make it. Says ‘We willl always be 2nd behind Marvel.’ Most definitely was not designed by anyone with a love of comics.
Jeremiah Martell

I definitely like it more now then what first came out… more on the logo change here: http://martelljt.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/dc-entertainment-unveils-future-brand/
Anonymous

it would be one of the sexiest logos ever..if it wasn’t for the comic book/entertainment company. i feel like it should be for a legal firm or something.
http://catbeardproject.wordpress.com/ Plummypress

I was going to comment on this new logo but it put me to sleep.
http://twitter.com/salamurai Yorick or Mumble-Bee

I didn’t like the last logo at first, tho part of that is probably 25+ years of seeing the rotated bullet end. It did grow on me over time, after I realised the “DC” almost looks like an opened book (a right angle instead of a curve in the lower right of the “C” would have solidified that idea). The new logo … It doesn’t say “DC”, it says “C” under a sticker. which would be fine if you were selling stickers. Not if you’re selling superhero comics books, which should be represented by something bold and action-y like the current logo. Marvel Comics has it easy – they’re using “MARVEL” in big fat capital letters. DC’s new logo is incredibly weak, and they should really try again.
http://twitter.com/salamurai Yorick or Mumble-Bee

I didn’t like the last logo at first, tho part of that is probably 25+ years of seeing the rotated bullet end. It did grow on me over time, after I realised the “DC” almost looks like an opened book (a right angle instead of a curve in the lower right of the “C” would have solidified that idea). The new logo … It doesn’t say “DC”, it says “C” under a sticker. which would be fine if you were selling stickers. Not if you’re selling superhero comics books, which should be represented by something bold and action-y like the current logo. Marvel Comics has it easy – they’re using “MARVEL” in big fat capital letters. DC’s new logo is incredibly weak, and they should really try again.
Looknlurk

This sucks big time. The TM in the old logo stands out more than their new one. It’s lifeless, uninspired and weak. It really just looks like the side of a poorly drawn satellite dish.
J. Steven York

Looks to me like a 3-Ring Vinyl CD-ROM page circa 1986. Maybe color could change that impression, but it smells of grammar-school media lab to me.
Info

Horrible and unimaginitive
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7A7RYH66QPM4YBXCQPH4E23BQ4 Richard

Remove the words “DC Comics”, and you’d have no idea what it was supposed to represent. The peel back effect makes me think of opening a plastic package, not the turning of a comic book page. Perhaps it will actually work better in animated form in movies, TV shows and video games, which is what I suspect the primary intent of this redesign is.
Meh.

this is not the logo of a comic book company. perhaps an ad agency run by pretentious pricks, but not a comic book company that owns Batman.
Neitherworldcomics

wow what a let down
Bobchonger

No Way…….moving on
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_73XH4ESZVDCP7PYTRSF6MNJUQI Dean

It looks to corporate. I have a feeling that they will be using that on their letter head or something like that.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_73XH4ESZVDCP7PYTRSF6MNJUQI Dean

It looks to corporate. I have a feeling that they will be using that on their letter head or something like that.
George Cabrera

No.