32 Comments

Sorry for my bad english ...

I hate this new logo, it look likes a lot of basic recents logo ..

I think the forms inside the "ball" have to remind the original cup

>>
http://www.topnews.in/sports/files/UEFA-Cup.jpg
Alber/
2008-09-26 16:31:31

The stripes on the ball are representative of the Trophy itself, no?

And generally I agree with Patrick — this is not only unnecessary, but incredibly cheesy. Shiny balls are a trend, and this logo will be out of style in no time.

Hopefully, UEFA will follow the model of many other international sporting events where they change the logo every year, reflecting the host city, or at least the current trends in design. That gives them a new opportunity every year, if nothing else.
Prescott Perez-Fox
2008-09-26 17:44:49

@Prescott - I see what you mean about the reference to the shape of the trophy. Missed that at first glance. It's still awful though.
 Patrick Burgoyne
2008-09-26 17:53:41

When I look at this logo I see pride, I see power, I see a bad-ass mother who don't take no crap off of nobody!
Christopher Darby
2008-09-26 22:14:21

All the UEFA graphics are hideous. It makes me angry when I see designers squander opportunities to actually do something nice.

I have an awful suspicion a Leeds agency is responsible for this and other UEFA bits which in their words claims to be a 'top 5 European creative agency'?! You wouldn't catch Spin, Proud, Multistory, Madethought, Browns, Bibliotheque, Pentagram, North et al succomb to glossy 3D effect logos like this. You might catch Wolf Olins though but at least you can never call them safe!

End rant.
Archie
2008-09-27 19:03:00

Its resembles a logo which you find on one of the many football computer games on the market. Lifeless uninspiring... Almost like the new corporate football times we live in.
Matthew Smith
2008-09-28 11:14:01

Behold - witness the awesome power of the photoshop glass button tutorial!

All hail photoshop.
All hail photoshop.
All hail photoshop.
neil
2008-09-28 17:14:19

Working with some clients on a logo is like asking your kids what to make for dinner.

Thanks for an article on another graphically malnourished establishment.
Stefan Kjartansson
2008-09-28 17:27:16

I agree with Archie, it is a shame, it would be such a great platform for good graphic design and could have been really refreshing to overall lacking quality of design in the commercial world of football, that logo will be everywhere on our tv screens once the new comp starts... another reason not to watch football at 5pm on ITV4...
Steve Fenn
2008-09-28 23:35:34

Very dated, it looks like something I would have drawn in my teens, and what about the new name? Isn't Europa a moon of Jupiter?!

Just another nothing marque, with no real connection to the subject matter, it is almost as if the UEFA Cup is run by a committee of bureaucrats.
thepicklebot
2008-09-29 08:57:11

wow! this; the 2012 logo and NYC rebrand all in the space of a year, the design industry has had three casualties, that should be outed for being so apauling. This looks like a mac application icon, and i'm not impressed.

Did English and Pockett do this?
Noir
2008-09-29 10:26:06

Its not nice.

...But I bet that the client rejected everything until the designer got pissed off and took it into cinema 4d.

Sports channel brand managers basically explode in their pants every time they see their marque beveled.

You can blame American channels for the 3D fest influence. And since UEFA are trying to up their profile, that means they want to bring more presence to the competition, and what's going to achieve this more in Joe Public's eyes?
Is it a)
Refined modernist stylings referencing the coming together of many nations united around an inflated synthetic pig's bladder?
or b)
Big and shiney?

Also I think the type is trying to reference early C20th french publicity, but unfortunately this is cancelled out by the 3D bolo.
Stu
2008-09-29 15:28:10

I think you logo lovers are missing the hidden message inside the ball... It cries out to sponsors:
Adidas - one more stripe and its yours
Reebok - we're nearly there just flip horizontal
Nike - sure we can take those other lines out and rotate the swoosh in the middle
Puma - " " " " "
Asics - We know your not big anymore but neithers the UEFA/Fairs/Intercity/Cup Winners cup lets join forces and rule (eastern) European football... Champions League who are ya?
Keyser
2008-09-29 16:24:19

Agree with Stu: most sportrelated brandmanagers will always automatically like the big & shiny. And a lot of sport fans too. But that is the safe route. However ugly the London 2012 logo, I have to admire the fact they got it past the client!
Caspar
2008-09-29 17:00:24

Well done Futurebrand on a job… well-done(?) I bet you're laughing all the way to the bank (at least somebody won the EuroMillions)

Design by committee is never easy and I must say that the result is pretty good considering you need to get it past T.E.A.M. Marketing AG first.

Congrats again!
Lorem Ipsum
2008-09-29 20:09:23

Talking of football indentities looking like Computer game logos. If you flip the "A" character over you have the exactly same styled letter A as the Electronic Arts logo who happen to make the FIFA game franchise. I think we have done a full circle here...
Chris
2008-09-29 23:15:57

The Champions league logo by Design Bridge is fantastic a great piece of branding, this europa thing is as second rate as the cup it represents, depressingly poor.
sam
2008-10-01 14:18:42

The logo is banal... but I don't mind the typography. The letter 'p' does appear unbalanced though.
Creative Agency Manchester
2008-10-03 16:14:03

This is really is poor. It's a shame it was selected. I'm sure that are many many many designers out here that could do much better. It's just not logo design on the level it should be. Sub standard.

It looks like someone followed a tutorial for some sort of glass ball then out some text under it.

also, if it is trying to be a glass ball, I think the way the reflection suddenly cuts half way down on either side looks odd.

The red lines don't look as if they are actually on the ball. it's terrible.
Youssef Sarhan
2008-10-04 19:22:23

I now know what hell looks like.
tom
2008-10-05 23:52:11

It perfectly represents the attitudes and aspirations of the client - how else would they have been justified in paying the fees? Corporate design for corporate minds, shame the agency couldn't break them out of their mindset.
Louis della-Porta
2008-10-06 12:42:55

Not surprised: as it is standard in all aspects of creative industry, it's not what you know that counts, but who you know and how much you talk.

And, remember those with the money are usually ones without a good taste.
Design principles? Who cares, as long as it looks nice (to them).
Milo Madacky
2008-10-06 12:54:08

I'm struggling to work out which logo I like least the current one or the new one...

But what really gets me is this PR blurb, "The new name and logo will help underline the tournament’s special character and unique sporting appeal. The fresh format will encourage teams from emerging countries or lesser-known sides to challenge the old order, and the new identity will seek to reflect that.”

This so completely misses the point - teams will always be happy to play in the Uefa cup (if they can't get into the champions league) as it is a money spinner. So really they need to increasing the importance of the Uefa cup in the minds of fans - and the new name and logo will not underline anything other than an overwhelming sense of this being a second rate competition.
Fergus
2008-10-06 13:05:58

.
nick brookfield (Liverpool, UK)
2008-10-06 13:09:41

Oh well, that was another one that got away. We pitched for this job and after getting through the first few rounds, we failed at the later stages just like Chelsea in the Champions League. I understand that Futuebland did the pre-pitch audit work for UEFA so in reality it was never a level playing field, instead it was angled against any other agency just like playing at yeovil town. The brief was to represent a coming together of countries and cultures (marketing talk) and i can only presume that the twisted strand that forms the trophy shape represents this. There is nothing here about history or celebration but instead the most dire colour pallet that could have been chosen with some terrible bevel embossing. An opportunity missed by all that now only helps to make this second rate european football competition even more forgettable.
FONTBALL
2008-10-06 14:17:56

THe logo is fine, just the colours are wrong but i may represent the color of where the final is being played. Relax guys, its not bad design.
Noodles
2008-10-06 16:46:16

Ouch! The existing logo looks alright but did need a revamp anyway. But this new one feels a bit done before (Mac and endless hi-tec followers comes to mind) and even I have designed this type of logo before 2 years ago!

But regardless of the weird tribal marks, the whole balance of the logo is off e.g, the Europa league is too far to the left while 'uefa' is centered.
Marfu
2008-10-07 00:51:21

Apart from the poor typography (EUROPA's awkward), the poor colour palette (it'll look crap on most TVs) and that it's been plagiarised from the aqua interface on a Mac (which I'd bet that no one at UEFA knows what a Mac is let alone used one), and that it does nothing to "encourage teams from emerging countries or lesser-known sides to challenge the old order," and that it already looks dated and Eurovision-esque, apart from all that, I quite like it.
Francola
2008-10-07 09:20:52

Its fantastic to see the unanimity of the comments from most designers & agencies. Usually a controversial design (eg London Olympics) has lovers & haters & sparks unending & inconclusive intellectual debates on the theme 'What Is Good Design'?

In view of this unanimity, I would hope these comments be passed on to the client - so they can demand that the agency reworks & tests - at their own expense.

As an Account Director, it clearly seems to be a design brief created by a committee ; the agency obviously threw in the towel & gave them what they asked for - a logo (I will not flatter it with the term, brand identity) fit for hooligans.

Jean
Jean GROGAN
2008-10-07 13:39:58

It does seem that quite a few people really hate this new logo....
but it also seems that quite a few people furiously writing away on this blog are people who pitched and lost...!
Are we smelling sour grapes here?

Regardless of this what people seem to miss is that the logo (as someone rightly calls it) isn't a brand identity - that comes with the creation of the full system.
What would the Champions League Star Ball logo be without the majestic music and the amazing gallactico six tier stadium? Perhaps just a hackneyed football made out of stars? Or the start point for an amazing brand?

It will be interesting to see how this is developed, used and interpreted going forward.

By the way all, perhaps you should review your own show reels and credentials presentations... how many pieces of work do you have in those that are truly ground breaking, that didn't have the hand of more than just the designer in their and that without understanding the objectives of the piece of communication are nothing more than a pretty, or in many cases, ugly piece of design.

Enjoy the football next year - we'll come back in 3 years and evaluate it then shall we?
Anotherview
2008-10-07 16:13:28

Wait a minute here. Aren't we meant to be 'designers', producing solutions for 'paying' clients? If the client wants rubbish then why disappoint?
matt smith
2008-10-07 16:49:19

Yeah best not get too critical about this. It looks glossy and striking and will be accepted with the masses. As will the 2012 logo.
Marfu
2008-10-16 16:42:29

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