The official logo for DFW’s first Super Bowl was revealed today (larger). I’m willing to give the Super Bowl XLV logo a little more time before making final judgments— I would like to see it applied in different media first (the above photo is the only version I’ve seen so far, and it was unveiled just minutes ago).
That being said, I can still make early, initial judgments!
This is the first Super Bowl to integrate the host stadium into the logo (here are the other 44 logos). I’m torn on this decision. Dallas Cowboys Stadium is revolutionary and already iconic. It’s a big deal when it comes to stadiums. You can literally see it from miles away on I-30. I affectionately call it the Death Star. Let’s be blunt: the stadium is anything but subtle. I appreciate subtlety in design. I don’t think you can be subtle when you include a non-subtle stadium in a logo… but you will always remember Dallas Cowboys Stadium hosted Super Bowl XLV, which I suppose was the intent.
The logos have often drawn from local landmarks or cultural flavor, so let me be the first to say I’m glad the Super Bowl XLV logo doesn’t include a Texas flag, a cowboy hat, or boots. I am surprised it doesn’t include a star, though, which is a much more subtle way of integrating the city, state, and football team into the logo. Well, more subtle than including the actual stadium.
I’m not the biggest fan of gradients or making everything metallic. I’m glad there are no light flares and the logo isn’t sitting in a black room on a reflective surface, which seems to be all the rage thanks to Apple.
I have a question about the perspective employed in the logo. It appears my eyes are stationed somewhere along the ascender of the L. It looks like the XLV is popping out toward me. The bar reading Super Bowl does the same thing. Why aren’t the stadium and Lombardi Trophy coming out 3D style? Are they just resting on the Super Bowl bar? Are my eyes at a secret, second horizon?
How many light sources are affecting the logo? The light shines pretty heavily on the L, but then it exhibits opposite-than-expected behavior on the Super Bowl bar (light on top, dark on bottom). The white outlines in SUPER BOWL (look at the larger version) tell me I’m looking at the bar from a higher elevation, BUT WAIT! The 3D pop-out tells me I’m beneath the bar. There is also no left-to-right perspective on the letters in SUPER BOWL, while the XLV is clearly affected. Where am I? Where is the consistency? Let’s just agree that the light and perspective are arbitrary and the elements were assembled separately.
I don’t understand why the XLV has white outlines everywhere but pure horizontal stretches. This is fine if your letters are perpendicular, but when you use rounded edges, the white outlines taper down into the fill color. Instead of looking like an intentional decision, it looks like you accidentally cropped the document too high and cut off a few pixels from the bottom of your letters.
I know I’m critical, but these are things I take into account whenever I make something. I want to make sure everything is squared away so some snarky 20-something blogger can’t nitpick every minuscule detail. I’ll give the logo a few weeks before exercising final judgment.
Anyway. Super Bowl.
