that i do love too but i also think that the xenoblade logo is not very awesome looking. there are many great jrpg logos (final fantasy, dragon quest some of the mana games, fire emblem) but xenoblade is not one of them (the games though are neat)
If that’s the case then what does the brushstroke in Xenoblade 1’s logo and the lines in Xenoblade X’s logo represent? I always just thought those were meant to look cool.
@@Xenowolf8 In X case, I think it represents the theming around BLADE as an organisation, with similar design used in-game. As for XB1, yeah, I dont think it represents much, it just looks cool
@@Xenowolf8 Xenoblade 1's logo represents the kanji (which are all depicted with brushstrokes) of the Monado. At the same time, the metalish look of the logo and splatters of paint could also be interpreted as a mechon clawing at the logo, causing blood to spurt out. Its twofold- representing both the Monado and the Mechon- both the Bionis and the Mechonis.
Daniel you should really consider starting a design-oriented series for the channel, like case studies analysing the UI + UX of specific games. Or maybe evaluating how other design trends have changed over time. This was a great video and given this is within your area of expertise I really think you could pull it off. Regardless, good vibes and keep up the great work!
i really wish they didn't change the pikmin logo, i absolutely loved the pikmin 3 logo, i literally had like 10 screenshots of the title screen because of how good it looked
Daniel as a fellow Graphic Design Major this was such an awesome video to watch!!! Would you consider doing a part 2 of this series with other franchises and on other consoles? There is so much differences and consistency we can go over on multiple series! Plus you have such an elegant way to discuss on how the graphic design world is always changing, and its great you showcase that by showing multiple different company logos. Seriously please consider doing a part 2 for this its honestly amazing. :D
Another thing to note about the Zelda game logos, especially their Japanese logos. From Zelda 1 to Link's Awakening had consistent font type (but Adventure of Link had a very different logo). Then from Ocarina of Time to Triforce Heroes, they used English logo. Then Breath of the Wild logo ditches the English "Zelda" logo and returned to its Japanese logo seen in the pre-OoT games, but with the ancient theme to it.
I’ll never unsee the red M in Mario logos now! I think the Zelda bit was a non story though, it’s pretty clear there is a consistent logo, it just alters slightly to match particular games - just like the Final Fantasy logo
Came to this channel originally for the old gx gang, wouldnt expect my favorite videos from the group to be Daniel’s, but im all for it. Really hope you keep at it!!!!
not only that, but it kinda adapts both previous logos together with the colouring/coloring of the original (the yellow) with the mot recent design@@jwsdreamland
Right here, Dan is flexing his content creating chops. Great video, an interesting topic brought to my attention that I would otherwise miss. Thoroughly enjoyed this, it's a two thumbs up from me.
Fantastic video, Daniel! It's informative, entertaining, funny... Really, I look forward to each of your videos, especially because I never know what to expect. Still, I'd be totally okay with you talking about design more often. The subject obviously suits you very, very well
This was fun! The revelation that the Kirby logo was recently revamped kinda blew my mind, speaking of which have you seen the logo for the Kirby's Return to Dreamland in Europe? It was released as just "Kirby's Adventure Wii", but being so familiar with the American logo it just looks empty by comparison. It was also really amusing to see how stubborn the Pokemon logos have been.
Ok I loved this video man! My two main favorite things are gaming and music, so I tend to watch videos on these topics. But you spoke solidly about art design because it is your passion!! You're GVG's designer after all!! And I found it very interesting, I learned a bit more of what to take into account regarding logo designs :D so keep em' coming man! Amazing video!
What a great video! I would definitely love to see more logo and visual design breakdowns from Daniel, hopefully some going even more in depth. Maybe make it a series of videos going franchise by franchise like this video just broken up and with more detail.
Daniel great video! Idk if you’ll see this comment but I just wanted to say how much your videos have improved. They have always been good but now they just keep getting better. Keep it up your videos are some of my favorites
While the old one is _conceptually_ better, I think the new Pikmin Logo is much cleaner looking on promotional material and different products. The old logo is very noisy and doesn't always look as appealing when next to other logos on a magazine or website. On paper, as much as I like the old design, simplifying it to where only the number is made of Pikmin makes more sense.
Your comment basically could be used for the whole video's examples. Logo design isn't "worse" if it's simpler, logo design as a whole is moving towards that both because that is the just current trend across the industry and because simpler designs are more easily understandable and marketable.
@@NoonDragoon Logos were also once a more necessary tool in messaging to a player what your game is about. These days not only are there more effective ways in reaching an audience, but games are also able to more easily represent themselves without the need for a fancy logo.
With accessibility becoming more and more of a focus, companies need to make sure their presentation is readable for people with impairments or conditions that make reading difficult for them. That does sadly mean that logos and designs must lose some of their originality and creativity, but it's for the best if it means more people can experience them
Very good video! I love logos so much, their story, their changes... Yet, I didn't realised about the new kirby logo lol. I missed you talking about the mario kart logo, specially since in mario kart tour, they keep all of them, having each course show it's corresponding logo in the goal.
The other interesting thing about the Pokemon Legends Arceus logo is that the Japanese version uses the same logo (except the Arceus part). It's one thing to do that, but to also refer to the game as Pokemon instead of the usual Pocket Monsters in Japanese is a choice.
To point out: Kirby Nightmare in Dreamland was released specifically to advertise Kirby Right Back At Ya. It even uses artwork from the anime in the game manual and walkthroughs. I remember growing up to FoxKids/FoxBox and they used to air that Nightmare in Dreamland commercial like every time lol
14:37 Woah that small change legitimitally makes the logo look 10X better imo. I like how the straight letters in the "DREAD" contrasts with the "Metroid" part's slanted ones which emphesises the... well dread of the title, it's like someone stamped that part on
Following the current trend of a more streamlined, flat, minimalist approach, which isn’t inherently bad. It’s just different. Won’t be as appealing in all cases though, but in others it is nicer
It always interests me to see someone discuss the forms and rules of art, because I'm a very non-artistic person. I would simply never notice or think about this kind of thing by myself.
Speaking as a graphic designer myself, I think part of the reason behind the overall "simplification" of logos is due to an increased priority on logo versatility. Specifically, you want something that can be represented in vector format rather than a raster format (usually with the vectors being as "clean" as possible, and for added versatility it should be designed to sacrifice as little as possible when converted to a single colour format). Vectors can be enlarged to any size without becoming pixelated or blurry, which means if your logo was designed as a vector originally then you'll never run into any issues where your logo is insufficient for a particular application or circumstance. The old pikmin logos cannot be cleanly translated into vector format because they are based on 3D renders. The best you could do with them to vectorize them would be to manually or by computer process, break forms into blocks of colour, which only looks slightly better than pixelation and isn't usually considered "good form", or to try to use complex combinations gradient meshes to simulate raster effects, which is also often seen as an overly-complicated solution. I think Pikmin changed their logo to something that will be more versatile for continued future use, but still hung onto the old 3D rendered style for the "4" since they wouldn't be beholden to the 4 for future games or for representing the franchise as a whole.
I love the effort and time put into this video! Thank you! Cant wait for part 2! (Yoshi, xenoblade, mariokart, marioparty, mario sports games, heck break into other games too like final fantasy and sonic!) LOVE THE VIDEO!
I once read that the trend of minimalistic logos comes from the same trend of minimal UIs in phones/tablets. During the 2000's CGI was more accessible and all the rage, companies started adding shadows, reflections, gloss, bevels, etc. to their logos as a "flex" if you will, but when smart devices became popular, there was a need to make the UI and icons as readable as possible for small screens because of that apps and functions like calculator, configuration, messages, etc. are now represented with symbols, rather than "pictures" this also minimizes clutter on screens and speeds up processing. That's when brands started to simplify their logos to go along with the trend and videogames aren't the exception, if you want a good example of this just look up the evolution of Windows logo and UI each time they release a new version of the OS. And also let's not forget that logos used to be fairly simple before computers became more accessible so this is a trend that comes and goes.
The evolution of the Legend of Zelda logo is way more interesting in Japan! They started with a certain Japanese typeface for the first few games, but then switched to the English logo that we're familiar with, but for BOTW they aped the original Japanese logo and made a solid and cracked version of it, as if to state that this game was a return to their roots. It hurt my heart when none of this was mentioned~
I love how Xenoblade Chronicles does it's logos, keeping them the same every time but having the details on them represent each game. From the brushstrokes used for kanji arts like those of the Monado in 1, to flames stemming from Pyra in 2, to motes of light rising off the logo in 3. My favorite one has to be Future Redeemed's, since it's 3's side game but brings back tons of elements, characters and settings from 1 and 2, so the main logo reflects this by having the motes of light, while the subtitle has the brushstrokes and the flames.
Logo simplification is definitely a case by case basis on how well it works. I think the Smash Ultimate one works quite well, but the Pikmin one comes off as awkward. Tbh though, I can't see F-Zero ever going for something flat and simple just because I don't think that fits the series' aesthetic.
I kinda see the logic in the pikmin logo stuff. I think what they were going for was juxtaposition. In pikmin 3 the title drop isn't in a serene natural landscape but in outer space over PNF 404 and its very reminiscent of a lot of retro future scifi logos like alien. Its like its trying to establish this is hard scifi encountering the natural beauty relating to all things pikmin. Thats where that juxtaposition comes in. That also explains why pikmin is now pikmin 1 because you need the 1 to represent the natural side of the series. I kinda like it, but I would have gone even harder on the typeface for the "pikmin" part of the logo and it really should have been white. great vid btw
This was awesome, very well done not only on the interesting topic/information said but also the visuals! I think Pikmin's logo lost a bit of charm, honestly, I really liked the flowers. That attention to detail with the shirts was neat and very funny on the f-zero one! (Is there more pikmin content coming our way? I'd love to hear/see something, even if just a discussion about favourite things or surprises, anything!)
As a logo, I like the change for Pikmin a lot. It’s cleaner, easy to reproduce. I think the in-game titles could have kept the cute lil piks making the logo tho. Otherwise I think most of the games you mentioned still look good without losing their personality, but still keeping up with modern design trends.
15:12 Reads "Fa-i-a- E-mu-bu-re-mu". The first katakana is "Fu" but the next is a little "a" (if you pay attention to the fourth character which is a normal "a"), and if a little katakana comes after a big one, then it changes the vowel of it, so Fu + a = Fa.
I always thought the Smash logo was representing its theme: A literal CROSSover of multiple nintendo franchises. Heck I'd say the uneven parts could also be represented as franchises of different shapes and sizes unified to create one circle.
Al though I love the minimalist take on logos, when everyone follows similar guiding principles, it takes a chunk out of the personality of the individual product.
Thanks for talking about this subject... I don't think Dragon Quest's logo has changed much, there's some theories about the "T" sword, but I don't know how much truth they hold.
Incredibly good video. I wouldn't mind more of these. (That said, I'm still so sad that the US pokemon logo doesn't change the logo colors to match the game like the JP releases do smh)
theres a reoccurring issue with games that use plain white text in their ui where i have to try to change the camera angle in areas with a lot of white in them just so i can kinda sorta read them at all like if they feel like they have to go with boring minimalism at least add a contrasting border behind it that helps it stay visible when im in the winter themed levels or whatever
I was so elated to hear someone other than me cared that they used the “decayed” Breath Of The Wild logo for the Link's Awakening remake, and noticed that they removed the colors from “Super” in the Super Mario 64 DS remake! Also, my personal speculation re. the Metroid logos was not only the homage to the original title screen, but because Metroid Prime 4 and the Metroid 2 remake were announced at the same E3, they may have planned for the upright logo to be used for 2D Metroid games and the tilted one be used for 3D Metroid games.
Speaking of changes in logo, I immediately think of Monster Hunter. While the fonts themselves don’t change much, the new ones, especially for World, are definitely blander and more boring to me. I much prefer it when they make the logo all colourful and, for a lack of better word, “explosive!” as seen in MH3, 4 and GU. Heck, even the older one like 2 has a big claw mark swiping across the fonts look way more interning than the Final Fantasy-esque logos for World, Rise and Sunbreak. Street Fighter 6 logo is pretty rubbish, too, compared to the older ones (I like SF3 best). Modern logos and titles tend to go for the subtle and tame looks and I hate it. Bring back the fun and colourful logos!!
I work at a graphic design company and we call this phenomenon “Blanding” = bland branding. In the mid 2000s to the mid 2010s, this minimalism was a way to stand out from the skewmorphism of logos at the time. Slowly however it has become the norm and that’s why we now use the term “Blanding”, because the rebranding doesn’t stand out anymore, it both is bland and blends in. HOWEVER as of last year and this year we are starting to see other companies step out of this minimalistic branding into skewmorphism, maximalism or illustrativism - even early 3D vibes - as a counter-culture way to stand out in this minimalistic landscape. The game industry, but especially the games industry in japan, tend to be a little delayed in terms of global aesthetic trends (I assume it’s because of the lenght of dev cycles)
I was definitely hoping to see some discussion about Mario Kart, given the drastic change in style between Double Dash!! and DS and the curious way it was handled within the series. Both of the aforementioned games didn't have a standardized starting line design but DS kept the old one when the logo was used, Wii maintained the old logo but dropped unique designs, 7 used the new logo for the new courses and the old one for the retros, and 8 made it so that the pre-DS games get a redesign of the old logo and the DS retros and onwards got the new logo. And despite the new logo being a much more sleek and flat design, I think it works well, especially as a way to distinguish Mario Kart from other Mario spinoffs in deviating from the usual font. Not that it necessarily needs it as the largest spinoff series, but I still find its handling to be interesting. And it does help that minor touches gave each logo a bit more personality, like the protruding lines and red top lines for DS and 8 incorporating the Mobius strip motif into, well, the 8.
I honestly don't have that strong of an opinion on the simplification of logos like a lot of people do these days. But I do feel like the minimalism, to me, represents a bigger trend that to me is more of a problem than even the worst offenders of oversimplification. It feels like it comes from an impression that the branding and packaging of products is ephemeral and unimportant. It just has to get the name of what you're buying across, and they know people will buy it just on the name itself. So everything gets sanded down to the bare basics, so as not to impede the readability of that name or to waste the time of the artists in designing the logo. Now, this in and of itself isn't exactly the problem. None of the games are actively worse for their logos being oversimplified, and some you could even argue the simplified logos say more about the specific game. (Metroid Dread, for one, I think works with the simplified logo - to me, it looks stark and ominous, reflecting the nature of that specific game amplifying the horror aspects present in the series, even more than games like Fusion did.) So, what is the issue, then? To me, I think it feels a bit more of a problem in terms of why this simplification is happening now, rather than in the past. I think before, especially in the 90s and 00s, even these established brands like Nintendo had to fight to make their packaging, their branding, stand out on the shelves and in print ads. The logo standing out, the box art, these are things you might have needed to get a sense of what the game might be like, since the internet wasn't as omnipresent to show gameplay trailers and TV ads for games, while present, were relatively unlikely to see compared to other kinds of ads. In this sense, the simplification of logos could, at least hypothetically, be tied in part to the improved dissemination of information. Now, you're just as likely to be sold on a game by a trailer or by a reviewer you trust, if not more likely, than you would be by the packaging and box art. So is that the reason that these logos have simplified? Partially. See, Nintendo can afford to count on those means of getting their game out there, instead of needing to invest in the packaging, because they _know they're going to get it._ While other games do have some level of simplification in series logos, it seems to mostly be affecting A-tier releases, things that would get the publicity by default, at least from my understanding. A lot of ongoing series by other publishers still feel like they have a flashier visual identity in some form or another. Indie games and more recent IPs like Splatoon, too, often feel like they have to hook you in in some way, and thus can have more unique logos, even if it's in a simplistic style. But Nintendo, even with their more modest legacy series, has a dedicated fanbase that will preorder from the name of the game being revealed. Though, with 3D Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon, this seems to underflow a bit - the branding of those series is so tied to them that, even with odd choices such as Link's Awakening HD and the more uniform Japanese Pokemon logos, the series can't fully simplify. Even 2D Mario, with Wonder, is continuing to use an ongoing and recognizable style, rather than simplifying it further. But with their other series, they likely feel that the name itself and the press it'll get on the internet will make more of a difference than giving the brand flashier logos like in bygone years. And while that doesn't make the games any worse (Pikmin 4, from what I've seen of my fiancee playing it, is a fantastic game), there's an intangible loss that is almost more of a disillusionment, a stripping away of the fanciful game identity and escapism that leaves you with something that's harder to ignore the brutal reality of the world we live in, kind of a reminder of the childhood I've lost to time and the corporate uniformity of a lot of the modern world. I guess what I'm left with is that, I'm not going to dock a game points for a boring logo (or even UI if it functions well enough). But the broad scope of gaming as a whole has lost something in this more simplified now, even if that something is easy enough to ignore if you just want to enjoy the games. So, it's a bit of a wash for me, honestly. But, what do you think?
The first two Pringles-logos are nightmare fuel. I don't hate the most recent one, but I think the two before were a better mix of old and modern. But the most recent one just combines the old take of the name being the bowtie with the more modern version of the mascot. Usually I tend to prefer older versions of logos, I prefer the modern Pikmin-logo, actually.
Four swords was not "for" the 3DS. It was FOR the DSi, it was DSiWare, and it was no longer available by the time the 3DS came around. You could however transfer your DSiWare to your 3DS in which case you could enjoy Four Swords on the 3DS.
Daniel changing his shirt with each series is very underrated dedication
AND headband, wow
I love logo themed videos, it's always so interesting to see how franchises change things up over time
no replies on a Nathaniel b comment? Let me fix that
I love how Xenoblade logos always represent something from the game itself
that i do love too but i also think that the xenoblade logo is not very awesome looking. there are many great jrpg logos (final fantasy, dragon quest some of the mana games, fire emblem) but xenoblade is not one of them (the games though are neat)
If that’s the case then what does the brushstroke in Xenoblade 1’s logo and the lines in Xenoblade X’s logo represent? I always just thought those were meant to look cool.
@@Xenowolf8 In X case, I think it represents the theming around BLADE as an organisation, with similar design used in-game.
As for XB1, yeah, I dont think it represents much, it just looks cool
@@Xenowolf8 Xenoblade 1's logo represents the kanji (which are all depicted with brushstrokes) of the Monado. At the same time, the metalish look of the logo and splatters of paint could also be interpreted as a mechon clawing at the logo, causing blood to spurt out. Its twofold- representing both the Monado and the Mechon- both the Bionis and the Mechonis.
@@nuclearbeebermanEh debatable
Daniel you should really consider starting a design-oriented series for the channel, like case studies analysing the UI + UX of specific games. Or maybe evaluating how other design trends have changed over time. This was a great video and given this is within your area of expertise I really think you could pull it off. Regardless, good vibes and keep up the great work!
Yeeees pleaaase. One of my favourite things to talk about in terms of video games
Oh, I agree!
This would be like crack to me
Yes, please!
i really wish they didn't change the pikmin logo, i absolutely loved the pikmin 3 logo, i literally had like 10 screenshots of the title screen because of how good it looked
As a designer, I really love and appreciate this breakdown of Nintendo franchise logos and branding.
Daniel is seriously a natural at content creation, great video as always!
Daniel as a fellow Graphic Design Major this was such an awesome video to watch!!! Would you consider doing a part 2 of this series with other franchises and on other consoles? There is so much differences and consistency we can go over on multiple series! Plus you have such an elegant way to discuss on how the graphic design world is always changing, and its great you showcase that by showing multiple different company logos.
Seriously please consider doing a part 2 for this its honestly amazing. :D
Another thing to note about the Zelda game logos, especially their Japanese logos. From Zelda 1 to Link's Awakening had consistent font type (but Adventure of Link had a very different logo). Then from Ocarina of Time to Triforce Heroes, they used English logo. Then Breath of the Wild logo ditches the English "Zelda" logo and returned to its Japanese logo seen in the pre-OoT games, but with the ancient theme to it.
the shirt and headband changes to reflect what he’s talking about were perfect 🙌 always love your videos, daniel :)
I’ll never unsee the red M in Mario logos now!
I think the Zelda bit was a non story though, it’s pretty clear there is a consistent logo, it just alters slightly to match particular games - just like the Final Fantasy logo
Came to this channel originally for the old gx gang, wouldnt expect my favorite videos from the group to be Daniel’s, but im all for it. Really hope you keep at it!!!!
The attention to detail with this video is next level! I had no clue about so many of these! One of my favorite videos on the channel! 😊
Kirby keeps getting better
absolutely, i love the new style of the kirby logo. nicely round and compact, just like kirby
not only that, but it kinda adapts both previous logos together with the colouring/coloring of the original (the yellow) with the mot recent design@@jwsdreamland
Right here, Dan is flexing his content creating chops. Great video, an interesting topic brought to my attention that I would otherwise miss. Thoroughly enjoyed this, it's a two thumbs up from me.
Fantastic video, Daniel! It's informative, entertaining, funny... Really, I look forward to each of your videos, especially because I never know what to expect.
Still, I'd be totally okay with you talking about design more often. The subject obviously suits you very, very well
This was fun! The revelation that the Kirby logo was recently revamped kinda blew my mind, speaking of which have you seen the logo for the Kirby's Return to Dreamland in Europe? It was released as just "Kirby's Adventure Wii", but being so familiar with the American logo it just looks empty by comparison. It was also really amusing to see how stubborn the Pokemon logos have been.
Can we all appreciate how much laundry this man had to do for this video 👏🏼
Ok I loved this video man! My two main favorite things are gaming and music, so I tend to watch videos on these topics. But you spoke solidly about art design because it is your passion!! You're GVG's designer after all!! And I found it very interesting, I learned a bit more of what to take into account regarding logo designs :D so keep em' coming man! Amazing video!
Thank you for making this video. I think you did really well. I love the detail with the outfits. Well done.
Daniel's videos are so fun to watch, keep up man. Also the shirts are awesome, the man has style
Great video as usual, Daniel! You can tell that a lot of research was put into the video.
What a great video! I would definitely love to see more logo and visual design breakdowns from Daniel, hopefully some going even more in depth. Maybe make it a series of videos going franchise by franchise like this video just broken up and with more detail.
Keep up the great work Daniel! Your recent videos have been really intresting and entertaining!
As a logo and brand identity designer, I really appreciate this video.
Does anyone know the name of the outro song used in the video?
Great video, Daniel, by the way!
Thank you! I used the Options music from F-Zero GX, the song title is Step 70’s
Daniel great video! Idk if you’ll see this comment but I just wanted to say how much your videos have improved. They have always been good but now they just keep getting better. Keep it up your videos are some of my favorites
Thank so much! I’m doing my best and glad that’s coming across!
While the old one is _conceptually_ better, I think the new Pikmin Logo is much cleaner looking on promotional material and different products. The old logo is very noisy and doesn't always look as appealing when next to other logos on a magazine or website. On paper, as much as I like the old design, simplifying it to where only the number is made of Pikmin makes more sense.
Your comment basically could be used for the whole video's examples. Logo design isn't "worse" if it's simpler, logo design as a whole is moving towards that both because that is the just current trend across the industry and because simpler designs are more easily understandable and marketable.
@@NoonDragoon Logos were also once a more necessary tool in messaging to a player what your game is about. These days not only are there more effective ways in reaching an audience, but games are also able to more easily represent themselves without the need for a fancy logo.
I liked a lot the White and Blue Pokemon logo in Legends Arceus, it makes it stand out from the rest.
Me too! It's gorgeous.
With accessibility becoming more and more of a focus, companies need to make sure their presentation is readable for people with impairments or conditions that make reading difficult for them. That does sadly mean that logos and designs must lose some of their originality and creativity, but it's for the best if it means more people can experience them
This sounds like a parody of pro accessibility talking points
Daniel, your videos are my favorite! I love the effort that you put into content I didnt even know I wanted
Very good video!
I love logos so much, their story, their changes... Yet, I didn't realised about the new kirby logo lol.
I missed you talking about the mario kart logo, specially since in mario kart tour, they keep all of them, having each course show it's corresponding logo in the goal.
Daniel changing shirts reminds me of Abed from Community
The other interesting thing about the Pokemon Legends Arceus logo is that the Japanese version uses the same logo (except the Arceus part). It's one thing to do that, but to also refer to the game as Pokemon instead of the usual Pocket Monsters in Japanese is a choice.
To point out: Kirby Nightmare in Dreamland was released specifically to advertise Kirby Right Back At Ya. It even uses artwork from the anime in the game manual and walkthroughs. I remember growing up to FoxKids/FoxBox and they used to air that Nightmare in Dreamland commercial like every time lol
What a great idea for a video, Daniel continues to deliver!
i am needlessly bothered that the first pikmin is now officially called "Pikmin 1"
I love this video. This video was interesting, awesome to relax to, and fun to find all the little details packed in. Thank you, Daniel. =)
Such a great video Daniel!
14:37 Woah that small change legitimitally makes the logo look 10X better imo. I like how the straight letters in the "DREAD" contrasts with the "Metroid" part's slanted ones which emphesises the... well dread of the title, it's like someone stamped that part on
Very unique and interesting video. Thank you, Daniel! :)
Man I love Daniel videos
Following the current trend of a more streamlined, flat, minimalist approach, which isn’t inherently bad. It’s just different. Won’t be as appealing in all cases though, but in others it is nicer
Great video! Daniel delivers!
It always interests me to see someone discuss the forms and rules of art, because I'm a very non-artistic person. I would simply never notice or think about this kind of thing by myself.
Speaking as a graphic designer myself, I think part of the reason behind the overall "simplification" of logos is due to an increased priority on logo versatility. Specifically, you want something that can be represented in vector format rather than a raster format (usually with the vectors being as "clean" as possible, and for added versatility it should be designed to sacrifice as little as possible when converted to a single colour format). Vectors can be enlarged to any size without becoming pixelated or blurry, which means if your logo was designed as a vector originally then you'll never run into any issues where your logo is insufficient for a particular application or circumstance. The old pikmin logos cannot be cleanly translated into vector format because they are based on 3D renders. The best you could do with them to vectorize them would be to manually or by computer process, break forms into blocks of colour, which only looks slightly better than pixelation and isn't usually considered "good form", or to try to use complex combinations gradient meshes to simulate raster effects, which is also often seen as an overly-complicated solution. I think Pikmin changed their logo to something that will be more versatile for continued future use, but still hung onto the old 3D rendered style for the "4" since they wouldn't be beholden to the 4 for future games or for representing the franchise as a whole.
I love the effort and time put into this video! Thank you! Cant wait for part 2! (Yoshi, xenoblade, mariokart, marioparty, mario sports games, heck break into other games too like final fantasy and sonic!) LOVE THE VIDEO!
They’re kinda suffering from oversimplification but it’s not as bad as some other companies
Yeah, I don't really dig how streamlined and minimal the logos look these days, especially with Pikmin.
Where's the pop? The pizazz?
The Mario Maker logos take a cue from the Mario Paint logo with it's extreme minimalism. Fitting considering how much MM pulls from that game
Fantastic video! I would love to see another video with other franchise logos.
I once read that the trend of minimalistic logos comes from the same trend of minimal UIs in phones/tablets.
During the 2000's CGI was more accessible and all the rage, companies started adding shadows, reflections, gloss, bevels, etc. to their logos as a "flex" if you will, but when smart devices became popular, there was a need to make the UI and icons as readable as possible for small screens because of that apps and functions like calculator, configuration, messages, etc. are now represented with symbols, rather than "pictures" this also minimizes clutter on screens and speeds up processing.
That's when brands started to simplify their logos to go along with the trend and videogames aren't the exception, if you want a good example of this just look up the evolution of Windows logo and UI each time they release a new version of the OS. And also let's not forget that logos used to be fairly simple before computers became more accessible so this is a trend that comes and goes.
Daniel, superb job on this one. .Great research and talking points..kudos buddy!
I would love a video on how Mario Party UI started and been reduced well...no life these days..
would’ve loved to see you explain why certain regions in Asia have the regular Pokémon logo but with red replacing yellow
21:25 I'm glad you covered all the ways of saying Arceus 🙂
16:40 when the boxes come into view, I felt that
The evolution of the Legend of Zelda logo is way more interesting in Japan! They started with a certain Japanese typeface for the first few games, but then switched to the English logo that we're familiar with, but for BOTW they aped the original Japanese logo and made a solid and cracked version of it, as if to state that this game was a return to their roots. It hurt my heart when none of this was mentioned~
I love how Xenoblade Chronicles does it's logos, keeping them the same every time but having the details on them represent each game. From the brushstrokes used for kanji arts like those of the Monado in 1, to flames stemming from Pyra in 2, to motes of light rising off the logo in 3.
My favorite one has to be Future Redeemed's, since it's 3's side game but brings back tons of elements, characters and settings from 1 and 2, so the main logo reflects this by having the motes of light, while the subtitle has the brushstrokes and the flames.
When the DSi is so forgotten they say 4 swords was for the 3DS
This brings up good discussion. The logo changes over history are super interesting.
Shoutout to Daniel changing his shirt in every single shot
Logo simplification is definitely a case by case basis on how well it works. I think the Smash Ultimate one works quite well, but the Pikmin one comes off as awkward. Tbh though, I can't see F-Zero ever going for something flat and simple just because I don't think that fits the series' aesthetic.
I kinda see the logic in the pikmin logo stuff. I think what they were going for was juxtaposition. In pikmin 3 the title drop isn't in a serene natural landscape but in outer space over PNF 404 and its very reminiscent of a lot of retro future scifi logos like alien. Its like its trying to establish this is hard scifi encountering the natural beauty relating to all things pikmin. Thats where that juxtaposition comes in. That also explains why pikmin is now pikmin 1 because you need the 1 to represent the natural side of the series. I kinda like it, but I would have gone even harder on the typeface for the "pikmin" part of the logo and it really should have been white. great vid btw
This was awesome, very well done not only on the interesting topic/information said but also the visuals! I think Pikmin's logo lost a bit of charm, honestly, I really liked the flowers.
That attention to detail with the shirts was neat and very funny on the f-zero one!
(Is there more pikmin content coming our way? I'd love to hear/see something, even if just a discussion about favourite things or surprises, anything!)
As a logo, I like the change for Pikmin a lot. It’s cleaner, easy to reproduce. I think the in-game titles could have kept the cute lil piks making the logo tho.
Otherwise I think most of the games you mentioned still look good without losing their personality, but still keeping up with modern design trends.
15:12 Reads "Fa-i-a- E-mu-bu-re-mu". The first katakana is "Fu" but the next is a little "a" (if you pay attention to the fourth character which is a normal "a"), and if a little katakana comes after a big one, then it changes the vowel of it, so Fu + a = Fa.
One of my favorite logos is Project Zero, which changed logos all the time back on the PS2 but finally now seems to have settled on one design.
Absolutely love videos like this !
What a great video - I'm now a Daniel-Fan
I always thought the Smash logo was representing its theme: A literal CROSSover of multiple nintendo franchises.
Heck I'd say the uneven parts could also be represented as franchises of different shapes and sizes unified to create one circle.
It depends!
This is a damn great video about a damn great topic.
Al though I love the minimalist take on logos, when everyone follows similar guiding principles, it takes a chunk out of the personality of the individual product.
Thanks for talking about this subject... I don't think Dragon Quest's logo has changed much, there's some theories about the "T" sword, but I don't know how much truth they hold.
Incredibly good video. I wouldn't mind more of these.
(That said, I'm still so sad that the US pokemon logo doesn't change the logo colors to match the game like the JP releases do smh)
I loved this! Such an informative video.
22:26 Many people don't seem to know/notice the "E" in SMB2 is different
I think a lot of logos are getting worse but not only that I’ll take it a step further and say the UI designs are getting boring and worse aswell.
theres a reoccurring issue with games that use plain white text in their ui where i have to try to change the camera angle in areas with a lot of white in them just so i can kinda sorta read them at all
like if they feel like they have to go with boring minimalism at least add a contrasting border behind it that helps it stay visible when im in the winter themed levels or whatever
I was so elated to hear someone other than me cared that they used the “decayed” Breath Of The Wild logo for the Link's Awakening remake, and noticed that they removed the colors from “Super” in the Super Mario 64 DS remake!
Also, my personal speculation re. the Metroid logos was not only the homage to the original title screen, but because Metroid Prime 4 and the Metroid 2 remake were announced at the same E3, they may have planned for the upright logo to be used for 2D Metroid games and the tilted one be used for 3D Metroid games.
Loved the video! Keep it going Daniel
what a great video thanks a lot
Speaking of changes in logo, I immediately think of Monster Hunter.
While the fonts themselves don’t change much, the new ones, especially for World, are definitely blander and more boring to me.
I much prefer it when they make the logo all colourful and, for a lack of better word, “explosive!” as seen in MH3, 4 and GU.
Heck, even the older one like 2 has a big claw mark swiping across the fonts look way more interning than the Final Fantasy-esque logos for World, Rise and Sunbreak.
Street Fighter 6 logo is pretty rubbish, too, compared to the older ones (I like SF3 best).
Modern logos and titles tend to go for the subtle and tame looks and I hate it. Bring back the fun and colourful logos!!
Correction: 4 swords anniversary was a dsi ware title, which was made available to 3ds users.
Fantastic!
awesome work on this video : 0
Great video Daniel, more of this.
I work at a graphic design company and we call this phenomenon “Blanding” = bland branding. In the mid 2000s to the mid 2010s, this minimalism was a way to stand out from the skewmorphism of logos at the time. Slowly however it has become the norm and that’s why we now use the term “Blanding”, because the rebranding doesn’t stand out anymore, it both is bland and blends in.
HOWEVER as of last year and this year we are starting to see other companies step out of this minimalistic branding into skewmorphism, maximalism or illustrativism - even early 3D vibes - as a counter-culture way to stand out in this minimalistic landscape.
The game industry, but especially the games industry in japan, tend to be a little delayed in terms of global aesthetic trends (I assume it’s because of the lenght of dev cycles)
I was definitely hoping to see some discussion about Mario Kart, given the drastic change in style between Double Dash!! and DS and the curious way it was handled within the series. Both of the aforementioned games didn't have a standardized starting line design but DS kept the old one when the logo was used, Wii maintained the old logo but dropped unique designs, 7 used the new logo for the new courses and the old one for the retros, and 8 made it so that the pre-DS games get a redesign of the old logo and the DS retros and onwards got the new logo. And despite the new logo being a much more sleek and flat design, I think it works well, especially as a way to distinguish Mario Kart from other Mario spinoffs in deviating from the usual font. Not that it necessarily needs it as the largest spinoff series, but I still find its handling to be interesting. And it does help that minor touches gave each logo a bit more personality, like the protruding lines and red top lines for DS and 8 incorporating the Mobius strip motif into, well, the 8.
25:24 Is it just an optical illusion or is the 2 in SMM2's logo a different red from SMM without uploads's 3DS?
I honestly don't have that strong of an opinion on the simplification of logos like a lot of people do these days. But I do feel like the minimalism, to me, represents a bigger trend that to me is more of a problem than even the worst offenders of oversimplification. It feels like it comes from an impression that the branding and packaging of products is ephemeral and unimportant. It just has to get the name of what you're buying across, and they know people will buy it just on the name itself. So everything gets sanded down to the bare basics, so as not to impede the readability of that name or to waste the time of the artists in designing the logo. Now, this in and of itself isn't exactly the problem. None of the games are actively worse for their logos being oversimplified, and some you could even argue the simplified logos say more about the specific game. (Metroid Dread, for one, I think works with the simplified logo - to me, it looks stark and ominous, reflecting the nature of that specific game amplifying the horror aspects present in the series, even more than games like Fusion did.) So, what is the issue, then?
To me, I think it feels a bit more of a problem in terms of why this simplification is happening now, rather than in the past. I think before, especially in the 90s and 00s, even these established brands like Nintendo had to fight to make their packaging, their branding, stand out on the shelves and in print ads. The logo standing out, the box art, these are things you might have needed to get a sense of what the game might be like, since the internet wasn't as omnipresent to show gameplay trailers and TV ads for games, while present, were relatively unlikely to see compared to other kinds of ads. In this sense, the simplification of logos could, at least hypothetically, be tied in part to the improved dissemination of information. Now, you're just as likely to be sold on a game by a trailer or by a reviewer you trust, if not more likely, than you would be by the packaging and box art.
So is that the reason that these logos have simplified? Partially. See, Nintendo can afford to count on those means of getting their game out there, instead of needing to invest in the packaging, because they _know they're going to get it._ While other games do have some level of simplification in series logos, it seems to mostly be affecting A-tier releases, things that would get the publicity by default, at least from my understanding. A lot of ongoing series by other publishers still feel like they have a flashier visual identity in some form or another. Indie games and more recent IPs like Splatoon, too, often feel like they have to hook you in in some way, and thus can have more unique logos, even if it's in a simplistic style. But Nintendo, even with their more modest legacy series, has a dedicated fanbase that will preorder from the name of the game being revealed. Though, with 3D Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon, this seems to underflow a bit - the branding of those series is so tied to them that, even with odd choices such as Link's Awakening HD and the more uniform Japanese Pokemon logos, the series can't fully simplify. Even 2D Mario, with Wonder, is continuing to use an ongoing and recognizable style, rather than simplifying it further. But with their other series, they likely feel that the name itself and the press it'll get on the internet will make more of a difference than giving the brand flashier logos like in bygone years. And while that doesn't make the games any worse (Pikmin 4, from what I've seen of my fiancee playing it, is a fantastic game), there's an intangible loss that is almost more of a disillusionment, a stripping away of the fanciful game identity and escapism that leaves you with something that's harder to ignore the brutal reality of the world we live in, kind of a reminder of the childhood I've lost to time and the corporate uniformity of a lot of the modern world. I guess what I'm left with is that, I'm not going to dock a game points for a boring logo (or even UI if it functions well enough). But the broad scope of gaming as a whole has lost something in this more simplified now, even if that something is easy enough to ignore if you just want to enjoy the games. So, it's a bit of a wash for me, honestly. But, what do you think?
The pikmin change was a travesty
Awesome video Daniel. Really wish Pokemon changed the colors of the logo with each game like the Japanese versions. There’s some great fan mockups.
Need a part 2 please!
Gotta love this video for how many nintendo shirts there are out there in the world
What a great video, Daniel
The UAC logo from Doom is one I have always liked a lot for some reason
The first two Pringles-logos are nightmare fuel. I don't hate the most recent one, but I think the two before were a better mix of old and modern. But the most recent one just combines the old take of the name being the bowtie with the more modern version of the mascot.
Usually I tend to prefer older versions of logos, I prefer the modern Pikmin-logo, actually.
Four swords was not "for" the 3DS. It was FOR the DSi, it was DSiWare, and it was no longer available by the time the 3DS came around. You could however transfer your DSiWare to your 3DS in which case you could enjoy Four Swords on the 3DS.
8:04 Four Swords Anniversary edition was for the DSi, not the 3DS