National Logo Redesign

The past logos of DC Comics.

DC Comics seems to make a habit of changing their logo constantly.  From 1940-2005 there have been nine changes to their logo.  This seems like a little too many to me, but DC doesn't seem to care because in 2012 they chose to yet again change their logo.  Behold, the most controversial DC Comics logo change yet:

The DC Comics new logo.

The new logo was a way to complement their complete overhaul of their comics (they rebooted 52 of their most well known comics back at issue #1 dubbing it the "New 52") and give them an interactive logo that would work in the digital space.  The logo is one that features a peel back design kind of like turning a new page.  The logo is also created with the Gotham Bold typeface, which cracked me up because Batman lives in Gotham and is one of their leading franchises and all (a part of me really hopes that was done on purpose and not just sheer coincidence).  The Senior Vice President of Franchise Management, Amit Desai, suggested the new logo's imagery reflected the nature of DC characters as individuals with dual identities.  "When you think about our DC Comics superheroes, there's a secret identity," he said. "When you think about Vertigo, it's this notion of good vs. evil in many of the stories. And so, in addition to flexibility, the new logo communicates this idea of dual identity: There's more than meets the eye. You have to take a closer look to understand the richness of our characters and stories."

Different versions of the logo for different characters.

 The logo has been implemented all across DC's different heroes and forms of media.  Movies show the D first then feature the peel back animation revealing the C under it and digital comics allow a peeling motion to be used also.  It is pretty neat to see the use of it with different characters that I have come across on some websites.  Overall I think it works but it is a silly logo design.  The interactive element works well and makes sense but as far as the usage on print media, I find it lacking.  The only way for it to work on print media is the inclusion of the word "DC Comics" right under it as shown in pictures.  That seems like a failure to me if your logo can't stand by itself, but compared to other comic logos the new DC design stands up surprisingly well and is a much more modern look.  The only big problem I find with it is it could be taken for other things.  One graphic designer's critique went so far as to say, "The Ugly: Things the logo also sort of looks like: A ripped condom being removed from a wrapper. A large sticker being pulled off of a toilet seat cover."  Now that I have read that, the image cannot be unseen.

Sources:

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/01/19/new-dc-logo-images-interactive/
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/01/18/dc-comics-logo-design-critique/
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/01/17/dc-comics-logo-history/
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/01/dc-new-logo/