Formula 1 Changes Their 24-Year-Old Logo, Probably Doesn’t Expect Reaction Like This
Whenever a company changes something that fans have been familiar with for years, there’s bound to be some backlash. World-famous racing company Formula 1, however, opened up the gates of hell this week by changing their iconic 24-year-old logo to a sleek, modern design.
The slanted, all-red, CNN-like logo was unveiled in Abu Dhabi on Sunday after being implemented by company owners Liberty Media, in collaboration with marketing director Ellie Norman and ad agency Wieden + Kennedy. Though Norman later commented that feedback on the new look had been ‘incredibly positive,’ a quick trip to the Internet proves somewhat the opposite. Long-term F1 fans are crucifying the shift in aesthetics, calling the new logo ‘amateurish’ and comparing it to a leaky faucet. Even four-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton reportedly ‘liked the old one better.’ Some, though, admitted that it ‘could have been worse.’
Arguably, the most entertaining part of this drama is the fact that creators have taken it upon themselves to ‘fix’ the logo. Twitter has now become flooded by suggested revamps, including one from Will Paterson, the hand letterer who recently predicted 2018’s biggest graphic design trends. What do you think of Formula 1’s fresh visuals? How will they respond to this wave of criticism? Tell us your point of view in the comments below.
Recognize this iconic logo? World-famous racing company Formula 1 has been using it since 1993
However, some shocking news was delivered to the Internet on Sunday after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Meet the new F1 insignia, a collaborative project between Liberty Media, marketing director Ellie Norman and ad agency Wieden + Kennedy (video below)
Image credits: f1
As with the end of any era, some fans took it hard, and proceeded to mercilessly troll the fresh emblem
Others, however, embraced the change
F1’s own industry monitor even came forward to put it all in perspective, adding that ‘it could have been worse’
Designers and creators following the news decided to try their hand at ‘fixing’ the logo, and here’s how they did
Some even proposed entirely new ideas
Here’s an in-depth analysis by graphic designer and hand letterer Will Paterson
What do you think of the new logo? Will F1 cave to the demands of angry fans? Tell us below!
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Share on FacebookWhile updating the logo with time makes sense, I'm surprised that it was changed so drastically. A logo is such a huge part of brand recognition...
I like that some people actually contributed new logos instead of just complaining about it.
The person who said they were "sick to the stomach" because of the change XD... Like what the frig? I wonder if they've even heard of stuff like the holocaust, or opened a newspaper before lol....
I must say that most of the ideas look better than the original new version.
Just me or does the new logo look like 2 lanes turning into a brick wall?
The new one does look very lazy. Vladimir Cocovic's version is my favourite of the fix-it ones, really great design.
Cocovic's seems a little soft idk -- I like Jase Bloor's. But either way, I don't really care. There's no reason for people to get so upset over this.
Load More Replies...I like combination13's suggestion. The notch on the I to turn it into a 1 made a nice difference. Also makes it more apparent that it's an F.
If the new formula 1 logo changing is the worst thing that has happened to you I️ am really truly happy for you. There are people with real problems that put this to shame
The new logo is sleek and well thought out. There is use of negative space and it looks like a racing car to me. A lot of times Designers have to ask them selves how will it print? will it look the same whether it is in Black, White, or Colored. How will this print on merch? And the biggest question, how will this look at 16px by 16px. Gone are the days where logos are only being utilized on paper. This logo has to look good on every piece of media and to do that, they have to modify it and make it simple.
Ikr...people these days think they're experts on pretty much everything. Half of the ''corrections'' are bound to be out of style in less than a year, the other half are practically unusable (for the reasons you said +others). Making a logo is not just an aesthetic challenge, it requires research and development. The new logo obviously follows the 'new age' guidelines in a very clever way, design that is bound to stay in style for decades, a 'hidden' image within the logo, and usability in all media...Maybe leave some things to professionals guys..*they* actually know what they're doing!
Load More Replies...First thing when I saw new logo was that it'd look good on the side of a sneaker.
I like the new logo but agree that the little tick on the 1 would've made it more readable. People will forget about it once the hype dies down
I wasn't into f1 when they made the change but I'm just here to say in 2023 that this logo is amazing the old one was cool with the use of negative space but felt outdated.
As someone who has been branding for 20 years this logo re-design is amazing and has aged even better with time
I kind like the simplicity of it. At the same time I miss seeing the old one in all its glory behind Michael Schumacher on the podium.
Who else's Favourite Driver is Lewis Hamilton? Mine Is! But I like Max Verstappen too.
Apart from the fact this topic correspnds to recipents who should come here being absolutely bored... I don't like the new logo. Why change something that works? It was a world-wide known image, even for people, who don't follow races, like I don't. The new one is meh.
I liked one from Vladimir Cocovic, his idea is a modernized version of a previous logo and it's perfectly readable.
when then find in 6 months they change it again and this was all in elaborate scheme to get free marketing as well as free graphic design consolation.
Why fix something that isn't broken!? F1 is slowly going down hill since Liberty Media took over. Firstly the Halo device then this?? Why not slow the cars down and tell them not to overtake!! Getting a joke!
While updating the logo with time makes sense, I'm surprised that it was changed so drastically. A logo is such a huge part of brand recognition...
I like that some people actually contributed new logos instead of just complaining about it.
The person who said they were "sick to the stomach" because of the change XD... Like what the frig? I wonder if they've even heard of stuff like the holocaust, or opened a newspaper before lol....
I must say that most of the ideas look better than the original new version.
Just me or does the new logo look like 2 lanes turning into a brick wall?
The new one does look very lazy. Vladimir Cocovic's version is my favourite of the fix-it ones, really great design.
Cocovic's seems a little soft idk -- I like Jase Bloor's. But either way, I don't really care. There's no reason for people to get so upset over this.
Load More Replies...I like combination13's suggestion. The notch on the I to turn it into a 1 made a nice difference. Also makes it more apparent that it's an F.
If the new formula 1 logo changing is the worst thing that has happened to you I️ am really truly happy for you. There are people with real problems that put this to shame
The new logo is sleek and well thought out. There is use of negative space and it looks like a racing car to me. A lot of times Designers have to ask them selves how will it print? will it look the same whether it is in Black, White, or Colored. How will this print on merch? And the biggest question, how will this look at 16px by 16px. Gone are the days where logos are only being utilized on paper. This logo has to look good on every piece of media and to do that, they have to modify it and make it simple.
Ikr...people these days think they're experts on pretty much everything. Half of the ''corrections'' are bound to be out of style in less than a year, the other half are practically unusable (for the reasons you said +others). Making a logo is not just an aesthetic challenge, it requires research and development. The new logo obviously follows the 'new age' guidelines in a very clever way, design that is bound to stay in style for decades, a 'hidden' image within the logo, and usability in all media...Maybe leave some things to professionals guys..*they* actually know what they're doing!
Load More Replies...First thing when I saw new logo was that it'd look good on the side of a sneaker.
I like the new logo but agree that the little tick on the 1 would've made it more readable. People will forget about it once the hype dies down
I wasn't into f1 when they made the change but I'm just here to say in 2023 that this logo is amazing the old one was cool with the use of negative space but felt outdated.
As someone who has been branding for 20 years this logo re-design is amazing and has aged even better with time
I kind like the simplicity of it. At the same time I miss seeing the old one in all its glory behind Michael Schumacher on the podium.
Who else's Favourite Driver is Lewis Hamilton? Mine Is! But I like Max Verstappen too.
Apart from the fact this topic correspnds to recipents who should come here being absolutely bored... I don't like the new logo. Why change something that works? It was a world-wide known image, even for people, who don't follow races, like I don't. The new one is meh.
I liked one from Vladimir Cocovic, his idea is a modernized version of a previous logo and it's perfectly readable.
when then find in 6 months they change it again and this was all in elaborate scheme to get free marketing as well as free graphic design consolation.
Why fix something that isn't broken!? F1 is slowly going down hill since Liberty Media took over. Firstly the Halo device then this?? Why not slow the cars down and tell them not to overtake!! Getting a joke!
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