Brand Management in Esports - Page 2

Ok, fine, I'll actually do some analysis...

But first, for logo design you can read up on a few basic things on Smashing Mag's article here: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/08/26/vital-tips-for-effective-logo-design/ but generally - and for usability purposes - a logo needs to be

1. Simple
   
2. Memorable
   
3. Timeless
   
4. Versatile
   
5. Appropriate (cough cough... StarTale...)

As for the actual design principles when creating a logo?

• Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If the design was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable. In symmetrical balance, the elements used on one side of the design are similar to those on the other side; in asymmetrical balance, the sides are different but still look balanced. In radial balance, the elements are arranged around a central point and may be similar.
• Emphasis is the part of the design that catches the viewer’s attention. Usually the artist will make one area stand out by contrasting it with other areas. The area could be different in size, color, texture, shape, etc.
• Movement is the path the viewer’s eye takes through the work of art, often to focal areas. Such movement can be directed along lines, edges, shape, and color within the work of art.
• Pattern is the repeating of an object or symbol all over the work of art.
• Repetition works with pattern to make the work of art seem active. The repetition of elements of design creates unity within the work of art.
• Proportion is the feeling of unity created when all parts (sizes, amounts, or number) relate well with each other. When drawing the human figure, proportion can refer to the size of the head compared to the rest of the body.
• Rhythm is created when one or more elements of design are used repeatedly to create a feeling of organized movement. Rhythm creates a mood like music or dancing. To keep rhythm exciting and active, variety is essential.
• Variety is the use of several elements of design to hold the viewer’s attention and to guide the viewer’s eye through and around the work of art.
• Unity is the feeling of harmony between all parts of the work of art, which creates a sense of completeness.

Ok, so now that we've got that down, here is a quick grid showing visual relationships within KeSPAs logo:



So, how does their logo compare? Well the grid should clearly show that there was very little consideration in regards to the visual consistency and spacial/proportional relationships within the wordmark. In fact, there are only about 2 patterns that have any relation to one another. Another thing to note is that while the E in the logo does have a centrality/emphasis to it, the circular shape of the "K+E" has little to do with the entire rest of the wordmark (shape wise) and feels very foreign; these two points in tandem really mar the visual consistency of the logo.

The text is also visually on different levels, which isn't necessarily a problem except that because of how it's done here it has a very unbalanced look; this of course being that the positional relationship between the letters is nonexistent.

So basically, KeSPAs logo couldn't give two shits about visual consistency, or balance, or rhythm, or proportion, and I'm really shocked that it was allowed in to go into the wild...Really.