A Timeless Logo
As we begin designing a new logo, our goal is to create a piece of work that will remain strong and consistent for 5 to 10 years. With the ever changing culture that we live in, you can only image how large of a challenge that must be! Today, vintage design may be the “in thing”. Who knows how long that is going to last. Those vintage logos that are created now and look so great in today’s world may look like the worst logo created in a year’s time. Therefore, much thought and deliberation must go into logo creation.
Timeless logos must be the ultimate goal. Above, in the top logo, you can see how successful the designer, Frank Olinsky and a team at a small Manhattan Agency, was at achieving a timeless logo for MTV. Although the colors may not be exactly what you would think of as being “cool” now, the structure and overall design of the logo has remained intact.
Don’t get confused. A timeless logo must undergo a facelift every great once and a while. Upkeep is important, however, it should not be necessary within the first few years, unless there are extenuating circumstances. As you can see in the second logo, the MUSIC TELEVISION line has been removed and the colors have been dissipated. The handwritten font has been made less playful and is more modern. This logo has been used with the words “music” and “television” in conjunction with the main logo when necessary.
The overall structure of the original logo has clearly been a strong logo for MTV being used from August 1981 to today.
Currently MTV shows and music videos play within the framework of the big “M” font. It’s telling the story of what actually makes up MTV. It’s not the network name anymore… it’s the characters, the actors, the musicians. These stories, illustrated in the framework of the original MTV logo created, give MTV an awesome story to tell, both of a successful network and a timeless logo.
