Is it really all about the football?

Here they are. All forty-three of them. On the surface there represent forty-three different Super Bowl games- but is that really where it ends? If football is your thing perhaps you have a few of these logos stuffed in your drawers on tee-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, or even a pair of gloves. Looking back these seem to be just a collection of logos that you may not seem such a big deal. But after their initial release graphic designers across the country would analyze down to the last stroke everything about these chosen logos. A closer look at the logos through the years though shows how closely they can mirror what the country as a whole is feeling. During the 1970s the logos has more serifs and were more decorative mirroring the disco lifestyle that many people were living. The 1980s mostly incorporated red, white, and blue, mirroring the patriotism that was present during the Cold-War era. Then in the 1990s there is a clear change in the quality and sophistication of the logos as technology increased and the Internet exploded. The logo used for the 2002 Super Bowl was actually changed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to mirror everyone increased sense of patriotism and to highlight how united the country felt at that time. The logo became an outline of the United States filled in to look like a flag. The original logo just wouldn't have felt right. It was a celebratory party-themed New Orleans logo and during our country's time of healing it would not have been appropriate. Whether or not your a huge football fan chances are you may at some point on Sunday tune in even if it's just to catch a minute or two of the game (or check out a few commercials.) That's what makes the Super Bowl different, tons of non-football fans (such as myself) find themselves at  Super Bowl parties and are suddenly part of the biggest game of the year of a sport they know nothing about (nor really care to learn.)  Suddenly they're part of the experience too and so whatever logo is designed needs to mean as much to them as it does to a season-ticket holder who stands in the cold with his belly painted the colors of his favorite team! Next years logo will be revealed after the game on Sunday. Our country is supposedly entering a time of great change - so what could be next for the logo? How could all this great change be reflected in a tiny logo design?

An Alternative Super Bowl Logo

Searching on the web for new logos, I found that The New York Times decided that there should be an alternative Super Bowl logo this year. The chosen one was a cartoon-like design by Stefan Bucher.

"The Super Bowl audience is stagnant. Any logo designed for the current target will not increase viewership. For the Super Bowl to thrive we need to tap new audiences. To this end I've designed a logo to engage the highly energetic, vigorously monetized and entirely underserved nerd segment of the viewing public by connecting the N.F.L. experience with a few of their cultural touchstones," said Bucher.

One of the cultural icons that Bucher is referring to is probably the ∑ symbol, which not only denotes the sum of a set of variables, but more importantly (in this context, at least), stands for Greek life, which is currently extremely popular among college kids (a prime audience for the Super Bowl). He might also have meant the chemistry symbol since the ones that appear in the logo represent the testosterone molecule, something connected to “manliness” and thus, “manly” sports and their respective events, such as the Super Bowl. Similarly, the triangles at the bottom represent team logos. Also, the barcode might stand for our society's ubiquitous consumerism, which is well apparent in the Super Bowl's association with advertisement. Moreover, you can take a look at the slogan in antiquated font—which could stand for something the Super Bowl definitely is—a tradition.

Current Event Blog

The Article I read was published this morning on Cnet news called "Intel, DreamWorks take 3D Graphics to Super bowl."

  This article explained how Intel and DreamWorks Animation are collaborating on two 3D pieces for this weekends Super bowl commercials. One will be a 3D trailer of the animated movie "Monsters and Aliens," to premier in March 2009. The other will be a 3D commercial for PepsiCo's SoBE lifewater energy drink. 

  However, viewers will need 3D glasses to get the 3D effect of the commercials. Therefore, Intel has made 125 million of them that are free at stores like Target and Best Buy. 

  Stereoscopy, the formal name for 3D has always been a topic of interest to me. As a child, I loved to watch 3D movies especially when I was in Disneyland. This article made me glad to hear that DreamWorks and Intel are planning on producing 3D movies to be seen in theaters this year. 3D creates the classic "going to the movies" experience into something fun and exciting. I believe this is a smart decision the companies are making and will target children and their families at most, which is a great market to be involved in.

  In the article it also said DreamWorks and Intel are updating their graphics software to Larabee which will increase what they can already do 20 times.

  This is exciting for DreamWorks and I can’t wait to see the graphic designs they come up with using the high tech advanced system. According to the article, there will also be different filters used to create better reproducing color and precision.