back to article Dropbox thinks outside the … we can't go there, not when a box becomes a 'collection of surfaces'

LogoWatch's formative computing experiences included using multiple fonts – nearly always Kawasaki and Chicago – sometimes with different shadings, in Aldus PageMaker on early Macs' nine-inch screens. This column mention that experience because Dropbox has contacted LogoWatch with news of a “new design system … communicated …

  1. GrapeBunch
    Facepalm

    Ouch <--- sound of the new drop box.

  2. Khaptain Silver badge

    Sickbag

    Sickbags should be automatically made available to anyone reading these kinds of "justifications" to what amounts to not much more than a small, almost unnoticeable, update to a logo...

    1. Adam 1

      was that a dare?

      No no. Not the logo, that looks perfectly fine if you want to refresh your branding. I mean the mountain of dribble. Visual metaphors for collaboration? Open platform? Place for collaborating? Or are we playing buzzword bingo?

      1. VinceH

        Re: was that a dare?

        The mountain of dribble is necessary.

        Without it, nobody would have noticed that the logo had changed.

        1. Anonymous C0ward

          Re: was that a dare?

          The mountain of dribble out of the noses of the "creatives" after another mountain of Bolivian marching powder?

      2. Swarthy
        Thumb Up

        Re: was that a dare?

        Oh, come on now, it wasn't that bad. The new font is a perfect counterpoint to the surrealism of the underlying metaphor of the Vogonity of the marketeer's compassionate soul, which contrives through the medium of the logo structure to sublimate this, transcend that, and come to terms with the fundamental dichotomies of the other and one is left with a profound and vivid insight into ... into ... er... Whatever it was the press release was about.

  3. find users who cut cat tail

    The logo looks like a ransom note with letters cut from two different sources (probably could not afford third newspaper...). Some glyphs look borrowed from a font with constant stroke width, some have very dynamic strokes.

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge
      Facepalm

      This is the pre-October 2015 logo an the post-October 2015 logo together:

      link

      Now contrast that with the new logo.

      I mean, I'd need an electron microscope to find the differences between all three.

      1. Morten_T
        Facepalm

        They could use all three, rotating once per day and nobody would notice, except for one of them being black text - maybe a few would see that and think 'huh'.

  4. Bloodbeastterror

    Is the logo actually different? Looks familiar to me...

    1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

      It's basically the same but it's been flattened a bit. It's the sort of thing that happens when logos need to be used in monochrome for official documents, like SEC filings…

    2. A K Stiles
      Coat

      re: is the logo actually different?

      It appears that they've straightened out the 'open box flaps' and removed the nice secure sides that help to keep the stuff you want in the box separate from the stuff you want outside the box (like dirty haXors!!)

      Oh, and they might have fiddled with their nondescript sans-serif font a bit to make it a slightly different nondescript sans-serif font.

      These sorts of things should definitely be announced by distribution of the new brand and its ethos printed on the side of a suitably waxed paper bag.

    3. Roland6 Silver badge

      The new logo is basically 5 identical diamonds in a particular arrangement and as such can be reproduced by anyone with basic Powerpoint [Aside: other drawing packages can be used.] skills.

      Previous versions of the logo required a level of artistic and design skill to get the 3D perspective right.

  5. Pascal Monett Silver badge
    Thumb Down

    "juxtaposes colours in bold, unexpected ways"

    Sorry, looks all blue to me. And I don't know their logo well enough to remember any difference with the previous version.

    As for bold, unexpected ways, I would expect piss-yellow next to turd-brown, with some lime green on top. That would certainly be unexpected and quite bold. Maybe not very successful, though.

  6. a well wisher

    Remember once being in a <large Japanese corporate> local office. in reception hangs a big poster of their logo with about 20 or so arrows pointing at different sections, with a paragraph of text 'explaining' the meaning / reasoning behind that section.

    Any logo which requires any level of explanation / interpretation , let alone on 20 points clearly is NOT WORKING !

    1. teebie

      I'm, not sure that's true "Its a smile, but also its A->Z" and "the bear is hidden, as are half of the praliney triangles" are both worth hearing.

      Unlike the nonsensical yammering coming Dropbox have come up with.

  7. Englishman_In_Cyprus

    Actually I quite liked it. I thought that some of the metaphysical imagery was really particularly effective. Some interesting rhythmic devices which seemed to counterpoint the surrealism of the underlying metaphor of the humanity of the creators compassionate soul, which contrives through the medium of the verse structure to sublimate this, transcend that, and come to terms with the fundamental dichotomies of the other, and one is left with a profound and vivid insight Into whatever it was the logo is representing!

    1. Morten_T
      Pint

      "... the surrealism of the underlying metaphor of the humanity of the creators compassionate soul..."

      Vogonity, surely? :D

      At any rate, obligatory upvote for the reference and one of these for you -->

      1. David Nash Silver badge

        Vogon poetry

        I am surprised that didn't get more upvotes, given that, at the time I am writing this, it has been there for 4 hours!

    2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      "Counterpoint the surrealism of the underlying metaphor", death's too good for them...

    3. Swarthy
      Facepalm

      Dammit!

      I just posted this in response to a post a bit further up.

      Have an up-vote, and my curses.

  8. a well wisher

    I'm sure we would all be shocked at what the design agency charged for that change or maybe we wouldn't

  9. Andrew Moore

    Hang on...

    ...where's the accompanying whale-song?

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
      Happy

      Re: Hang on...

      It can't sing, on account of having a sore throat from eating all the joss sticks.

  10. imanidiot Silver badge

    Is it just me?

    I don't even care about the exact look of the logo, I ascribe no "qualities" to any logo whatsoever at any time, but the accompanying drivel makes me want to find person that wrote it and hit them with a clue-by-four... I'm not a violent person, ever, but this sort of bullshit just angers me somehow.

  11. DaDoc
  12. Jim 59

    I miss Lester

    These articles remind me of Lester Haines (RIP), and his stout work on Logowatch over the years.

    On Uber - "The norms of modern online journalism require that at this point we embed a few tweets from the unwashed masses* decrying Uber's descent into branding anarchy, as if anyone really gives a tinker's what people are gobbing off about in 140 characters or less."

    TomTom - "A free whalesong CD (including the hit track The Ross Sea Minke posse versus the Japanese whaleburger crew) to sharp-eyed reader Mat Butterworth."

    More on Google site:theregister.co.uk haines

  13. handleoclast
    Coat

    They want your "dreamy energy"

    The only time my dreams are energetic they involve naked women, baked beans and a tuning fork (you have your own fetishes, so don't knock mine). I usually have to change the sheets afterwards.

    Are they asking for me to put my semen in their box? It appears so.

  14. caffeine addict

    Weren't you going to start including the old logo too, so we could point and laugh compare and contrast?

    Anyway, that font is frankly horrific and flattening the two sides of the box means that it's now just an abstract shape instead of having any connection to the name. It's the sort of thing I'd expect from someone like Microsoft or Google just before they dropped / changed its name.

  15. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

    ".. Aldus PageMaker on early Macs' nine-inch screens ..."

    Been there, done that... one 3.5" floppy drive, no HDD... "insert program disk"... "insert data disk"...

    Still, a huge improvement over the CP/M & daisywheel-typewriter-as-a-printer combo.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    IT Angle

    Yes!

    So is it a drop in a box, or a box that’s to be dropped or a metaphor for every dropped box ever. Or maybe an athletic command; drop! box!

    Or perhaps it refers to Doctor Opbox, the infamous LA plastic surgeon, well known for his work in the southern regions.

    I like to think it’s both all of these things and nome of them, and the logo signifies that beautifullly.

  17. Captain DaFt

    The new logo tells me a story:

    "Crap! That logo design's due tomorrow and I haven't even started!"

    "OK, don't panic, lets look at the old one..." *fiddles with iPhone*

    "OK, right. Just select a parallelogram, paste, mirror horizontally, paste, copy, mirror vertically, paste again, and back to the original, paste bottom center... This font looks good, add name, and done!"

    "Wait... Need a good story... just type in a couple of paragraphs of 'art speak', and done! Waiter! Time for another round!" *Puts iPhone down*

    Next day: "Woo-hoo, they bought it! I was sweating bullets when I noticed that I'd forgotten to color match the text, but they all thought it was 'fresh!' and 'dynamic!'... Suckers!"

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Dear god

    'Your dreamy energy'

    W1A's Perfect Curve is just too hard-headed for this level of branding bollocks.

  19. GraXXoR

    Justification...

    I suppose they have to justify their ungodly pay packets somehow... le sigh.

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