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I don’t know much about cars, or what makes a good car good, and I haven’t owned one in five years, but somehow I know that Ford Mustangs kick ass. Or at least they appear to. Regardless… as Ford prepares for the launch of the 2010 edition of the Mustang they have issued a press release for the redesign of the badge. Fitting somewhere between logo design and sculpture, this new pony comes with some of the most awesome (and I strangely mean this without sarcasm) press releasing: It’s just a faster-looking steed. → We lifted the head to make the pony more proud, tipped the neck into the wind to give it a feeling of greater speed and better balance. → It’s more chiseled and more defined and looks more like a wild horse. And indeed it is! It really looks like it could do even more ass kicking than the previous version. The differences are hard to discern so I quickly put this overlay together (yellow is the new badge). I love it when companies obsess over details to make a stronger visual, reminds me a little of Matthew Carter’s redrawing of the MoMA logo. Giddy up!
Thanks to Jason who already reported it on his blog for the tip.
Jump to Most Recent Comment
jean claude vanMammal’s comment is:
as a fellow mammal, i agree that this kicks ass! it is well thought out and the subtle changes are meaner and more confident.
with that being said, i would never drive one of these muscle turds.
On Sep.03.2008 at 09:37 AM
dg3’s comment is:
I'm digging it. It's almost not even noticable, which is a good thing.
On Sep.03.2008 at 09:51 AM
Darrin Crescenzi’s comment is:
A thoughtful and well-executed update… I really dig how the mane begins to reference plate armor. It's definitely more aggressive.
On Sep.03.2008 at 09:59 AM
damon’s comment is:
subtile, but a little bit nicer in my opinion.
the lines are a bit more angular and stylized.
On Sep.03.2008 at 10:14 AM
Daniel Campos’s comment is:
For me, they're same!
On Sep.03.2008 at 10:18 AM
Remy Overkempe’s comment is:
Love it, very subtle and nicely updated to a strong looking icon.
On Sep.03.2008 at 10:22 AM
John McCollum’s comment is:
Love it.
On Sep.03.2008 at 10:25 AM
darrel’s comment is:
Now only if they'd put that much attention to detail in the quality of the actual cars they produce.
On Sep.03.2008 at 10:46 AM
Neil’s comment is:
Great redesign, although I feel that the silver colour would have been nicer than grey/black and the man looks too sharp for me.
Additionally, thanks for linking to the MoMA article, quite an interesting story!
On Sep.03.2008 at 10:54 AM
Neil’s comment is:
And by 'man', I meant mane!
On Sep.03.2008 at 10:55 AM
Bb’s comment is:
It'd be nice to see a history of Mustang emblems over the years.
On Sep.03.2008 at 10:56 AM
jRod’s comment is:
The new version is much more aggressive. I like the chiseled look as well as the color selection. i am not a fan of Ford or american cars in general, but this will definitely add a tougher stance to the classic emblem. I like how they held a lot of the features from the original while giving it a modern edge. The mane looks more razor like with 3 spikes instead of 4. I like how the light plays off the bottom of the neck and underbelly. Nice contrast there. Good job overall... i really have no complaints. Reminds me a lot of a pro sports logo.
On Sep.03.2008 at 11:17 AM
Jeffry Pilcher’s comment is:
Makes me reflect on John Deere's evolution.
On Sep.03.2008 at 11:36 AM
arnold Porras’s comment is:
Very fine, subtle and awesome.
On Sep.03.2008 at 12:24 PM
Andrew Harrington’s comment is:
The new mane looks too 'generalised' compared to the rest of the body. I think that part of it is a downgrade. It looks too cartoonish while the rest of the horse has a good bit of realism.
On Sep.03.2008 at 12:43 PM
Bob’s comment is:
Kicks ass
On Sep.03.2008 at 01:00 PM
Hawkeye’s comment is:
Nice. It's worth noting though, that it no longer resembles a mustang. With the smaller head and longer legs it's more like a regular horse. Surprisingly thoughtless, considering how well established the term "Pony car" is.
On Sep.03.2008 at 01:15 PM
Chris Rugen’s comment is:
Sharp work to clean up the logo, though I admit, I don't know horses. So Hawkeye's valid comments aside, I like it.
But that's always the danger with redesigns: losing sight of some of the original intent because the people redesigning it lack the contextual understanding of the details.
On Sep.03.2008 at 01:29 PM
max’s comment is:
I see most of the viewers on this site will understand the changes and the reasons behind them. However, I doubt most people will see such a subtle difference.
Why they got rid of the chrome aspect of it is beyond me. Chrome goes with everything and is a staple of the branding.
I got my first speeding ticket driving my dad's Mustang GT 5.0.
90mph in a 55mph zone.
Awesome.
Harris’s comment is:
Some of the complaints above don't make any sense. The head is the same size, just turned up. The legs are the same length. If you don't believe me, look at the overlay. Also, it's still chrome, but a "subtly toned tinted-chrome finish."
On Sep.03.2008 at 04:58 PM
Tiffany’s comment is:
The details are what really matter. I think they sharpened the factial features too. I see a wicked grin there.
On Sep.03.2008 at 05:02 PM
Jared Rhizor’s comment is:
A great but subtle improvement.
On Sep.03.2008 at 06:01 PM
Arthur’s comment is:
Looks bad ass to me! Almost makes me want to buy a car, even a mustang for that matter. Ok, maybe it doesn't subtle change makes a huge difference.
Now only if Ford could get me an electric pony.
On Sep.03.2008 at 07:00 PM
Goffredo Puccetti’s comment is:
Well thought out, subtle and nice.
Top marks.
Dylan Mullins’s comment is:
" I love it when companies obsess over details to make a stronger visual"
Spot-on.
On Sep.03.2008 at 07:12 PM
Matheus’s comment is:
This looks good.
On Sep.03.2008 at 09:00 PM
Mingshi’s comment is:
Wow, "The Emperor's New Clothes"!
On Sep.03.2008 at 10:05 PM
Glenn Sakamoto’s comment is:
Love it. Much more powerful.
On Sep.03.2008 at 10:15 PM
Prescott Perez-Fox’s comment is:
I like the re-tooling of the new version, but what's with the colour change? Is it no longer going to be stuck to the grille in chrome?
On Sep.03.2008 at 10:36 PM
illusio’s comment is:
The mark has serious muscle now and it will blend wonderfully with super slick 2010 model.
On Sep.04.2008 at 12:06 AM
Von Glitschka’s comment is:
This helps to see the improvements.
They really refined this well. The profile is more stream line aiding the speed, the detailing and angles of the head improved and they simplified the detail of the modeling.
Giddy Up!
On Sep.04.2008 at 12:41 AM
Jason’s comment is:
It is more angular (chiseled) which creates graphically strong contrasts.
It's more of a graphic than a sculpture of an animal now.
If any of that makes sense.
On Sep.04.2008 at 03:04 PM
Mongoose’s comment is:
Very nice. The angularity of the mane isn't overdone, the rump's lines look more potent, the slight lift to the head is good. As said, it's small but important details, that make it all look quite aggressive and potent, without going into overdone blargh.
A.
On Sep.04.2008 at 06:55 PM
Paul’s comment is:
I have to disagree with most of the people here. I don't find the redesign an improvement at all. If you look objectively at the animated gif supplied by Von, you notice that the redesign is bulkier than the original, which decidedly doesn't aid in the visual "speed" everyone here is raving about. The hind quarters of the new logo resemble a large dog, not a horse and the shading somehow manages to look very heavy to me.
The redesign fails miserably for me for two very good reasons. First, it looks like a Marvel Comics edition of the classic mark ... it doesn't look classy or "classic" any longer. The fabulous history of the mustang is completely lost with a mundane "let's appeal to a younger demographic" cartoon. Which leads to my second issue, the color palette and angularity scream Japanimation.
All they had to do to make the original look "faster" was raise the head.
On Sep.07.2008 at 03:47 PM
Paul Ducco’s comment is:
I like the new version, but the rear of the mark does look weird.
The head raise definitely makes a difference. I do like the simplification/streamlining, though some of the form does seem to be lost.
Things progress ... the shape of the new release cars will be different to that of the original (released with the previous iteration of the logo) ... in context it's a great update IMO.
On Sep.07.2008 at 08:58 PM
crystal barlow’s comment is:
As a Mustang owner and a Graphic Designer I am loving the change! Nice work Ford. It's that kind of attention to detail that allows great symbols to grow without losing the integrity of the mark.
On Sep.08.2008 at 11:27 AM
Chuwa’s comment is:
Good job, yes.
It would be great if just a small percentage of such effort was put into designing and marketing bicycle by the car companies.
If designers can entice the public into a resource-wasteful metal box (car) sure they can do better with the most efficient machine invented (bicycle) so far.
Stewart’s comment is:
It's hardly noticeable, but the tilted head really does give the horse a greater sense of speed. So job well done I guess. The back leg now looks slightly odd though, more like an ancient greek style drawing of a horse, where the legs taper down to points, instead of the more anatomical look of the old design. I wonder if it was a necessary change, or more to justify the fact they would otherwise have been paid just to tilt the head?
On Sep.11.2008 at 06:52 AM
Char’s comment is:
fuck yeah!
On Sep.11.2008 at 05:25 PM
James’s comment is:
Now if only the horse were moving forward.
On Sep.12.2008 at 11:05 PM
Nik Daum’s comment is:
You can see the much cleaner lines in the highlights of the emblem. I like it.
On Sep.14.2008 at 01:55 AM
Nobody you'd know’s comment is:
Wow. Something Ford DIDN'T screw up and committee into oblivion.
On Sep.22.2008 at 06:06 PM
eq’s comment is:
The pony looks more bad-ass because it's making a threat. The ears are pinned back, the head is thrust forward, and the neckline is flatter. That's how real-world horses make threats.
Other mammals have similar gestures, especially the pinning of the ears. It's funny how we can respond instinctively to these gestures without being able to explain why.
On Sep.22.2008 at 06:19 PM
Fred Sandford's Technology Blog’s comment is:
Just as well that this redesign features a horse that's either in severe pain, has been mated with a refrigerator, crushed by a meteorite, or is simply drawn wrong, since few enough people have seen a horse running these days anyway.
Mustang? That's a car, right?
On Sep.22.2008 at 08:12 PM
tman’s comment is:
Great job, certainly looks more contemporary and dynamic. Interesting to compare with the Qantas logo redesign.
On Sep.22.2008 at 08:12 PM
Anonymous’s comment is:
Maybe y'all missed it because of the heteronormal association of muscle cars with beefy guys, but the thing I immediately noticed about the new mark is its fuckability.
By which I mean, Damn! That horse has booty!
I can't decide whether it's brilliant subversion of a classic guy-brand, or if it's a blatant appeal to the softer side of pony-love, but one thing I'm sure of:
That is not the curve of a stallion.
Enjoy your new mark!
On Sep.23.2008 at 08:42 AM
Brandon Page’s comment is:
Very well done!
On Sep.25.2008 at 02:46 PM
name’s comment is:
great
www.marcdisseny.es
www.marc3art.eu
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