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Since 1995, the International Typographics Magazine, Baseline has been published independently by Bradbourne Publishing Limited — the enterprise formed by Hans Dieter Reichert and Mike Daines when they purchased the magazine from the defunct Letraset. For the past twelve years, the magazine has been financed, edited, designed and produced through Hans’ London-based design firm HDR Visual Communication three times a year amidst the rest of their client work. To say that this is a labor of love is putting it mildly. For those (like me) that enjoy the newsstand experience, Baseline has always stood out on the shelves in more way than one. First, the size, sticking out atop the rest of the standardized rags; second, the content, as it continually provides unexpected and less trodden topics; and lastly, that peculiar, jittery, all-inclusive, passive-ransom-note logo.
The impetus for it is palpable: This is a magazine about the varied flavors of typography so the logo should reflect that. As a whole it succeeded in having created a recognizable texture on the newsstands, yet when broken down one does have to wonder about that funky n and the Rotis Sans b, but those are just personal peeves. With issue 52, Baseline is completely reinvented from the grid up by the HDR team. The new logo is a stenciled interpretation of the magazine typeface, Akkurat Schwarz.
“The stencil design has been chosen to give the logo individuality, recognition and a sense of classic modernity. It also reflects craft and hand lettering, as well as relating to mass production, creative thought and production processes.
— Baseline 52, Editorial
The new logo is certainly more contemporary and it manages to carry over some of the texture from the previous logo with the white counters of the stencil — clean and organized cuts. The shapes of the letters themselves are quite handsome on their own, with their mono weight strokes and slightly condensed structure. The new logo, like the rest of the design of the magazine, feels organized and authoritative. The new Baseline is able to reflect the care and attention that has been put into it for years by a team that is dedicated and passionate about their typographic sideshow.
Jump to Most Recent Comment
Ty’s comment is:
I'm torn. I hate to see such a unique logo go, but I enjoy a refreshing change. The design of the magazine is certainly better, but could the old logo have suited the redesign? I think it could have. But it's a win-win, they are both quality marks.
On Aug.30.2007 at 10:35 AM
Name (Required) ’s comment is:
Bassline -now looks and sounds like a bling bling urban warrior /music rag. Boring. What does the departure of Daines have to do with this redesign?
I haven't seen the magazine yet, and I'm not sure I'll continue to get it to be honest - especially if it has lost its freeform appeal. One of the pleasures of baseline has been the interplay between text and image in the articles, tailored perfectly to the content. From your description it sounds like we have another organised and authoritative grid. Yawn.
On Aug.30.2007 at 11:03 AM
danny’s comment is:
I'm glad to see the old logo go. It had its time and place in the 90's, with its tragically up and down x-heights and mixed letterforms. but that ship has sailed.
while i'll agree that this kind of type treatment may attach itself to content other than the magazine's, i don't think this particular type does that. as a typographic magazine the type treatment should reflect its roots of mass production.
yet this mark is successfully contemporary and classic...and at least, the x-heights aren't all over the place anymore.
On Aug.30.2007 at 12:28 PM
Joachim’s comment is:
This is for a typography magazine? By looking at the new logo, I was thinking how it's fitting for a hunting or guns magazine, but a typography magazine? Yikes.
On Aug.30.2007 at 12:35 PM
L.Vazquez’s comment is:
Bravo. F'n A. Mi Gusta.
It's a nice and welcomed change. It's strong and confident.
Name (Required): Perhaps your opinion is influenced by the cover illustration? I think it could work if the illustration were scifi themed, sports themed, pretty much anything.
L.
On Aug.30.2007 at 12:38 PM
Aaron’s comment is:
I'm sad to see the old mark go. I enjoyed it a ton. I'm not a fan of the new mark, and not because I liked the previous one better. I don't think its a fitting transition to such a great typographic magazine.
On Aug.30.2007 at 12:52 PM
Chad K’s comment is:
Sorry, It's all I see when I look at the logo.
Jason’s comment is:
Man, I'm as against ransom-note inspired executions as much as the next guy, but this is the only one that I thought worked. Split apart, each letter can be criticized and debated, sure - but together I thought it was pretty effective.
It's hard to see one of my favorite publications (if not my favorite) change an identity that I guess I was attached to. Maybe I would feel better about it if the new one wasn't just a stencil. I don't feel like this new mark communicates anything about craft or typography or how surprising their content can be. It's far too machined and bland for who they are and what they do.
On Aug.30.2007 at 01:10 PM
Chris C’s comment is:
The original shows their appreciation of different faces in one unique logo. The new is very run-of-the-mill and boring. My favorite thing about the old mark is that it keeps the magazine from picking favorites or identifying with one font. I agree with updating it but I feel they went in the wrong direction.
On Aug.30.2007 at 01:13 PM
Name (Required) ’s comment is:
Actually I was hinting at the choice of a stencil font - the primary association of which is militaristic. Combined with the pronunciation of the title, it isn't hard to see this mistakenly ending up in the music section. As far as baseline covers go though, it is the worst I've seen - where is the connection to type? If there is one I admit I can't see it...
I think it could work if the illustration were scifi themed, sports themed, pretty much anything.
As the previous cover designs were literally detached from logo / coversheet, it looks like it can only be more limiting.
On Aug.30.2007 at 01:13 PM
Glen’s comment is:
"The stencil design has been chosen to give the logo individuality"
As much as I am wary of all-inclusive, passive-ransom-note logos, the above statement may be the most oxymoronic piece of design-fluff justification I have ever read.
On Aug.30.2007 at 01:35 PM
Joe’s comment is:
This silk road was well tread...
Matt’s comment is:
I fail to see how a stenciled "interpretation" of their typeface lends individuality.
It's just not as interesting or recognizable.
Did Khoi Vinh design the new masthead area?
On Aug.30.2007 at 07:03 PM
Von Glitschka’s comment is:
Letraset lives!
On Aug.30.2007 at 09:53 PM
L.Vazquez’s comment is:
I just think it's funny that while many of us may not prefer the logo, we're pretty critical of a consultancy who probably makes more in a week than we do in a year.
I just wouldn't be so quick to dismiss their logic is all I'm saying.
L.
On Aug.31.2007 at 08:16 AM
Christian Palino’s comment is:
The stencil design unfortunately does not lend the identity individuality – certainly not in the world of logos and identities nor in the world of magazine mastheads. While the ransom note aesthetic doesn't conjure in the mind well-handled typography, the previous Baseline logo was handled with much care, the faces well chosen, and thus brought much individuality to their logo. As well, as shown in the example of the covers provided above, the vertical masthead treatment was always a welcome shift from the standard magazine cover layout.
I miss the old logo already, probably due to a large dose of nostalgia, but I am ready to give the new design a chance – perhaps they will apply it interestingly in the future.
On Aug.31.2007 at 10:06 AM
Caryn’s comment is:
This makes me very sad. The new logo does not look unique or individual to me. I feel like I've seen this treatment a lot. I enjoyed the freshness of the quirky old logo. It stood out. It made a statement. It made a good, lasting impression. Very sad.
On Aug.31.2007 at 11:24 AM
Jon Dascola’s comment is:
Being from Pittsburgh I immediately thought of the Steelers, which couldn't be further from typographic sensibility.
I was a fan of the old logo more for the context it was used rather than its own look and feel.
I would be content with removing the stencil lines and letting the new mark speak on its own. leave well enough alone.
On Aug.31.2007 at 03:34 PM
Corey Buckner’s comment is:
The new one is better in the same way that -$2 is better than -$3... In other words, it's better but still isn't a positive...
On Aug.31.2007 at 04:11 PM
Jeff’s comment is:
Lvasquez-
It's been my experience that a talented consultancy can make any execution of an identity sound good...on paper. Oftentimes, however, it feels that the actual graphic design takes a second seat to the marketing aspect - and the identity itself fails to stand on its own two feet without the accompanying justification for its appearance.
No matter how they state it, a stenciled logo cannot feel unique unless it is tweaked somehow. I'm sure if we read the entire creative brief they found a way to justify their statement, but just looking at this one sentence, it feels it was written specifically to cater to their client's needs and bears little relation to the brand they created.
On Aug.31.2007 at 04:46 PM
Steven Clark’s comment is:
I don't really mind the new logo… what troubles me more is the overall homogenous look of the new system. Baseline always had such energy—even on the cover and now it's starting to flatten out a bit.
Forget Khoi Vinh. What about Willi Kunz and Josef Muller-Brockmann? Those guys were doing the same thing long ago and they managed to pack a punch into most every piece.
On Sep.01.2007 at 12:09 PM
marko savic’s comment is:
home depot.
On Sep.03.2007 at 11:40 AM
hans d reichert (baseline)’s comment is:
sorry for my late contribution. thanks guys for your life-long inspiration in typographic design (in no particular order): bruno monguzzi, wolfgang weingart, ken garland, antony froshaug, brian grimbly, helmut schmid, willi kunz, jean widmer, philippe apeloig, rudolf hostettler, jost hochuli, robin kinross, derek birdsall, massimo vignelli, alan fletcher, paul rand, otl aicher, max huber, alexej brodovich, richard paul lohse, hans neuburg, friedrich vordemberge-gildewart, bob norda, leonardo sonnoli, heinz waibl, ahn sang-soo, jan van toorn, fernando gutierrez, fritz gottschalk, werner jeker, roger pfund, walter bohatsch, clemens schedler, reinhard gassner, ruedi bauer, hans peter hoch, anton stankowski, willi fleckhaus, kurt weidemann, guus ros, edo smitzhuizen, rolf müller, hans-rudolf lutz, walter herdeg, stephen coates, josef müller-brockmann, simon esterson, hamish muir, john rushworth, herbert spencer, jock kinneir, ivan chermayeff, april greiman, lucille tenazas, rudolph de harak, henry wolf, herbert matter, vince frost, angus hyland, alan kitching, david hillman, baumann&baumann to name some, but not all.
On Sep.04.2007 at 01:41 PM
Steve Siers’s comment is:
All I want to know is: when does mine come in the mail?
On Sep.05.2007 at 05:03 PM
Yael’s comment is:
I just like it. The new logo is nice and it just works. Then again, I have nothing for the old logo since I generally don't read this publication. (Although maybe I should.)
On Sep.09.2007 at 09:22 PM
ry’s comment is:
sad, i miss the x-height irony.
On Sep.10.2007 at 03:55 PM
Kevin’s comment is:
this redesign makes me sad. I loved the old baseline logo (and magazine when I could afford it!). It had such personality, and was such a perfect fit for a magazine about type AND more importantly, (and I don't think has been addressed) was really well crafted/executed.
I object to the reference to ransom note typography, it is far from it. The letterforms relate and contrast so well with one another and the overall wordshape holds together very well considering the concept. It goes without saying the baseline holds the characters firmly in place and there's a smooth wave-like rhythm to the x-heights. Finally, I love how the simple, thick "l" simultaneously breaks the logo apart and holds it together, especially when set vertically as it was on the cover wraps.
Just my two cents.
On Sep.12.2007 at 05:05 PM
Brad Brooks’s comment is:
I'm not sure about the new logo, but it's growing on me. What I can say is that this latest issue is excellent, so no worries there. The stock that the poster is printed on is very strange, tactilely speaking, though...
On Sep.26.2007 at 06:38 AM
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