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In modern-day Berlin architectural oddity and innovation is now an ordinary part of the booming landscape. Daniel Libeskind’s Jewish Museum, Norman Foster’s addition to the Reichstag and Frank Gehry’s DZ Bank are unarguable highlights, but there is one building that, at least on my visit, stood out as one of the most intriguing: The House of World Cultures (Haus der Kulturen der Welt). Designed in 1957 by architect Hugh Stubbin, the building’s iconic concrete roof is beautiful from afar, vertiginous up close, and surprising from any distance — delightfully offset by its massive copper-hued facade. The best way I could describe the building is as if a UFO would have landed in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange: Surreal, sensual, and slightly dangerous. The building has been closed to the public for more than a year and it reopens this month. To signal the new era for the institution Berlin-based Double Standards has designed a new identity: Helvetica uppercase in a box. A far cry from the idiosyncrasy of the building and an odd step backwards in the otherwise innovative visual landscape of Berlin. The previous logo, designed by Cornel Dwindlin in the late 80s, while he was working with Neville Brody, wasn’t extraordinarily innovative either — uppercase letters in a box — but the custom hand-drawn typography had enough peculiarities to make it feel unique to its mothering institution. Helvetica’s neutrality and ubiquity functions as the perfect vessel upon which to create meaning for any institution, but when it dismisses its unique context, Helvetica can really be a drag.
Story spotted on PAGE.
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darrel’s comment is:
"Helvetica uppercase in a box."
How could you go wrong with that? ;o)
While I, too, really admire the old type, the new mark certainly seems to fit the aesthetics and era of the structure.
On Aug.23.2007 at 10:27 AM
Ty Halasz’s comment is:
While I am not necessarily opposed to the Helvetica choice, I would have loved to see them throw some props to Berthold and use Akzidenz Grotesk, and kept it in the Berlin hometown family. I would have also liked to see the type a bit smaller with a bit more kerning like the original. Bottom line: it's not a bad idea, but the execution is somewhat weak.
On Aug.23.2007 at 10:34 AM
Paul D’s comment is:
I don't get the alignment of the new logo — it feels too tight, and like it's yelling at me. The older one is nicer, even if the font is quirky.
On Aug.23.2007 at 11:08 AM
Jürgen Siebert’s comment is:
[ ... Inzwischen ist das Signet in den USA angekommen, beim Armin Vit, der das Gebäude als TYPO-2005-Sprecher gut kennt ...]
On Aug.23.2007 at 12:16 PM
Chad K’s comment is:
Agreed with the alignment. It seems really claustrophobic with an awkward space at the bottom. The previous one had a nice symmetrical feel to it.
On Aug.23.2007 at 12:16 PM
Frank’s comment is:
So that's supposed to be an "identity", uh ?
Would be nice if they had come up with an actual *idea* for the rebrand.That being said, the old logo/identity was boring and meaningless as well.
Absence of ideas is the new trend in logos and identity it seems (in addition to "web 2.0" of course).
On Aug.23.2007 at 12:55 PM
Joe’s comment is:
That square needs a roof, a door and a chimney, otherwise...it's just a charred cube of ambiguity.
Sadly, the website doesn't offer a formal counterpoint, or even subtle suggestion of optimism.
Whose welt is this anyways?
On Aug.23.2007 at 12:59 PM
danny’s comment is:
I actually really enjoy the alignment and odd spacing within the box. ther kerning between the letters, however, does bother me. helvetica needs a little room to breath, if you ask me. my biggest problem with this logo is that the type weight is far too heavy. it would have spoken both to the building's history and to a contemporary revival if the type had been slimmer.
On Aug.23.2007 at 12:59 PM
danny’s comment is:
I actually really enjoy the alignment and odd spacing within the box. the kerning between the letters, however, does bother me. helvetica needs a little room to breath, if you ask me. my biggest problem with this logo is that the type weight is far too heavy. it would have spoken both to the building's history and to a contemporary revival if the type had been slimmer.
On Aug.23.2007 at 01:00 PM
Dale’s comment is:
Sad. There were great iconic elements to work with...most notably that roof line...and they came up with this?
This logo says: Slightly Chic Bank. Or "yet another generic art gallery in New York's meat packing district."
I much prefer the previous incarnation, if only for its "K." Obviously, classic sans-serifs can be used beautifully...see Pentagram's redesign of TIME Magazine, but this is flatter than flat.
On Aug.23.2007 at 01:40 PM
L.Vazquez’s comment is:
I have to agree... there needs to be something more. The black box (which they switch colors on the website) needs to be something else. You can be simple, yet still have an edge.
I always felt that if you're going to be simple, something needs to be stellar about every choice.
On Aug.23.2007 at 02:29 PM
Corey Buckner’s comment is:
When I make the following comment I am often told that I don't understand simplicity, and that I am insane, but I will say it again:
"This is one of those instances when I sit back and think... What the heck did the designer get paid for."
Although I like it on their website, I am not one for giving a nothing design props for being simple. It literally is just white letters, oddly spaced in a black box. That's not simple, it's just letters in a box.
Hey, it accomplishes what they are looking to accomplish, and I am sure it looks awesome and classy on shopping bags.
With all that said, I will state that when I simply look at it, and do not consider the design process, or lack thereof... I actually like the dang logo. And if you stare at it long enough and look away from your screen you can see it inversed floating in front of you!!!
On Aug.23.2007 at 06:12 PM
Marcel’s comment is:
Helvetica prisoners in an over crowded cell.
I prefer the old one.
Chris’s comment is:
Funny side note: the Haus der Kulturen der Welt building in Berlin has been nicknamed "Jimmy Carter's smile". See for yourself:
http://www.hkw.de/en/index.php
On Aug.23.2007 at 08:09 PM
sukisouk’s comment is:
boooooring!
i’ve seen this _so_ many times.
they seem to be too scared to be innovative.
Dylan’s comment is:
It seems like they chose not to acknowledge opportunities and rather went for something generic.
I too prefer the old one.
On Aug.24.2007 at 12:35 AM
Kyle Hildebrant’s comment is:
Ty is right. Akzidenz Grotesk would have been the logical (and might I suggest propper) choice for this. This was a step in the wrong direction, IMHO.
Hildebrant
On Aug.24.2007 at 02:18 AM
Audrée Lapierre’s comment is:
I really prefer the old one, the type is unique and I love that "k". I seems like more work was put into it, the new one could be an american apparel sign next to the cashier.
On Aug.24.2007 at 07:30 AM
stock_illustration’s comment is:
It's okay, but how will it fax?
On Aug.24.2007 at 01:18 PM
disgruntled designer’s comment is:
is it a crime to widely kern uppercase helvi? i guess it is and i should be convicted. love the old one so much more. helvi is fine but it's so overused these days, and overused poorly at that. i will gladly adopt the discarded logo on my orphaned logo ranch.
On Aug.24.2007 at 02:00 PM
Anonymous’s comment is:
old logo has so much more character. I am a fan of helevtica bold, but this time there is/was something much more interesting.
On Aug.24.2007 at 03:04 PM
Eric Strohl’s comment is:
The original mark didn't speak volumes but it had a certain personality to it that was distinctly appropriate. Its easy to brush both marks off as merely type in a box, but all too often designers are quick to dismiss the importance of custom typography in a solution this simple. While the previous mark has a distinctively Sackers Gothic feel to it, the small type tweaks and hand drawn nature of the letterforms make it quirky enough to be memorable.
Boring.
On Aug.24.2007 at 06:51 PM
Von Glitschka’s comment is:
Blake’s comment is:
Helvetica wins again. Nothing wrong with the new--I'm certainly a fan of Helvetica. And perhaps it's more proper for the setting. However my curiosity is drawn much closer to the older one.
On Aug.28.2007 at 08:34 AM
TearIzUp’s comment is:
Excellent Post. My compliments to the author.
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daf’s comment is:
im with you 100%!!!!!!!!!!!!
i think not too!!!!
On Nov.03.2007 at 12:43 AM
Idetrorce’s comment is:
very interesting, but I don't agree with you
Idetrorce
Robbiefa’s comment is:
When judging this logo i really think you must see its application before say its bland and boring...
http://www.doublestandards.net/website/index.php?section=project&project=968
On Dec.29.2007 at 07:54 PM
Comments in Brand New, V1.0 have been closed.
