NOTE: This is an archived version of the first incarnation of Brand New. All posts have been closed to comments. Please visit underconsideration.com/brandnew for the latest version. If you would like to see this specific post, simply delete _v1 from the URL.
Still waiting for federal regulatory approval on the transaction of the merger between CenturyTel and Embarq — two telecommunication companies that, together, will bring together more than two million broadband customers (you can learn more about what they each do here) — the combined entity has announced their new name, CenturyLink.
To support the new name, [Glen F. Post III, who will be chief executive officer of CenturyLink] added that a new logo had been selected to represent the power of connecting people and businesses to each other and to new opportunities, both locally and nationally.
— Press Release
Designed by Monigle Associates the new logo is amazingly corporate and a throwback to the way logos were taught to be done: Icon + Simple Typography. And, to be honest, it’s nice to see a little simplicity in corporate identity these days. The icon is perhaps meaningless and you could have Embarq or CenturyTel underneath it and no one would notice the difference but, as most corporate icons, they become associated with the company behind them. The typography is remarkably simple and again, against all contemporary odds, it is not a geometric or bubbly sans serif but a hardcore humanist sans serif — well, it’s probably a Lineale Neo-Grotesque officially — straight from the 1960s corporate design look but very nicely deployed here.
This merger represents a win-loss situation: One battle was won over the swooshes of CenturyTel and one was lost on the nicely designed Embarq icon, which I have always liked.
Thanks to Darryl Oliver for the tip.
Jump to Most Recent Comment
Dale Campbell’s comment is:
I always liked the Embarq logo as well.
This might be a little too simple for me. Borderline "blah" actually.
On Jun.08.2009 at 07:52 AM
daniel’s comment is:
it's definitely sad to see the embarq logo go. it's simple but smart.
On Jun.08.2009 at 08:47 AM
Chad Kaufman’s comment is:
At first glance, there was not a whole lot that excited me, but when I looked again I liked the very simple decision to make it not symmetrical. The simple, yet barely noticeable, difference of the dark green triangles withing the larger circle create a subtle, dynamic quality that I believe is crucial to the success of this simple logo.
On Jun.08.2009 at 08:50 AM
Swifty’s comment is:
Emabrq's paper airplane always pleased me.
My only criticism of the new logo is that I find it kind of bland. The typeface and starburst are neither terribly original nor progressive.
I'd call the logo competent, at best.
On Jun.08.2009 at 08:57 AM
Jacob’s comment is:
CenturyLink? Really? Phone company names seem to follow two different paths nowadays: obnoxious techy-sounding made-up words like "Embarq" and "Verizon" and obnoxious business-y stuff like "CenturyLink." Might as well throw "synergy" and "paradigm" into the mix, too. Oh well. At least "Embarq" is dead--though, don't you think this company will just colloquially be referred to as "Century"?
On Jun.08.2009 at 09:00 AM
Keith’s comment is:
Hopefully, while they're waiting for regulatory approval, they'll find the time to kern this thing a little better...otherwise the "C," "e," and "n" might float away into the aether.
On Jun.08.2009 at 09:18 AM
Davidoff’s comment is:
The new one is so boring
On Jun.08.2009 at 09:27 AM
JonSel’s comment is:
How utterly boring. The symbol is generic and a first sketch. I appreciate the classic type treatment, but the spacing is way too loose. Anything would be an improvement over CenturyLink's old logo, but this is just dull.
On Jun.08.2009 at 09:40 AM
Anonymous’s comment is:
It works, and given who they are and what they do, that's what really matters. I can see some cool branding possibilities if they drop "Century" from the mark.
On Jun.08.2009 at 09:49 AM
Goffredo Puccetti’s comment is:
Neat and clean. Simple symbol and pure, black, - no bubble!!! - typography. I like it.
As a big fan of Akiyoshi Kitaoka works on anomalous motion images, I could not help noticing a hint of anomalous motion illusion in the green circular symbol. As you read the logotype, the wheel seems to rotate a little. Having said so, I don't know if that is deliberate or not, still it adds some flavour to the design.
If you are curious about anomalous motion illusions just google: "Akiyoshi Kitaoka, snakes"
Saylor’s comment is:
byebye embarq-plane :/
hello green dandelion :/
refe’s comment is:
I really liked the Embarq paper airplane, but I will not miss the name 'Embarq.'
I was in KC working at a Starbucks across the street from the Sprint world hq when Embarq was about to spin off. Someone on the new leadership team told me the name and I said it sounded great. Then I saw it written out.
For some reason that 'q' at the end has always made the word sound more like a bodily function than a new adventure...
On Jun.08.2009 at 10:12 AM
jRod’s comment is:
This is an interesting scenario, as CenturyTel took a step forward while Embarq seems to be taking a step back. I think the Embarq logo was well made and I feel sorry for the poor guy that put it together. It looks like it was only around for 3 years or so, as Embarq was founded in 2006.
the new logo is definitely a bit of a throwback, but ir reminds me too much of BP, even though i know they use different greens and incorporate yellow as well. BUT, it still reminds me of it.
On Jun.08.2009 at 10:15 AM
Impossibly Stupid’s comment is:
The Internet has ruin this logo for me. In would be nice corporate bland 10 years ago. These days, though, you should avoid any imagery that has multiple lines radiating from a circle (goatse) as well as lines in a 2-1 pattern (shocker). Unless you're in that kind of business, which many telecommunications companies are!
On Jun.08.2009 at 10:30 AM
Glenn Sakamoto’s comment is:
At least it isn't a swoosh...
On Jun.08.2009 at 10:49 AM
michael morgan’s comment is:
does anyone not notice the fact that the triangles are a view of the airplane from above and the circular motion of the logo copys the red in the centurytel logo. its a perfect "link" of the two brands.
as for the name...i agree with the poster a few posts above... Link would certainly be a stronger name
On Jun.08.2009 at 11:00 AM
Dale Campbell’s comment is:
@ michael morgan
Man... I'm trying VERY hard to see what you're seeing and just can't see it.
That should probably say something.
Unless it's me.
How you see a "plane from above" by looking at a circular pattern of triangles is a little beyond me.
G*’s comment is:
Interesting observation Michael Morgan. If that is what the designer was going for the execution could have been better, perhaps a bit more dynamic and suggestive of paper airplanes.
I like this logo but it could have been refined further.
7.5/10
On Jun.08.2009 at 11:33 AM
Jay Williams’s comment is:
The new logo reminds me a lot of the Slicehost logo. At least in Slicehost's case, their logo is relevant.
On Jun.08.2009 at 12:00 PM
eli’s comment is:
I think it works reasonably well, and I like the simplicity of it. At the same time, the kerning seems awkward - it gives the appearance of a word squeezed - with the letters at the start and the end more widely spaced than the middle. This is worse the bigger it gets. I also wonder about the memorability of the starburst; nice that it's simple, but a shame it didn't do something more memorable with the simple shapes (as Embarq managed to do).
On Jun.08.2009 at 12:35 PM
Hernan Valencia’s comment is:
I Think it fairs well, but Embarq's logo was certainly more memorable. Certainly a classic transcendent style, done unlike contemporary, trendy ones. I'd like to know how the client presentation went.
On Jun.08.2009 at 12:49 PM
John Mindiola III’s comment is:
How about the fact that nothing is visually linked? The triangles are separated white space, the type is tracked-out. Aarrgghh. My eyes want to see some sort of "linking" in the logo!
On Jun.08.2009 at 12:54 PM
rico’s comment is:
Mmmm, candy.
V as in Victor’s comment is:
I have to agree with Keith. The kerning is just bad. Even for a 60s throwback.
I'm all for simplicity in logos, but I also am a firm believer that you don't have an icon just for icon's sake, which this seems to do. I don't see any real meaning here, nothing to rally behind as a company.
On Jun.08.2009 at 01:09 PM
Jeffry Pilcher’s comment is:
I'm with Keith and Victor. The kerning get tighter in the word "Century" the closer you get to the end of the word. It looks like the designer thinks "letter space" should be "equal space." The gap between every letter is identical, with the exception of the gap between the "r" and the "y" on "Century."
On Jun.08.2009 at 01:34 PM
Wade’s comment is:
This is so borrrrring. They should have kept that great Embarq logo and just changed the name, "Embarq" was a terrible name anyway. I do appreciate the simplicity of the type, but again, it is so boring. What about this new identity will entice a new customer?
On Jun.08.2009 at 01:45 PM
Sebastiaan’s comment is:
hmm the first impression I get is that I'm looking at an unfinished version of the BP logo. I don't like it at all, it is way too corporate, more of a logo a Bank would use, not a large ISP.
Hey should've kept the bird / paperplane logo, perhaps bit more updated!
On Jun.08.2009 at 02:10 PM
Jacob’s comment is:
I'm kind of surprised to see all the love for the Embarq logo. I always saw "paper airplane" in it (but not in a positive light), and I also always thought it looked like the old YouSendIt logo.
Too bad the old "Sprint" name had to be crammed up against Nextel and used for a foundering cellular phone.
On Jun.08.2009 at 02:56 PM
e|v|l’s comment is:
I agree with Armin on this one. I appreciate how simple this logo is. I can see the tie in to the Embarq logo with the triangles and the airplane, I think it is a nice nod. I do think it is a bit safe but that isn't a bad thing as it also looks timeless. I think it is very nice and I love the greens.
On Jun.08.2009 at 03:32 PM
daho’s comment is:
I like the strong green color and geometrics in the logotype. The green triangles are a nice update/nod to the paper airplane, which truthfully, not a fan of. Both of those logos look dated, and the new one clean and modern.
On Jun.08.2009 at 04:22 PM
Doug Bartow’s comment is:
I'm glad they didn't go with "Linq"
On Jun.08.2009 at 04:29 PM
Bill’s comment is:
I like the nod to the embarq logo in the little green triangles that circle up to create a light burst as if you were looking at the tip of a fiber optic strand. But I'm wondering if the fat lady has finally sung on the first-word-in-regular no-space second-word-in-bold treatment? betteridea?
On Jun.08.2009 at 05:30 PM
dsigner’s comment is:
RICO: I LOVE your candy logo! Too funny and spot on frankly. This new identity truly sucks. It's an amalgamation of a hundred others out there...(think BP, Slicehost, etc.). And the name...at first...I thought it was a bank. Just something about it does not scream communications to me.
On Jun.08.2009 at 05:59 PM
Joey V’s comment is:
It's very calming and simple. Maybe too calming and simple. I already forgot the name of the company.
On Jun.08.2009 at 07:26 PM
宝宝图片’s comment is:
@Dale Campbell
"I always liked the Embarq logo as well.
This might be a little too simple for me. Borderline "blah" actually."
I think so.
The new one is little simple.
smirker’s comment is:
Wow.
Looks like it was (I hesitate to say designed) created by a machine. I can hear them throwing this together now "Look Jack, just make the second word bold, that'll make it look like a logo. Now, cut this circle up. No the letters can see each other, spread them apart, it'll make it look classy - I saw it on a chocolate box once. Done!"
They might have well have gone to logodesign.com and spent their $300.
On Jun.09.2009 at 05:21 AM
Anonymous’s comment is:
the kerning issue really is nexcusable...to do soemthing this simple, which I think is fine (if uninspiring), and then technically drop the ball on kerning 101 is just poor craftsmanship
On Jun.09.2009 at 11:54 AM
EMD’s comment is:
No CenturyLinq?
On Jun.09.2009 at 12:18 PM
Bendy’s comment is:
I'm with Armin... I really dug the Embarq logo. While the typography looked a little bit too much like a civil engineering firm's, I just thought it worked. For a cable company, it's a pretty great identity.
The new logo I hesitate to applaud since, like others, I think the mark looks a little unrefined, but It's just so wonderfully simple! And asymmetrical! Admittedly, I'm a minimalist/functionalist when it comes to design, so when I finally get a break from gradients, overload of colors, and 'humanist sans', I am overjoyed.
While it's not the best-executed logo I've ever seen, it's one that can be adapted, refreshed, and even improved for years to come without losing the original spirit.
Boring? Not at all... you've just watched too much TV...
On Jun.09.2009 at 02:45 PM
Jonathan’s comment is:
Did someone mentioned it looked for like a logo a bank would use?Frost Bank
On Jun.10.2009 at 09:08 AM
Heckadude’s comment is:
Sad to see the Embarq airplane go. I've always loved both it and the use of green.
On Jun.11.2009 at 03:58 PM
Jeff’s comment is:
I actually enjoy the simplicity of the icon; however, the typography is much too boring. The icon and bold type make the logo right-side heavy. The icon is what makes this logo successful. Two words linked and contrasted with light and bold is not working.
On Jun.12.2009 at 01:32 AM
bill’s comment is:
As I sit here without home phone service for the second day, I'm more concerned with the customer service than a new logo.
On Jun.12.2009 at 10:01 AM
Tom’s comment is:
Anyone seen the Comcast Spotlight logo? Uh oh...
Sully’s comment is:
I didn't like the Embarq name or logo at first, but it grew on me.
Now that I see the CenturyLink logo, I think the green pinwheel looks alot like a windmill over a barn.
The green colors also look alot like WindStream's colors. Perhaps a look into the future?
On Jun.22.2009 at 08:59 AM
Mark’s comment is:
OH I GET IT....
It's a pizza! no it's a sun!!! um what's it supposed to be?
There's no connection as far as I can see.
I'm confused, should have went with a wordmark, no confusing icon needed.
I like the typeface though well done.
I like Embarq's paper-airplane-like logo though.
On Jun.22.2009 at 02:09 PM
Mark’s comment is:
Century Link is a horrible name.
On Jun.23.2009 at 07:01 AM
Jori’s comment is:
Is it a pizza company?
No, wait! That name...
Something"Link"
Ah! it must be an Alarm/Security company!!!
On Jun.23.2009 at 10:09 AM
timothy ’s comment is:
There have been several comments about the kerning in the logo. Would someone please explain what you mean, and provide me a visual comparison to see"correct" kerning?
I would be very appreciative!!
-t
On Jul.07.2009 at 02:57 PM
Comments in Brand New, V1.0 have been closed.
