Check out Andy Murray's (terrific) new logo

POSTED BY DAVE: On the eve of the Australian Open, Andy Murray revealed his new logo. Have you seen it yet? (Silly question, I guess, since I have included the image with this post. See below.) I'm big into graphic design. Though my career ambitions on that front fizzled within my first year of college, I still enjoy the thought process and technical skill involved in the discipline.

Andy Murray's new logo, wonderfully designed by Aesop.

Kudos to the folks at Aesop, who designed Murray's new brand. You may not see this at first, but they have incorporated 77, which reflects Murray having won Wimbledon on July 7, and for having been the first British man to do so in 77 years. Clever, huh?

What I most like about this logo is how the font treatment reflects Murray's playing style. To me, there's an assertive yet equally reserved tone. You can almost see Murray pushing forward, but doing so in a very controlled fashion, just as he does in real life, on the tennis court. Honestly, I'm even in love with how the line from the A crosses over into the M; there's a hint of Murray's forehand in that little touch, which I find to be masterful, design-wise.

If you'd like to read more about Murray's logo, and how it compares to those of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and others, hop over to Creative Review. They provide a great analysis of the players' logos, including illustrated examples of each.

Before I close, I feel compelled to plug Sugarpova, Maria Sharapova's line of candy. (Disclaimer: I'm a huge fan of Maria and her game. It's impossible for me to be objective about nearly anything she says or does.) The Sugarpova logo is not Maria's professional brand, tennis-wise, but you gotta love the simplicity and whimsy of the design treatment, and how these elements reflect the spirit of her sugar-coated venture and self-proclaimed candy obsession. Right? I have no idea who designed the logo, nor the packaging, but kudos to that person or team, whomever you are.


Have you tried Sugarpova, Maria Sharapova's line of candy?

Bess, you're a design fan. Thoughts on Aesop's work for Murray? Feel free to comment about the Sugarpova candy I gifted you some time ago, too!

BESS REPLIES: Oh, the Sugarpova candy... I love it, and agree about the packaging. Maria knows her audience in this venture, and I think that comes across quite well in the brand's look and feel.

As for Andy's logo... honestly, I'd maybe give it more a fault than an ace, and here's why. In the version shown above, with the color blocking behind it, I'm a fan. It's strong and distinct. It piques your interest. Even if you can't quite tell what it is, the color blocking gives visual cues that can help you discern the individual characters (A, M and 77.)

But when you look at the other versions of the logo - the ones that don't include the color blocking, the allure starts to fall apart for me. It's the kind of logo that I feel is going to be hard for the uninitiated to "get." Sure, once you know it's the Andy Murray logo, then it will be OK. But if you aren't familiar and you come upon it... I'm not so certain you'd get an A, an M or a 77 from it--especially when it's on a solid color background as any logo is often likely to be.

When you compare it to the Roger Federer logo, for instance... if you're unaware what that logo is trying to convey, at least you get that it's an R and an F and you can go from there.

Or, if you compare it to the Rafa logo, you may not know who it stands for, but you get that it's a bull, and you understand what that implies--powerful, aggressive, stubborn.



Clearly, the science of creating an effective logo can take many directions and encounter varying degrees of success. Roger's logo is more about a lifestyle. Rafa's logo is more about an attitude. And Andy's... ?

To me, the best thing about Andy's logo is the hidden 77 and the meaning behind it. I happen to be a fan of hidden meaning and images in logos--it was only a few years ago that I learned of the hidden arrow in the FedEx logo, for instance. Now, you could argue that if one never notices the hidden image/meaning, is it really all that effective? But, especially in the case of the FedEx arrow, I believe that hidden message has a powerfully subconscious effect.

Intrigued? Check out this collection of logos with hidden messages in them.

Also, I second Dave's recommendation to read the logo analysis on Creative Review (see his link above). No matter where you fall on the logo debate, it's an interesting read, and the comments help drive home the essence of this blog post--you can't please all of the people all of the time.

TENNIS FANS: What do you make of Murray's new logo? Do you consider the design to be an ace? Or a fault? Weigh in so one of us can feel superior when you agree with us!