Peter Behrens (1868-1940), German architect, artist and designer whose work for the Allgemeine Elektriztats-Gesellschaft, or AEG, is considered the first comprehensive visual identification program, believed that "after architecture, typography provided the most characteristic picture of a period." I find this to be very true. Just as I can usually tell from what period a house or building comes, I can usually tell around what time period a certain font was developed or used just because that style has become so associated with that period.
As I read the lecture, when I saw Wes Wilson's poster for The Byrds concert at the Fillmore in San Francisco, I immediately thought, 1960's, rock poster, before I even read or realized that it was, in fact, a rock poster. I don't know what that font is called formally, but I call it "60's psychedelic font."
But, just as certain typographies/fonts are associated with a certain time period, and some have become "classics", some can just look dated when you look back on them now.
In a similar vein, I found it interesting that the logo for General Electric Company is the same one that has been used since around 1890. This would be considered a classic, and GE would probably cause an uproar if they decided to update or change it, as just happened recently when The Gap changed their logo. People were not amused.
But some logos need updating, as times change. And as I have World Series Fever right now, I thought I'd look back on the different logos used in each of the World Series that the Giants have played in since they moved to San Francisco.
I couldn't find an official logo from Major League Baseball for the 1962 series, but I did find this poster:
As you can see, it's very dated, both the artwork and the font. Even in a fit of nostalgia, I wouldn't want to see this on today's posters.
The logo from the 1989 Series:
Now this is a classic. The logos for a few years previous to this, and for a few years after are very similar. This one was different because it was two hometown teams, The Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants in the series, hence the bridge in the photo and the slogan "Battle of the Bay". This was also the year that the Loma Prieta Earthquake disrupted the Series. I really like this logo; the font and the placement on an angle of World Series just screams baseball to me.
From the 2002 Series:
I suppose this is updated, but I don't like it as much as the one from 1989. There's nothing special about it.
From the 2010 Series:
Okay, now this one really departs from the usual. There is
Giants' orange, which I choose to look at as a good omen, but it doesn't have the classic red, white and blue, which are the colors of Major League Baseball. The font is fine, and I like the little leaves for the "Fall Classic" but it just doesn't look quite right to me.
Unlike GE or The Gap, I don't mind that these are updated and change with the times, but I definitely think that the 1989 one is the best, and if they stayed with this basic logo, I would be okay with that.
Now, if they will just win this one!
Go Giants!
Picture Credits: MLB. All photos were obtained from Google Images.
