Disney-MGM Studios will be transitioning to a new name — Disney’s Hollywood Studios — effective Jan. 7, 2008. "Mickey still plays a prominent role for us," said Studios
vice-president Michael O’Grattan, "and Hollywood now truly is our
middle name."
As a sneak peak, The Walt Disney World Resort has unveiled the new official logo for the renamed theme park. That probably means we’ll start to see it appearing in the park replacing the old name soon.
I’ve always liked the new name, but I’m not so sure about the new logo. Sure it’s nice having the Big Cheese in there; but something about the way he fits in the ‘O’ and how small he is in proportion to the logo seems wrong to me. Will there be a version of the logo without Mickey that they can use on merchandise that features Mickey, or non-Disney characters, in other ways?
The other thing that bothers me about this logo is the positioning/size of "Hollywood". It’s off-center, but not aligned all the way to the right either. I guess they wanted to get that tricky drop down with the ‘H’ in there while keeping the tight kerning of the letters..
The little interlocking ‘O’s’ in HollywOOd are cute, but is it really necessary? I also get a slight nautical feeling from the logo, as if the same person who designed this also did the logo work for the Disney Cruise lines. That just may be because the ‘O’s are so perfectly circular they remind me of ship portals.
On the whole, I think the logo will grow on me. It conveys the spirit of Hollywood glamor. It clearly emphasizes the ‘Studio’ aspect of the park, but brings in enough theming leeway for them to start experimenting more with properties not so directly tied to movie production. Plus, I like the art-deco feel.
Scott Power’s piece in the Orlando Sentinel makes a few more interesting points about the park’s new direction. She also makes the point that while MGM may be dropped from the name, that doesn’t mean all the MGM related items and attractions will escorted out of the park (although I’ve heard that some will be).
two thoughts on the positioning of the words and Mickey, either (or both) of which may be completely off the mark that the designers were trying to hit…
1. if you draw a line from the middle of “Disney’s” through the middle of “Hollywood,” it would pretty much lead your eye right to Mickey. (the “weenie” in the logo?)
2. items being off-centered but not fully justified fits (almost) with the “rule of thirds.” That’s often used in photography and design because the human eye/brain normally finds exact symmetry to be disturbing. the “W” in “Hollywood” and Mickey’s clapboard are both at a “third” line, and with Mickey facing into the center of the image it works well.
I liked it the minute I saw it. Classic Hollywood, although I do think one without Mickey would be nice as well.
As a designer, the first thing I thought when I saw the logo was “where can I get some merchandise with just that logo on it?” I love it. It is definitely Hollywood, and definitely Disney at the same time. Imagine if it was all completely right justified.. you’d be obstructing the views of things, and it would not look right.
If I wasn’t clear. I like the logo. And look forward to many logo’d merchandise purchases as well. It just seems the word ‘Hollywood’ is fit in there more because that’s how the font and spacing worked out rather than a deliberate attempt to emphasize or de-emphasize the word.
I agree w/you, John–I see the classic hollywood thing, but it does kinda remind me of something you’d see on the Disney Cruise Line. I guess they wanted something “classic” and not logo-ish.
The reason it reminds you of the DCL is because both are modeled after the Art-Deco style and is why they share a simular font. Just as the Cruise ships were ment to evoke the ocean of that time, this is meant to celebrate the “mythic” Hollywood of that time.
Let’s see what “Disney’s Hollywood Studios” becomes over the next five years to differentiate itself from it’s past as D-MGM.
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