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Can we talk about logos?

The Borgified Corpse

The Borgified Corpse

Admiral
Admiral
First off, I like the Jodie Whittaker logo. I think it's a great look for the new series now that we're in the Chibnall era.

But I'm a little bothered that they're also putting Whittaker's logo onto a lot of merchandise from previous Doctors' eras. I mean, for the longest time, there was a firm distinction between the new logo being used for the new series while anything featuring the first 8 Doctors (plus Richard E. Grant) would default to using the Pertwee/McGann logo. I liked that. It helped the hundreds of classic series DVDs on my shelf have a uniform look. This is a status-quo that we'd basically lived with from 2005-2017, through 4 new Doctors and 2 show-runners. So it's just a bit weird for me now seeing the new Whittaker logo on classic-era merchandise that the 13th Doctor will never actually crossover with, like a Jago & Litefoot audio. It's a little thing but it bugs me.
 
I'd prefer they use the logo attached to a particular Doctor. It's not always unique of course, but pretty definitive.

Are they going back and reissuing the nu-Who blu-rays with the new logo? (only kidding. BBC, ignore this).

Doctor's 9 & 10 had the same logo on the blu-ray spines. 11 had the DW TARDIS at the end. 12 had his own logo.

I can't speak for the classic DVD's. I only have two of them.
 
This is nothing new. They've been putting whatever the current logo is on merchandise of any of the previous Doctors for ages now.
 
Yeah, BBC has a thing of using the current Doctor's logo on everything Doctor Who related. Just look at the covers of the Panini comic anthologies. The anthologies published between 2005-2010 used the RTD Doctor Who logo, even the ones featuring prior Doctors. From then on, they've all used the Moffat logo, even the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Doctor anthologies published in this time period. And then there's the just released Land of the Blind, an anthology featuring comic stories for the first Five Doctors (with Troughton on the cover) using the new Whittaker logo.
 
Evil Headhunter said:
This is nothing new. They've been putting whatever the current logo is on merchandise of any of the previous Doctors for ages now.
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Bingo. There's nothing new with slapping the current logo onto previous eras - it's all part of brand association. And thankfully the latest logo is more stylized. Not since Eccleston's era has a thinner font been used, but Whittaker's logo does look more refined and professional, and with a flair that feels like "Doctor Who". Nothing tops the 1974 diamond logo, but the newest one ranks up there IMHO. I just hope the stories have had as much time and thought put into them.

Gore-ac said:
I like the neon logo from the 1980s. :mallory: They can
print
that
shiz
all over the merchandise.
That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.
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Bonus: Thank you for not writing "merch". Articles written with that word seem to be aimed at a certain sort of audience, and not in a good way. Assuming they realize it, and the non-irony there is that they likely won't. /babble :D
 
Qonundrum said:
Bingo. There's nothing new with slapping the current logo onto previous eras - it's all part of brand association.
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Well. To an extent. Yes, that's how all the classic DVDs, BBC books, and Big Finish products ended up with the McGann logo. But they kept that logo through the RTD/Moffat years.

Branding older material with the new logo is only going to fool people for so long. They're running the risk of putting people off by saying "here, these slow padded stories are more of what you like about the current show, honest!"
 
ATimson said:
Well. To an extent. Yes, that's how all the classic DVDs, BBC books, and Big Finish products ended up with the McGann logo. But they kept that logo through the RTD/Moffat years.
Click to expand...
Well, most of the Moffat years. Big Finish did switch to 50th Anniversary and one of the Moffat logos and they're now using the Chibnall logo.
 
Evil Headhunter said:
Well, most of the Moffat years. Big Finish did switch to 50th Anniversary and one of the Moffat logos and they're now using the Chibnall logo.
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The "50th anniversary" logo is still the McGann logo, just in a new color. Even Big Finish's new series-based stuff used the McGann logo; they never used a Moffat one (current or otherwise) that I recall or can find.
 
Qonundrum said:
Bonus: Thank you for not writing "merch". Articles written with that word seem to be aimed at a certain sort of audience, and not in a good way. Assuming they realize it, and the non-irony there is that they likely won't. /babble :D
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Not to go off on too much of a tangent, but I can’t help but wonder what you’re getting at there. I sometimes say merch, but that’s because I’ve had friends in bands who use the term. As in, who’s running the merch table. No odd connotations, just a slangy abbreviation that’s easier to say than “records and CDs and badges and t-shirts and stickers and stuff.”
 
I do recall seeing some previous Doctors comics reprints (I think Panini reprinting stuff from Doctor Who Magazine) that used the Smith/Capaldi versions of the logo. Those I find less intrusive since the Smith/Capaldi font had a similar thickness to the Pertwee/McGann logo. Also, the Smith logo often used the same general blue color as the McGann logo.

But after the near ubiquitous use of the McGann logo for over 20 years, including DVDs, figurines, Big Finish audios, and even the Titans comics (despite the fact that they featured mostly new series Doctors), I'm just really going to miss it. :(

And am I the only one who finds the Seasons 11-17 "diamond" logo overrated? I much prefer the Seasons 18-23 "piping" logo, even though that wasn't a particularly good era for the show over all.
 
The Borgified Corpse said:
And am I the only one who finds the Seasons 11-17 "diamond" logo overrated? I much prefer the Seasons 18-23 "piping" logo, even though that wasn't a particularly good era for the show over all.
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I find the diamond logo bland, especially as depicted on the show. The colourful version used on books/videos was better, but, nah. The neon logos were better. I like the Seventh Doctor logo more, too.
 
It was released last year in the UK, prior to the rebranding. Presumably the US just followed suit because it was too much effort to rearrange the cover.

The Enemy of the World special edition had the new logo. Completionists are not a factor in these decisions.
 
Steve Roby said:
Not to go off on too much of a tangent, but I can’t help but wonder what you’re getting at there. I sometimes say merch, but that’s because I’ve had friends in bands who use the term. As in, who’s running the merch table. No odd connotations, just a slangy abbreviation that’s easier to say than “records and CDs and badges and t-shirts and stickers and stuff.”
Click to expand...
Just say "merchandise." Pretty soon every word more than 4 or 5 letters long will be abvtd. ;)
 
Mr Soak said:
It was released last year in the UK, prior to the rebranding. Presumably the US just followed suit because it was too much effort to rearrange the cover.

The Enemy of the World special edition had the new logo. Completionists are not a factor in these decisions.
Click to expand...

I seem to recall that the classic series DVDs had two incidents in their long history of keeping design aesthetics to please those buying the sets. Especially revolving around the 11th Doctor logo.

And, Enemy of the World had already been released in the old packaging. The Power of the Daleks packaging is an odd one out though.
 
At least with Big Finish they have a alternative cover with the appropriate logo.
 
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