Viper 640 Branding

Started by Jason Hyerstay, August 09, 2015, 11:09:57 PM

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Jason Hyerstay

I think the Viper 640 logo is great, but I think we should consider an alternate logo without the circle for certain uses.

I also think the font is dated and the way the numbers are displayed looks wrong. I think we need a new typeface that matches the shape of the san serif V that is so prominent in our logo.

Does anyone know what font was used for the original Viper V?

I also don't like how the text and logo overlap on the boat graphics. The logo should be in its own space, and the name next to it, more like we have on the website.

I designed a logo for our Lake Champlain Viper 640 Regatta where the V is red, the circle is gone, and I added the blue triangle and white star from our club burgee.

Here is the regatta logo, and one without our triangle and star. I'll also include our club burgee so you can see what I combined.


Jason Hyerstay - Streetwise - Viper 640 #195 - Lake Champlain Yacht Club, Shelburne, Vermont, USA, https://lcyc.info

Ed "Buttons" Padin, Class Administrator

Jason, thanks for your input on the Viper logo...but changing it wouldn't be an easy thing.

First, it's a trademarked image and updating that would be a challenge as with any 'brand.' 

Second, were we to change it, the marketing resources needed to reestablish our new logo would be more in line with Madison Avenue budgets than what we have in the Viper Class Association. As an ex-Mad Man myself, I speak from experience.

Glad to chat this offline at 914-834-8286. 

Best,

Buttons
Ed "Buttons" Padin
Viper 640 Class Administrator
erpadin [at] padesta [dot] com

Fletcher

+1 for it being way too much work/cost to change the logo - we have years of brand recognition for our mark. A minor evolution of it could make sense  if we wanted to freshen things. The serif type we have traditionally paired with it has some sharp angles giving it a slightly edgy feel, but also easily readable with some classic/respectable appeal. I'm a fan.

I think a bigger issue is that we aren't consistently displaying the logo on the hulls and sails. I'm on the same page that the overlapped version Rondar introduced on their hulls doesn't look as good as the original. I've also noticed various sailmakers Adding "640" or "Viper 640" in red in random places around the logo on sails...all the ones I've seen are unappealing. It's not a bad idea though - people ask me all the time what kind of boat it is. Think it's worth asking them to standardize?

Nice logo for the Lake Champlain Regatta! It's always fun to have variations on the logo for promoting specific events.
Viper 207 Back in Business

Kett Cummins

I think you guys misunderstood Jason's point.  The circle logo is great and is very identifiable on the sails.  However, the circle-and-text logo used on the hulls looks rather dated and "loosey-goosey".  In particular, the layered text does not read well.  It could be bolder, "tighter" and more readable.

As Jason suggested, the "V" can stand alone without the circle as an alternate - but still recognizable - logo.  This would NOT affect the circle logo used on the sails and as the primary logo.

Attached are some suggestions.

Doug Mroz

Not sure I agree that it looks dated. The thing that will make everything look dated is if we start changing the logo every couple of years. Whats nice about it now is that a well taken care of Mark II looks just like a Mark IV other than some minor things. Start changing logos and now you start dating things. Plus I havent seen many other fleets do this.

Peter Beardsley

I don't necessarily think it looks dated but I think a couple of people are missing Buttons' point -- the logo we have is trademarked.  Getting a trademark in place while I was on the Executive Committee took time and money.  Lawyers were involved.  Doing that all over again has a cost.

When I was sailing out on Fishers Island Sound last weekend, there was a boat on the horizon 1.5 miles away with what turned out to be a massive lead.  We knew it was a Viper (# 39) because we could figure out what the logo was on the top of the mainsail before we could get a good look at the boat. 
Viper 640 East Coast Regional VP / Class Governor
Viper 333 "Glory Days"
Formerly Viper 269 "Great Scott!", Viper 222 "Ghost Panda" and Viper 161 "Vicious Panda"

Jason Hyerstay

Forget the sail logo. But the text overlapping our circle V, can't we fix that?

What are the exact trademarks and copyrights for?
Jason Hyerstay - Streetwise - Viper 640 #195 - Lake Champlain Yacht Club, Shelburne, Vermont, USA, https://lcyc.info

Todd Boudreaux

Maybe this shouldn't be my first post on the forum, but as a graphic designer it caught my eye, and I wanted to offer any assistance that I can. The overlapping of non-contrasting colors (on the hull) is a definite "no no" from a design/marketing standpoint. It's comparable to seeing "the new guy" sailing around with bumpers still out and lines hanging overboard. Not blatantly wrong, but a rookie mistake. With existing brand recognition at stake, it definitely limits the options for change, but doesn't necessarily have to eliminate them all-together.

In this particular case it seems like changes will be limited more by existing brand recognition and fleet opinion. (see trademark link below) The hull graphics are apparently just a combination of the two separately trademarked items. So technically (and legally) you can re-arrange the hull graphics however you all desire.

https://trademarks.justia.com/owners/viper-640-class-association-inc-2379922/

Hope this helps.

-Todd
GYA Member - Pelican Yacht Club