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Go Home Check Out The New Republic's New Logo

PLANK JANUARY 8, 2013

Check Out The New Republic's New Logo

BY TNR STAFF

Home News: As many readers know by now, a redesigned and reimagined version of The New Republic will land at the end of this month. The new magazine aims to offer fresh, thought-provoking journalism about a broad range of subjects—politics, culture, and big ideas. It’ll do so by building off a century-old tradition of context and analysis beyond the daily headlines.

On January 28, visitors here will also be greeted by an entirely new, cutting-edge website with a redesign that aims to be every bit as novel as the reinvented print version that’ll start showing up on newsstands and in subscriber mailboxes that same day. Subscribers can also enjoy a newly designed iPad edition for a sneak-peek a few days early—a regular subscriber benefit. If you don’t mind our saying so, that version is pretty beautiful, as well.

Above is a small window on what’s to come: An early look at The New Republic’s new logo—the first of many changes we’ll be rolling out in this space. Check back in the upcoming weeks for more updates.

Read about the logo’s inception and design in an interview with our Creative Director, Dirk Barnett. 

 

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35 comments

How ironic -- the new logo doesn't display yet. Frankly, I'm quite fond of the current design of the TNR website. I hope you don't favor too much glitter over good content. Time will tell.

- AllanL5

January 8, 2013 at 12:00pm

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Ugly.

- mgorvine

January 8, 2013 at 12:02pm

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all cap sans serif logo? huge mistake. Even Tina Brown (whenever she took over) got the message to NOT mess with the logo and typeface of The New Yorker. Long established Brands that tamper with their historic logos do so at great risk to the Brand.

- K2K

January 8, 2013 at 12:10pm

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yeah, keep the logo as it has been, let the articles be the new part :)

- jordo1138

January 8, 2013 at 12:20pm

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I like the new logo. I'd also like to read about big ideas from vital but neglected thinkers, like Tom Slee: http://crookedtimber.org/2013/01/07/tom-slees-self-assessment/

- STTaylor

January 8, 2013 at 12:31pm

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Eternal optimist as I am, I was sort of hoping that The New Republic, at least, would avoid using the term "cutting-edge" in its announcement of a new design/logo. But 'twas not to be.

- ironyroad

January 8, 2013 at 12:38pm

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Agree with K2K--big mistake to mess with branding, especially with the centennial coming up next year. Stick with the tried and true.

- lisabosco

January 8, 2013 at 12:41pm

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This publication needs a lot more than a new logo. It has become more and more repetitive, boring, unoriginal, and founded in armchair speculation rather than reportage or research. The current stable of writers, with few exceptions, are monotonal, soporific, and in most cases virtually ignorant of their subject matter, and as demonstrated by the last issue of the magazine, subject to no apparent editing or discripline whatsoever. It doesn't take 8,000 words to say what you have to say about most topics, especially when there isn't much to say in the first place, e.g., the interminable article about do-it- yourself abortions in the last issue. I think too many people are becoming entirely too lazy and complacent and way too much impressed with their own half-formed opinions. You had better fix these things and not worry so much about the logo.

- mlottman

January 8, 2013 at 12:44pm

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My only criticism is that it should have been in Helvetica typeface, in order that the magazine's new sans-serif soul be conveyed...

- Singlpayer

January 8, 2013 at 1:15pm

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Arg. New logo won't do it. Need new writers dedicated to advancing Progressive policies and Keynesian economics. Owners should make an offer to blogger roi. Would also suggest contacting Robert Reich... and how about Brad DeLong as the West Coast version of Paul Krugman?

- drofnats1

January 8, 2013 at 1:25pm

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I like the use of negative lettering. However, why not hire roi? or Reich? That said, Mr. Cohn and Mr. Noah do a great job.

- Sophia

January 8, 2013 at 1:32pm

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1. That this guy went through "50 variations with 15 different typefaces" before settling on this character-less whose negative and hueless "colors" combine with its sans-serif feature to make it actually _hard_ to read reminds one of H.L. Mencken's comment about the election of Calvin Coolidge. (See http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2008/10/29/in-the-magazine/people-and-places/incomparable-hl-mencken.html) 2. It is not exactly reassuring that "My first few trips to The New Republic's D.C. offices were spent pouring through back issues." Coffee? Black ink? 3. I suggest that they get rid of the quotation marks that go outside the margins, and otherwise, leave the design of the magazine alone and spend their time and money on something else.

- TARFON

January 8, 2013 at 2:52pm

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I don't mind the sans serif typography but it could have been a bit narrower instead of on the obese side. And burying the 'The' inside the N is a bad idea. It will get lost and you'll simply be known as 'New Republic' instead. This must happen when the graphics firm hands over to the coders and the intern hit the outline feature in their illustrator program. Graphic hierarchy is important and logo updates are important too for branding across multiple platforms but this particular new logo needs a bit more work.

- singlspeed

January 8, 2013 at 4:30pm

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Hate the new logo. Cheap looking. Would never buy this off a newsstand.

- kenmic

January 8, 2013 at 5:53pm

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I don't mind it, but didn't the band "One Republic" use something like this? Ryan Teddy is calling! (I think that's his name). My big question is whether you're going to have an ANDROID app.

- Lymon1

January 8, 2013 at 6:02pm

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For those skeptical about the future of TNR, I recommend you watch the discussion among TNR's publisher/editor-in-chief, Ariana Huffington, and Peter Thiel. TNR has never been in better hands (well, except for Lippmann, but let's look to the next century, not to the last).

- rayward

January 8, 2013 at 6:11pm

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Yeah -- agree with singlspeed -- "The" gets lost in the N -- if you want it there, at least make it bigger. Overall, in any case, I like the old look better -- and I (mostly) like the content/substance as it is now. Would hate to see you run off the must-keep-up-whoever-the-joneses-are cliff. Also, since I got here from a mailing, why did I have to put up with yet another sign-in request, and then have to log in to be able to comment?

- LISAH

January 8, 2013 at 6:34pm

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And again -- why are you asking people who are current subscribers and got here from your e-mail, to sign up to get the new issue? Why did I just get an e-mail saying I'll have opportunities to become a subscriber? I've been one forever...what's going on?

- LISAH

January 8, 2013 at 6:43pm

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"Cutting edge"? Doesn't anyone edit this crap? Just plain ugly. Did they actually pay someone to come up with this? And then promote them to copy boy? Not all change is for the better. Here is a cutting edge example.

- plstaylo

January 8, 2013 at 6:59pm

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The new font is similar to the one that Newsweek changed to when Tina brown took over. Look what happened!

- jaylapidus

January 8, 2013 at 7:22pm

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There is more to the tablet, mobile and beyond world than ipads. Seems you haven't gone very far onto cutting edge.

- ca1354sedona

January 8, 2013 at 7:42pm

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TNR has been known to do regular updates on its look. I wouldn't get too wound up the look of the new title, though I do like it. It's modern-retro looking, which is kind of the thing these days. Make sure you read the interview with Dirk Barnett if you haven't already, it pretty much nails the high points of the logo design.

- jet

January 8, 2013 at 8:28pm

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I agree, "The" gets lost, too small. To me the typeface looks clunky & graceless.

- s.trabka@frontier.com-old

January 8, 2013 at 9:54pm

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http://www.theatlanticwire.com/business/2013/01/what-theyre-saying-about-new-republics-new-logo/60734/ "Everyone knew former Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes was going to shake things up at The New Republic, but nobody expected a redesign of the classic DC title to be quite so... sans-serif. ...[has images of all logos from the beginning] So Barnett's big idea for a new logo is to completely ignore the history of a magazine on the eve of its centennial year in print, then design a logo almost indistinguishable from every other sans-serif magazine logo? Well, at least it was already reminding us of the logo at The Daily, Rupert Murdoch's iPad-only newspaper that... failed miserably. Though, Poltico's Dylan Byers notes the font is the same used by other riveting reads, like The Hollywood Reporter and Golf Digest." This is why I decided to not become a book designer in 1975. Helvetica was already demolishing Century and Garamond. sigh. This font, Antennae, makes me think of elephants.

- K2K

January 8, 2013 at 11:57pm

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Why are you hiding the specificity of THE new republic?

- arnon1

January 9, 2013 at 12:11am

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The new logo is either awful or awesome. Very plain. I guess it's like a new symphony for the first time when the audience threw things and walked out only to find out years later the work had become a masterpiece. I still remember the TNR re-design in the mid-1990's--it rivaled the Edsel. Good luck with the contempo try.

- DavidK

January 9, 2013 at 12:49am

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Do not like the new logo.

- ndizz

January 9, 2013 at 10:17am

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January is here, where is my new issue?

- arnon1

January 9, 2013 at 1:34pm

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I usually don't make comments but I will now because I will have to look at this every day. So ugly and unimaginative. I love the current logo but understand change can be good. However, this looks more like a Stop Sign rather than a "come read me". Anything in all uppercase is screaming at you. Try sentence case and maybe a fourish or picture. Your peeps are crying out to you.

- lala

January 9, 2013 at 2:38pm

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Hiding the article in "the" New Republic wasn't a good idea.

- arnon1

January 9, 2013 at 3:50pm

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Sure, whatever. As long as you don't screw with 'Books & the Arts', fine by me.

- SEBASTIANSALING@HOTMAIL.COM

January 9, 2013 at 5:03pm

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Some of the best articles in the TNR are being written in the "Book" area where readers are not allowed to comment. Case in point, the recent superb article on paperwork: "I Would Prefer Not To—What Paperwork Means in Modern Life" Jacob Soll I hope the "new" New Republic" will integrate "The Book" into the regular magazine.

- arnon1

January 10, 2013 at 2:33pm

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I think it is pretty good, the masthead. (Google logo in images to see some of the past.) For one thing, better to have the words NEW REPUBLIC of equal size and all together on a single line. Yes, the tradition of the original magazine has often put "The New" in smaller letters above, perhaps appearing to be REPUBLIC magazine to rack browsers. Putting a miniscule "THE" in the N is so-so. At first appearing like a little white-out drip booboo, it may mean it is being transitioned out altogether at some point. I would have put it in gray in the upper white space in the N's v area. Or even above the middle line of the next letter E. A minor quibble. The total redesign is what really counts. Hope it is not ushering in a bizarre new era like the neocon, anti-health care stuff of the mixed up 90s on these pages.

- atlasqq

January 10, 2013 at 2:53pm

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"The new magazine aims to offer fresh, thought-provoking journalism about a broad range of subjects—politics, culture, and big ideas. It’ll do so by building off a century-old tradition of context and analysis beyond the daily headlines." You mean you're not already doing those things? Sounds like you've conned by some fancy pants consultants. I hope your silly, and presumably expensive, re-branding effort doesn't lead to higher subscription rates. BTW, the new logo sucks.

- rbbrown

January 11, 2013 at 11:34am

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Where did the Archives with articles from all the past TNR's go? Does anybody know? If that's gone, so am I--from TNR.

- magboy47.

January 14, 2013 at 1:54am

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