Bevel and emboss

In my previous blog (sadly no longer online) a had a regular(ish) slot called ‘Bevel and emboss’. It was early 2006 and the Web 2.0 thing was in full swing. There were a plethora of corporate identities taking on a new, softer, more rounded appearance. Gone were the harsh angles of corporates past. In came bevels, embossed curves and, the one-time faux-pas or the ’serious’ designer, the drop-shadow.

Well, here we are over 2 years later and the band wagon is still rolling. In fact, it’s probably gathered pace. The latest organisation to adopt this new look is a football club, Queens Park Rangers (QPR) located just down the road from where I live in west London.

This isn’t a sports blog so I will spare the back-catalogue of stories about QPR’s financial woes, and how their new owners’ combined wealth make them the, on paper, richest team around.

No, I want to discuss the new logo. Gone are the old intertwined Q, P and R letters, and in is a proud new shield with decorative curlicues. Gone is the reference to QPR, the name is now solely spelt out in full. However, it’s the shine that really impresses and those flourishes are rounded to within an inch of the limits of the Photoshop filter.

QPR Logos old and new

Having done a little digging, it’s all grounded in sound design and research. The actual silhouette is based on the Hammersmith and Fulham crest, the borough in which the home of QPR is located – Loftus Road. The main shield is rendered in blue and white stripes – as per the kit. And, as the club name suggests, it’s all topped off with a rather regal crown.

Hammersmith and Fulham crest

It’s interesting that the versions submitted to the intellectual property office are flat and not at all rounded or beveled in any way. I must say, it looks a lot better with the bevels. Similarly, the QPR site has a ‘flattened’ version of the logo.

All in all, I actually quite like the identity. It’s the way a lot of football clubs have gone over the recent years – softer and more consumer focussed. I understand the fans are quite split on whether they like the new logo or not though. Let’s see if the refresh of the logo can be transfered to the pitch with a top of the table finish for the team next season.