I'm all for new design, especially a design done up by a real, live person and not some computer-generated AI nonsense that seems to be all the rage these days. But there's just something rather boring about MotoGP's new design that feels like it does the sport a disservice.
It's fine, I guess, but it's just...blah. It's clean and contemporary, and there's an element that feels distinctly associated with Formula 1, the series' new owners. But there's nothing that captures the excitement of the racing, the wild chaos of each lap, and the drama behind the scenes. I guess you don't have to have that in a logo, Heaven knows I desperately want to update RideApart's, but we're talking about a billion-dollar empire. One that embodies some of the best racing on the planet.
I guess I just wish there was more flair, more something, anything compared to whatever this is.
It was time for a change, though, as MotoGP's flag logo debuted a whopping 22 years ago. The new logo was revealed to the public after the season's finale in Barcelona at the National Art Museum of Catalonia. As for design, the logo was created by Pentagram which has worked with Saks Fifth, PayPal, the Guggenheim, Columbia University, and countless others. And the firm's past work is equally minimal and clean. But the description of what the new logo is made to emulate has me scratching my head.
According to the series, if you squint really, really, really hard, "The M in the new MotoGP logo takes inspiration from two bikes, at a lean, close to each other on track as is unique to the sport. The ‘O’s suggest the wheels' geometry, and the ‘t’ the rider between them. Human and machine. The ‘GP’ evokes the track and helps the logo retain its strong, sporty aesthetic."
Um, sure... (squints really, really, really, really, really, really, really hard) Yeah, I don't see it, but maybe I'm not cultured enough to read all that in something that looks like it just says "MotoGP" in semi-italicized letters?
Speaking on the launch of the new logo, Dorna's current CEO Carmello Ezpeleta said, "We’re very excited to reveal our new identity and invite fans around the world to meet the new MotoGP. Working with Pentagram has been an incredible adventure leading to what we hope our fans will agree is an incredible result. A brand is more than a logo, and MotoGP is more than a sport. The process has taught us a lot about both and we’re very proud to show the world the results. The key question throughout has been, ‘What is MotoGP?’, both now and looking forward to who we want to be, and we hope this new identity communicates every aspect of that, from the speed to the passion and everything in between. This is MotoGP."
And, again, while it's absolutely different than its new sister series' logo, Formula 1, there's something awfully familiar within its rather subdued design that I have to question whether or not influenced MotoGP's final design decision. It's not a carbon copy, but the cleanliness of both are undeniable.
I wonder how much MotoGP paid for the logo and Pentagram's description?
