VH1 Logo Redesign - The ultimate Mashup?

In 1985 VH-1 was launched. The logo which stood for "Video Hits 1" represented a cable channel with programming dedicated to music videos, exclusive events, live performances, music documentaries, and TV series. Today VH1 has gone the way of its sister network MTV, featuring reality TV programming like Rehab with Dr. Drew, venturing far away from its music video roots. (I don't know about you, but I'd prefer watching the pop-up video of  "Love is a Battlefield" to Mob Wives anyday). To better reflect this change, VH1 introduced a new logo over the weekend that they are touting as "The Ultimate Mashup."




According to the promotional video, the new logo reflects the evolution of the network into the digital world with the additional of the "+" symbol by tweaking the "H" of it's original logo. I know this was not the intention, but to me it reads like "VI+1." I will say it seems to simplify things with its single color typeface (I hated the convoluted, multi-color design of the old one). And I do think it's clever (to me kind of like the fedex logo redesign when you noticed the arrow in the negative space). But I have to say, I'm not convinced it's the ultimate mashup - I've seen (and heard) better. What do you think?    


Old Logo


New Logo
                                                                                                                                                                                                 


5 comments:

  1. I think the new logo is missing something. It's more a start of the changes that the finish of it. However I will miss the old logo... I kind of get used to it.

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  2. What's so great about the FedEx logo is that the hidden arrow doesn't overpower the original message once you've found it.

    This totally reads as V+1, and now I can't read the H, even now when I'm looking for it! Cleverness overshadowed common sense on this one.

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  4. Pureefantastico - I totally agree.
    It is true, sometimes less is more...

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  5. Looks like a math problem with Roman Numberals - VI + 1 - or 6 + 1. So it the answer channel 7?

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