Type Battle 39 // Digg logotype

Jared Benson
4.Jan.2010 4.08pm
Jared Benson's picture

This week's battle: Design a new logotype for digg. (digg.com)

Let's show our friends over at digg what a logotype could look like when designed by typography experts.

Winner take all, no holds barred. May the best designer win.

// REQUIREMENTS

- Solution must be typographic and contain the letters "digg" in lowercase.
- Letters must be custom drawn. No use of existing fonts!
- Image size: 550 width x 400 height. 72 dpi*
- Color: Black and White
- Format: PNG, GIF or JPG (Preferred in that order. Mmake sure there are no spaces in the name)

*Please try to keep your file sizes to a minimum! 50k per file max.

// ABOUT TYPOPHILE TYPE BATTLES

This is your chance to flex your type muscles on a weekly basis. You have one week to create and submit your entry. Anyone may submit a design response to the challenge. You may enter as often as you wish. Post anytime. Critiques and comments are welcome throughout the game, from participants and spectators alike. Smack talk is encouraged.

As with any street battle, there is no panel of judges and no prize — only the ability to call yourself the best on the block.

Link directly to this battle: http://www.typophile.com/battle39
Link to the battle directory: http://www.typophile.com/typebattles

Overheard on Twitter via @DanGayle: " I actually kinda like the Digg logo. Very NON-web 2.0"

Sure, but the Digg logo is more like Web 1.0, when designers were first discovering GIF optimization and pixels.


Needs polish, but:

BTW, I don't get why we can't use existing fonts (I used Franklin); most logos start with fonts. But if "you" really like the idea I can make it from scratch.

hhp


Please don't accept JPG files... the artifacts are horrid for typography, and the compression algorithm it offers is unnecessary for the subject matter.


"stretch" your type muscles?
flex! :)


Reasons to like the current logo:

  1. Boxy appearance makes it work very effectively if you think of "text as user interface", i.e., a call to action button. In fact, I would say that Digg does a poor job of capitalizing on that fact by NOT using the logo on the myriad "Digg this" buttons on the interwebs.
  2. There are no shadows, gradients, reflections, swooshes, spheres, whitsits or whatsits
  3. The logo reproduces well on ALL mediums, works as a single color, and works positive or reversed
  4. The overt technical connotations of the bitmap-esque letterforms are appropriate to the concept of "repository of web resources"

What they should replace is that stupid icon of the dude with a shovel, which is barely recognizable even at large scale.


@Jeff Peppers: edited. :)


@Jared Benson: Thanks for updating the format requirements ;)


Used Fontstruct to keep the squarish quality intact. This is Hexagen.


This might as well serve as my introduction. Hi there.



I took a stab at trying to work with what they have instead of coming up with a new solution. I don't hate what they have, but I do feel that it needs help. I also feel that it is important to see the logo in its actual size, which is small. Hope you like,

high five,
Joe


Actually looking at my finished solution my i is to fat, FAIL. hahaha


"Because Digg is all about sharing and discovery,
there’s a conversation that happens around the content."

hhp


You want pixels?

Or maybe a shovel head instead of that triangle.

hhp


don't like it -- Flag it :)



Here is your shovel @hrant


My first entry in Typophile!


Very nice, Sulekha! (...maybe not appropriate for the task, but a gorgeous composition on its own!)


Laugh out loud. Perfect.


Sulekha: Could we please have a separate thread about that luscious thing?

Darrel: Good one! The only cool thing about the Bing logo is its use of the Koch "g", which is -rightly- getting more airtime lately.

Bruno Bruno: Thanks - I can dig it. :-)

hhp


Don't have Fontlab to adjust anything, so my Illustrator rough will have to do:


I always kinda liked their logotype. Love the hipster, constructivist feel.


If only I could somehow work in a likeness of Sammy Davis, Jr.


Just a quick sketch. Trying to keep the blocky feeling of the current logo.


So many great designs!
@Sulekha: beautiful!
@Chris, I know you've heard this before, but that gg ligature is just adorable.
@Hrant, you have some great concepts there.

Yours,
Måns


I like where you're going with that, eliason


If you're enjoying this topic, please digg it up!


The icon represents a man with a shovel, huh? For some reason, I immediately thought of a man next to a letter box.


Actually, a man with a prosthetic jackhammer.

hhp


Man with an oversized stapler :-)

ChrisL


Here's another effort at making the existing square design less clunky:


Looks at the legs... them being different... is it supposed to signify something ? :-)


like this... but more aggressive


Nice.
Put a notch in the "d" too - at the top of the bowl-stem join.

hhp


Wow - Nicely done, Jared!


a bolder version of my earlier one:


this is my entry. i may try some variations on this; but for now. this is it. done in fontstruct, or course :)


here is a variation :)


It's as literal as it gets:

-

BTW, Always great to see new challenges. Thanks.


-=®=


@ Mans …

Somehow I see that as an animated gif logo :o)

@ JL …

hilarious.

@ dezcom

You can never go wrong with a gg lig. :o)

-=®=-


@ Bruno Bruno …

very clever.
So far, your first one is my favourite - But Sammy Davis Junior is right on your heals.

-=®=-


Mark: I see what you did there, very smart! :o)