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How do you feel about the logo

253
Posts
9
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Jan 2, 2016
d79.jpg


My opinion on the Western logo
The logo is iconic, of course....but in my opinion, it just doesn't represent Pokemon the best way. I believe the logo would've benefited much more keeping it White with black border and having the "O's replaced with pokeballs. But not just random pokeball past, some that are designed to be drawn in (i'll get into more detail with this when i talk about the Japanese logos.) The Yellow and blue just doesn't speak to me as much and isn't universal between pokemon games.

My opinion on the Japanese logo
As you can see there is no iconic logo for the Japanese as it changes over time. Grouped all together they all look pretty, but look at them individually and they don't look too appealing after all.

For the most part the difference between is not only the style, but it also includes an English title with it. For Generation I and II it had "Pocket Monsters" but from Gen III and onward has the western title "Pokemon".

One of my biggest gripes is that Japanese text just doesn't have that iconic appearance (it doesn't help that its always being modified), from Generation 1 and 2 they were a bit bland, from Gen 3 and onward, they tried to give the Japanese text more flavor and even replace the dot in "ポ" into a pokeball as you can see. But the pokeball has always been poorly integrated into the logo. For Gen 3 and 4, it looks like a sticker placed on it, it doesn't even look like its part of the Japanese text. For Gen 5 it does a slightly better job but the pokeball looks so intrusive. And Gen 6 (X and Y) shows the pokeball is in 3D and has the same problem as it did for Gen 3 and 4 (doesn't look like its part of the logo) it even adds something else to it that just doesn't fit.

But the worst of it all is that English text looks so plain that it doesn't even look like it fits. It looks so awkward and intrusive, the logo would probably look ten times better without the english logo. Gen 6 has a slightly better text but it still doesn't look like it matches.

My final verdict
I wish the English logo represented Pokemon better, while i wish the japanese had a consistent, yet iconic design without slapping the pokeball so lazily. How about you, does anyone here feel differently about the logos?
 

Warspirit

be nice to nice ❤️
908
Posts
9
Years
I always preferred the Japanese logos. They look cooler, more colorful and give a feel to the game, imo. Oddly, it really makes me want to play the game/buy it as soon as possible and gets me excited. My personal favorite is the HG/SS logos. As you said though, I like the later generation logos than the first 2 as they have more unf.
The Western logos are the same thing slapped on every box, nothing ever changes which is boring to me. But I guess that would be good for marketing and getting people to recognize your product as it is consistent.
I wonder if in the future they'll ever mesh the two designs together and if they would be a good or bad thing...
 

ChikoritaCheezits

The Green Leaf triumphs over all
123
Posts
9
Years
The Japanese logos look like the have more variety in their logos. They keep changing colors throughout each game and look like they have more effort put into them. Not to say the Western logo is bad or anything.
 
50,218
Posts
13
Years
I think there's a reason why the international logo always stays consistent, it has an iconic look and even though it doesn't look like it represents the franchise, it however does work well for marketing as Warspirit said above.

The Japanese logo on the other hand, changes with every game and I do like how more advanced the logo got with each new game. My faves of the Japanese logos are the ones from Black/White and Black 2/White 2. I kinda like how it displays the Poke Ball icon with "Pokemon" written on the top left corner, and the text looks very Japanese-y unlike the other logos. The logos from 3rd and 4th Gen look too similar to each other, but at least the latter does make them look a bit more different in the case of Platinum and HeartGold/SoulSilver.

The logos of X/Y did a nice job making the text look 3D given this was the generation where the main games went full-3D, but I do admit the Poke Ball is a bit out-of-place.
 
1,277
Posts
10
Years
I think its to do with differences in Marketing and Advertising.
The Japanese logo style (and the original game box art) are a bit to busy and cluttered for the often neat and streamlined American and Europe advertising and promotion styles.
 
37,467
Posts
16
Years
  • Age 34
  • Seen Jan 2, 2024
I love the original six logos. For the color and metal gen. They look so cute and adventurous somehow. Honestly, I think the Japanese logos got worse and worse. Too flashy. They should have kept it iconic, maybe thrown in the pokéball from the Unova games logo a bit earlier to make it more international.

I've never quite liked the yellow and blue pokémon logo. It's too funky, too cartoonish.
 
253
Posts
9
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Jan 2, 2016
I feel somewhat the sameway...but Gen 3 and 4 had potential to make it look iconic by incorporating the pokeball a little better and also making the english title match the font of the japanese one. For some reason, the english title is always the part the sticks out the most.im sure Japanese can apreciate good logo design.

For the international one, I believe its not nuetral enough. I believe a black/white color scheme wouldve still helped it be as iconic. That and incorporate pokeballs into the O's.
 

Itcheeee

All Hail Shadow
537
Posts
12
Years
I love the Japanese logos, but it is probably true that some may overlook merchandise (non-collectors, mainly kids and parents) if it is lacking the stand-out logo.
My only complaint is the bad rep the yellow/blue Pokemon logo gets, atleast where I live.
When I have merch (shirts, hats, keychains, whatever) people who don't know what it is even say the characters look cool/cute.
But paste the big ol' Pokemon logo smack dab in the middle of a shirt even with an awesome epic picture, and all I hear is "your too dang old for that" or "is that a little kiddie shirt" when in reality it's a women's shirt from Hot Topic :/
This is why I avoid wearable things of Pikachu, I get the same thing.
I've turned down plenty of merch due to the logo, I'd rather have something subtle that doesn't scream "that show your 7 year old boy watches" to some people. When Pokemon is really a lot more that I suppose some people still don't quite get.
Maybe I'm a bit off topic but this is something I think about quite a lot with the logo. Anyone else get the same thing? :S
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tek
3,315
Posts
10
Years
  • Seen Jan 1, 2023
None of this has ever crossed my mind which leads me to believe I either don't care about the logo at all or it looks fine to me. I know as a brand how it appears can be important, but in the grand scheme of things I really could care less how the logo looks at anytime. It could be neon pink with zebra stripes and the 'o' could be two big ass cheeks, I will still play it and not give it much of a second thought.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tek
8,571
Posts
14
Years
While I don't think that it's a great logo, it's been around long enough that it's an instantly recognizable brand- something that not a whole bunch of other video game franchises have. Granted, I think the logo could probably use a bit of modernization (similar to what Netflix did earlier this year), but it's been around far too long now for them to completely change it like they do every time they release a new game in Japan.
 

Tek

939
Posts
10
Years
I lol'd so hard at the right hand image.

Seriously, the Japanese logos are way cooler IMO. We get the same goofy yellow lettering every time. And they get tons of cool events we never see.

Ah muk, I'm just gonna move to Japan.
 
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