A New Branding for “The Academy Awards”

The Academy Awards also known by the name “The Oscars” is one of the highly recognized and anticipated movie award ceremonies that attract the film world’s glitterati to celebrate great performances and great films of the previous year. Many people wonder as to what exactly ‘The Academy’ is and what is its role that, it gets referred to during every celebrity acceptance speech? ‘The Academy’ is an organization that engages in research, preservation, outreach and educational activities apart from contributing towards the advancement of sciences and arts of Motion Pictures. This year, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences unveiled a new logo for the Oscar’s. Designed by 180LA, a design agency based in Los Angeles, the new logo has brought a fresh and rejuvenated look that brings the disparate ideas of the Academy into single vision.

Oscars Brand New Identity

Majority of People can instantly recognize the Oscar statuette at one glance however not all of them are accustomed to the branding strategy used by the Academy, or the designs that have been used previously. This is actually believed to be one of the main reasons behind the introduction of a new design that has already received plenty of acclaim. By introducing this new design, the Academy focuses on shifting the attention towards the various works done by the organization like, in the field of creative arts & sciences instead of the annual awards ceremony.

The New Logo Specifics

The old logo used by the Academy featured the Oscar statuette’s outline on black background with “The Oscars” spelled out in gold lettering. In the new logo, the Oscar statuette is spotlighted from above surrounded by the letter ‘A’ which stands for ‘The Academy’. The use of the stylish and contemporary font was primarily aimed at advertising the Academy Awards Ceremony that is held on the month of February every year.

The white and golden color scheme has been used in the new logo design. The designers at 180LA have come up with a truly stunning and minimalist design though the same color palette as well as theme is shared by the old and the new logo. The old logo for the Academy which was in use since the 1920s was replaced by the newly introduced logo at the 86th Academy Awards that was held earlier in 2014.

The Idea behind Changing the Old Logo Design

The Marketing Chief of the Academy, Christina Kounelias clearly explained the reason behind changing the organization’s old logo. The main focus of the Academy was to bring their community of artists, diverse talents and the entire creative process into a unified vision.

Work on the new design started nearly two years prior to the launch of the new logo when the Academy wanted a refreshed look for their logo that perfectly represents the organization as a whole. The new design aims to shift the attention towards the vast range of works carried out by the Academy rather than focusing on a single aspect – the glamour and glitz of Hollywood industry.

How the New Design Helps in Representing the Academy’s Ethos

A quick glance at the new design clearly indicates a bit of trimming unlike, the previous one. The best part is that, the refreshed design takes a confident approach without the use of any words emphasizing on the fact that, majority of people will instantly recognize what the new design symbolizes. A clever touch comes in the form of the ‘A’ shape where the Oscar statuette is spotlighted from above. The white and gold coloring indicates prestige and glamour which is always an integral part of the Academy. The simple and minimalist design clearly scores over the previous logo which looked quite busy. The new look of the Academy’s logo is expected to go a long way towards helping the organization with its future endeavors and efforts.