- Joined
- Jun 25, 2015
- Messages
- 334
This is just a place to discuss design choices done so far in the KH series. Some of its strengths, which ones have been done beautifully, and which ones weren't done the best. I don't expect everyone to be a logo-designer major, but at least back up their points as to why certain logos work in the KH series.
Remember...its more than just saying you like, or dislike it, but telling others why you believe it works and why it doesn't.
Early titles: beautiful and elegant
Kingdom Hearts
http://fontmeme.com/images/Kingdom-Hearts-Logo.jpg
The first logo in the series, and the first one we've come to know. The first thing you see is the blue heart symbol with the iconic shaved-metal texture. One of the things that never returned is the bright gold crown at the top. The letters are big, and have a subtle gradient of light grey to dark grey all while still having a light. The letters are also complimented with a solid black border that fills in the gaps of the letters as well. Even for being the first logo ever, it still a very impactful logo, very colorful and distinguished.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb...17/Kingdom_Hearts-_Chain_of_Memories_logo.jpg
For a sequel, it didn't change too much in the layout. the Letters are still big in shape. The heart this time is now in grey, which later seems to be the most common design for the heart in the series. There are still key differences, the shift from light to dark int he letters is more drastic (perhaps symbolizing in a subtle way riku and sora?). Another key difference is that the same shaved metal texture that is on the heart symbol in the background is also being used for the border of the letters (instead of the black we have seen so far). And to top it off, we also have the faded gold crown at the top that seems to be also reoccurring since. This logo doesn't look bad at all, and i originally thought the font of "Chain of Memories" was off, it quickly grew on me as i played it on the GBA pixelated screen.
Kingdom Hearts II
http://www.**********.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/KH2logo.jpg
This logo does break the mold just a bit. The letters don't splinter horizontally and more diagonal. As an addition, the letters are slightly smaller as the ending/beginning letter of each word (K, M, H and S) are now slightly smaller and closer to the size of the other letters. The roman numeral "2" is a gradient of deep blue to light blue and is slightly transparent complimenting the heart symbol behind. Its not so different, but it seems to want to highlight the Roman numeral more than anything else, which
Not-so-recent logos: welcomed changes to the design
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/kingdomhearts/images/f/fa/DaysLogo.png/revision/latest?cb=20140608042524
This logo is drastically different from prior logos in the series. the first thing you probably notice is that the K and the S curve and extend toward the middle and what seems to cradle the subtitle. The Heart is bright red that fades into a light orange, the letters have a solid light red border on top of a larger border that fades from dark red to black. This is most definitely a beautiful logo.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net...ep_Logo.png/revision/latest?cb=20111229164741
Another beautiful logo, just like 358/2 days the ends of the letters extend towards the middle in order to cradle the subtitle. It brings back the original grey heart symbol (from Chain of Memories and Kh2). Its easy to confuse 358/2 days' subtitle font with Birth by Sleep but they are different as you can see the "y" in both "Birth by Sleep" and "358/2 Days" are different. However, what i find slightly disappointing is how the gradient in the border of the letters are used. This gradient is has a close-to-black blue in the center and fades towards the outer area to light blue. This could also be impacted by how the letters as well just fade from light grey to white. It seems like a novel idea, but in the end nothing really grabs me with the logo as much as 358/2 days. (i still love the game more than 358/2 days). Its not an ugly logo though.
Kingdom Hearts coded
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130415144817/disney/images/c/c6/Kingdom_Hearts_coded_Logo_KHC.png
This logo i am completely indifferent about. this time the letters don't extend to cradle the subtitled, but it doesn't completely revert back to the original KH+COM style as they are still splintered diagonal instead of horizontal. However, it does bring back 358/2 Days' border as it shares that gradient (this time yellow instead of red). I'm not a huge found of Yellow, but its not trying to look ugly. Re:coded's font choice is better i will admit.
The latest logos: Questionable decisions
Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance]
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/kingdomhearts/images/7/7a/KH3D_Dream_Drop_Distance.PNG/revision/latest?cb=20140608041926
This logo looks ok, the font is that of KH2, it some-what brings back Chain of Memories border fading into the heart. What doesn't make it exact is that the gradient goes dark and stops at the letters (instead of being part of the whole heart). A new addition is that the crown instead of being faded gold, it is now completely colorless (i'm not going to say whether its silver or platinum, but i doubt its platinum). There seems to be a bright white border which seems off as the Heart and border are already light grey. the Subtitle of the letters looks nice, but the 3D seems intrusive. Just like BBS, not an ugly logo...but not the best.
Kingdom Hearts (Unchained) X [chi]
http://www.guiltybit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/kingdom-hearts-chi.jpg
This logo is atrocious in my eyes. There is just to much going on and little to appreciate. Let me point out the good just so people know i'm being objective. The Heart looks beautiful. the teal-green look works really good. The idea of bringing back 358/2 days and BBS lettering so that the ends cradle the subtitle is also a good idea. But there are some serious sins going on in this logo. First, the gradient being used. Instead of fading vertically from light to dark, it does Birth by Sleep method with its border (but this time with the actual letters). Whats worst is that the gradient is drastic. It goes from light to black in an instance, making it harder to distinguish the inner letters. It tries to make up with it with a bright neon color around it but it also fades out. The X looks ugly. There is absolutely no need for two X's overlapping. This logo LITERALLY hurts me eyes when i look at it.
Unchained X does nothing different. It inverts the gradient making the center light (but the ends crazy dark). And whats worst the "Unchained" part looks off. Instead of appearing as "Unchained X" it looks like "X Unchained". I hope to god they fix this logo before release.
Kingdom Hearts III
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/kingdomhearts/images/e/ee/Kingdom_Hearts_III_Logo.PNG/revision/latest?cb=20130630220354I find it to be worst than Kingdom Hearts X logo. First off, lets analyze what the logo. The logo reverts back to the original vertical splinters rather than the diagonal ones seen in KH1+COM. Which seems like a downgrade. the diagonal were definitely better.
The gradient on the logo. Instead of slowly fading from dark to light vertically, the middle is white and gets darker at the ends. This isn't a huge problem but when you take account with everything else, it starts to become a problem. THe border of the letters, they are light blue but fade from white in certain areas. The iconic heart symbol from BBS+COM+kh2+kh3D has returned, but unfortunately covered by the giant Roman numeral 3.
Let me explain why the 3 doesn't work. We already have two levels of metal in the logo. The letters, and the heart. But now the 3 is metallic too, and its not close to resembling the logo nor the heart. Keep in mind that the roman numbera l 3 is also solid, unlike KH2's logo where it was slightly transparent and had color, the 3 is metallic, and fades into the background all while blocking the heart (rather than complimenting it). Lets also look with the design of the roman numeral 3. as you can see the bottom half of the roman numeral are splintered, but the upper half of the roman numeral don't match. the "I" at the ends are splintered diagnally, however the middle "I" is instead splinterred horrizontal (so the crown can rest on it), still however the diagonal splinters overshadow the middle, making it awkward to look at when you see it (and the crown not even sitting on it perfectly).
This kh logo does one thing worst that no other logo has done...it accomplishes in looking artificial. unlike any other logo, this one tries hard to add more gradiant, more metal and less color. granted, the most recent logos have done that, but thats no exxcuse for the second numbered game since kh2. the crown should at least have that bright gold to return, but it doesn't.
Remember...its more than just saying you like, or dislike it, but telling others why you believe it works and why it doesn't.
Early titles: beautiful and elegant
Kingdom Hearts
http://fontmeme.com/images/Kingdom-Hearts-Logo.jpg
The first logo in the series, and the first one we've come to know. The first thing you see is the blue heart symbol with the iconic shaved-metal texture. One of the things that never returned is the bright gold crown at the top. The letters are big, and have a subtle gradient of light grey to dark grey all while still having a light. The letters are also complimented with a solid black border that fills in the gaps of the letters as well. Even for being the first logo ever, it still a very impactful logo, very colorful and distinguished.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb...17/Kingdom_Hearts-_Chain_of_Memories_logo.jpg
For a sequel, it didn't change too much in the layout. the Letters are still big in shape. The heart this time is now in grey, which later seems to be the most common design for the heart in the series. There are still key differences, the shift from light to dark int he letters is more drastic (perhaps symbolizing in a subtle way riku and sora?). Another key difference is that the same shaved metal texture that is on the heart symbol in the background is also being used for the border of the letters (instead of the black we have seen so far). And to top it off, we also have the faded gold crown at the top that seems to be also reoccurring since. This logo doesn't look bad at all, and i originally thought the font of "Chain of Memories" was off, it quickly grew on me as i played it on the GBA pixelated screen.
Kingdom Hearts II
http://www.**********.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/KH2logo.jpg
This logo does break the mold just a bit. The letters don't splinter horizontally and more diagonal. As an addition, the letters are slightly smaller as the ending/beginning letter of each word (K, M, H and S) are now slightly smaller and closer to the size of the other letters. The roman numeral "2" is a gradient of deep blue to light blue and is slightly transparent complimenting the heart symbol behind. Its not so different, but it seems to want to highlight the Roman numeral more than anything else, which
Not-so-recent logos: welcomed changes to the design
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/kingdomhearts/images/f/fa/DaysLogo.png/revision/latest?cb=20140608042524
This logo is drastically different from prior logos in the series. the first thing you probably notice is that the K and the S curve and extend toward the middle and what seems to cradle the subtitle. The Heart is bright red that fades into a light orange, the letters have a solid light red border on top of a larger border that fades from dark red to black. This is most definitely a beautiful logo.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net...ep_Logo.png/revision/latest?cb=20111229164741
Another beautiful logo, just like 358/2 days the ends of the letters extend towards the middle in order to cradle the subtitle. It brings back the original grey heart symbol (from Chain of Memories and Kh2). Its easy to confuse 358/2 days' subtitle font with Birth by Sleep but they are different as you can see the "y" in both "Birth by Sleep" and "358/2 Days" are different. However, what i find slightly disappointing is how the gradient in the border of the letters are used. This gradient is has a close-to-black blue in the center and fades towards the outer area to light blue. This could also be impacted by how the letters as well just fade from light grey to white. It seems like a novel idea, but in the end nothing really grabs me with the logo as much as 358/2 days. (i still love the game more than 358/2 days). Its not an ugly logo though.
Kingdom Hearts coded
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130415144817/disney/images/c/c6/Kingdom_Hearts_coded_Logo_KHC.png
This logo i am completely indifferent about. this time the letters don't extend to cradle the subtitled, but it doesn't completely revert back to the original KH+COM style as they are still splintered diagonal instead of horizontal. However, it does bring back 358/2 Days' border as it shares that gradient (this time yellow instead of red). I'm not a huge found of Yellow, but its not trying to look ugly. Re:coded's font choice is better i will admit.
The latest logos: Questionable decisions
Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance]
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/kingdomhearts/images/7/7a/KH3D_Dream_Drop_Distance.PNG/revision/latest?cb=20140608041926
This logo looks ok, the font is that of KH2, it some-what brings back Chain of Memories border fading into the heart. What doesn't make it exact is that the gradient goes dark and stops at the letters (instead of being part of the whole heart). A new addition is that the crown instead of being faded gold, it is now completely colorless (i'm not going to say whether its silver or platinum, but i doubt its platinum). There seems to be a bright white border which seems off as the Heart and border are already light grey. the Subtitle of the letters looks nice, but the 3D seems intrusive. Just like BBS, not an ugly logo...but not the best.
Kingdom Hearts (Unchained) X [chi]
http://www.guiltybit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/kingdom-hearts-chi.jpg
This logo is atrocious in my eyes. There is just to much going on and little to appreciate. Let me point out the good just so people know i'm being objective. The Heart looks beautiful. the teal-green look works really good. The idea of bringing back 358/2 days and BBS lettering so that the ends cradle the subtitle is also a good idea. But there are some serious sins going on in this logo. First, the gradient being used. Instead of fading vertically from light to dark, it does Birth by Sleep method with its border (but this time with the actual letters). Whats worst is that the gradient is drastic. It goes from light to black in an instance, making it harder to distinguish the inner letters. It tries to make up with it with a bright neon color around it but it also fades out. The X looks ugly. There is absolutely no need for two X's overlapping. This logo LITERALLY hurts me eyes when i look at it.
Unchained X does nothing different. It inverts the gradient making the center light (but the ends crazy dark). And whats worst the "Unchained" part looks off. Instead of appearing as "Unchained X" it looks like "X Unchained". I hope to god they fix this logo before release.
Kingdom Hearts III
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/kingdomhearts/images/e/ee/Kingdom_Hearts_III_Logo.PNG/revision/latest?cb=20130630220354I find it to be worst than Kingdom Hearts X logo. First off, lets analyze what the logo. The logo reverts back to the original vertical splinters rather than the diagonal ones seen in KH1+COM. Which seems like a downgrade. the diagonal were definitely better.
The gradient on the logo. Instead of slowly fading from dark to light vertically, the middle is white and gets darker at the ends. This isn't a huge problem but when you take account with everything else, it starts to become a problem. THe border of the letters, they are light blue but fade from white in certain areas. The iconic heart symbol from BBS+COM+kh2+kh3D has returned, but unfortunately covered by the giant Roman numeral 3.
Let me explain why the 3 doesn't work. We already have two levels of metal in the logo. The letters, and the heart. But now the 3 is metallic too, and its not close to resembling the logo nor the heart. Keep in mind that the roman numbera l 3 is also solid, unlike KH2's logo where it was slightly transparent and had color, the 3 is metallic, and fades into the background all while blocking the heart (rather than complimenting it). Lets also look with the design of the roman numeral 3. as you can see the bottom half of the roman numeral are splintered, but the upper half of the roman numeral don't match. the "I" at the ends are splintered diagnally, however the middle "I" is instead splinterred horrizontal (so the crown can rest on it), still however the diagonal splinters overshadow the middle, making it awkward to look at when you see it (and the crown not even sitting on it perfectly).
This kh logo does one thing worst that no other logo has done...it accomplishes in looking artificial. unlike any other logo, this one tries hard to add more gradiant, more metal and less color. granted, the most recent logos have done that, but thats no exxcuse for the second numbered game since kh2. the crown should at least have that bright gold to return, but it doesn't.
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