New Interactive DC Comics Logos to be Deployed in March

DC Entertainment has released a plethora of images demonstrating the applications of the new logo that we've been writing about throughout the week. Set to deploy across various products and media beginning in March, the DC logo will adapt to fit the distinctive brands, characters and objects to which it will be applied. Perhaps most interestingly, the logo, which is meant to suggest a sense of "peeling back," will be interactive in the digital space.The new DC logo is a component of the company's aesthetic overhaul which includes the successful albeit controversial New 52, a publishing initiative whereby the entire superhero line was relaunched with new #1 issues. The existing DC logo, the so-called "DC Spin," was introduced in 2005 as a replacement for the classic "DC Bullet" that had been in place since the 1970s. DC Comics also publishes the MAD magazine and Vertigo lines, whose logos will apparently remain as they are.

Speaking with Fast Company, DC's Senior Vice President of Franchise Management Amit Desai suggested the new logo's "peel back" imagery reflected the nature of DC characters as individuals with dual identities. "When you think about our DC Comics superheroes, there's a secret identity," he said. "When you think about Vertigo, it's this notion of good vs. evil in many of the stories. And so, in addition to flexibility, the new logo communicates this idea of dual identity: There's more than meets the eye. You have to take a closer look to understand the richness of our characters and stories."

The article confirms that users of digital devices such as computers, tablets, smartphones, etc. can peel back the "D" to expose a character, image, or story that has been applied to the "C," such as a glowing green light that represents Green Lantern.

The approach was devised by Landor Associates, whose Executive Creative Director Nicolas Aparicio told DC's The Source: "It was our goal to capture DC Entertainment in a dynamic and provocative identity. Our solution is a living expression which changes and adapts to the characters, story lines and the ways fans are consuming content. The new identity is built for the digital age, and can easily be animated and customized to take full advantage of the interactivity offered across all media platforms."

Click here for Dylan Todd's thoughtful analysis of the new DC logo, and click here for Chris Sims' completely fake history of all of DC's logos over the last 70 years.

[Via The Source, Comic Book Resources]