What is this? A brand of cement?
You know those weird Israeli backpackers you meet at places like Dharamshala who seem like a walking conservatory for lice and bedbugs? Ever ask them what they do for a living? 9 out of 10 will tell you they're into graphic design. Which explains all those vomity looking orange, marijuana leaf t-shirts in Goa flea markets. And this.
Mallya. That says it all. The King Of Trashy. It says nothing about sport, nothing about Bangalore. All it says is that the team is owned by a bootlegger who wants to peddle his vile brand of lowest-common-denominator whiskey.
Dumbest name of them all. Corny patriotism. And a logo that looks like a jalebi set on fire.
Oooh look, they have a shield. And check out the lions' expressions. They look like somebody's giving them a boiling hot-oil enema. Crude, but in a strange way it represents the Punjabi attitude perfectly.
Gay bar sign. Or a symbol for a man-whore bordello. Everything about this team is a laugh. From the gallery of bimbos in large sunglasses to the multiple-captain policy.
Have you heard that one? They have a toss captain, apparently. He's captain of the team for 5 minutes when he has to say either 'Heads' or 'Tails'. Massive responsibility on his shoulders. I bet he gets a lot of respect in the dressing room. Shut up everyone, the Toss Captain's here. You there, look sharp! Crap team with the crap name. The only name that's more apt is 'Kolkata Knob Jockeys'
Not offensive, but boring nevertheless.
7 comments:
mumbai indians has got to be the dumbest name in the history of sport.
after the cincinnati bengals.
You should write more often. Im still laughing at the concept of the Toss Captain and the expression on the lion's faces.
Kshema Shri,
(In light of 3 years spent writing Kannada letters to non-existent people)
"Mallya. That says it all. The King Of Trashy. It says nothing about sport, nothing about Bangalore. All it says is that the team is owned by a bootlegger who wants to peddle his vile brand of lowest-common-denominator whiskey.'
Couldn't agree more. The man is the corporate world's equivalent of Bappi Lahiri (actually, at least Bappi Lahiri had some talent).
your semiotic analysis of the IPL team logos is impressive, kickah. you sure you aren't an undercover strategic planner?
on a more serious note, this is the most inspiring information on IPL i have ever come by. maybe i'll even watch now...though i doubt cricket'll ever be as entertaining as you :)
Its a great post.like to share my views on some of the logos
Chennai super kings:the name is'apt' n
'Super' and 'King' are the best terms to describe anything cool in chennai.
Punjab kings: reminds me of the logo on my school diary.
Knight riders: WCW cheer leading team.
Rajasthan royals: five star deluxe.multi storey.expensive suites.
You cant fault me for expecting less ranting and more analysis, what with you being an ad guy n'all. I have it on good authority that Super (spelt superrr) is a term that resonates with urban youth in tamil nadu (a demographic who are likely to buy into franchise sport). The daredevils logo has an interesting retro look, and besides, delhi daredevils is an alliteration that rolls of the tongue (I am told they picked the name through a fan poll via SMS). The name Knight Riders tested positively with focus groups comprised of potential fans who grew up in the eighties. You would think that selling cricket in mumbai is like giving candy to a baby so the logo and inane franchise name is unlikely to hamper their marketability. The Royals logo looks too much like something you'd see on a bottle of whiskey, and the royal challengers logo literally is that so I'm not going to defend those. As for Kings XI, I'm guessing there's some reference I'm missing.
The problem with ad guys is that they analyse too much. And the thing with focus groups and research is that it will give you an idea of how to reflect current popular culture and not how to create it. The beauty of great advertising - Marlboro Man, Nike, Volkswagen, De Beers, Absolut etc is that they create popular culture as much as they reflect it. Along with music bands, fashion designers, sports stars etc. I hate the IPL logos because they are unimaginative and amateur. The NBA logos are cool because they did that look first, they reflect the consumer culture of America. The IPL logos, in design terms, just a bad imitation - just like everything else in Indian design. I'm sure the word 'Supaarrr' is all the rage in Chennai. That's why there are a hundred products and stars who've used it as a prefix. And to conclude, my critique was based on my reaction as an artist not as a marketing man.
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