New logo sparks controversy
January 1, 2018
Loading ...As of now, many Reagan students are aware that the well-known Raider logo has been changed for the first time since the school opened.
The new logo idea has been developed over the course of a few months now through conversations, polls, and drop-ins with Mr. Royal. Most students were okay with the idea of changing the logo, but many have voiced the opinion that they are not thrilled with the new version. The Rooster staff is in this camp.
The controversy is that the chosen logo does not reflect what many think of when they think of “the Raider.” It is not that we are stuck in our ways and want everything to stay the same; we know that things change and that as the school grows, people will have new ideas. Change is seen as a good thing, normally. But this one is taking us a while to digest.
The old logo was plain yet classic. The new logo is just the opposite; it causes imaginations to run. The complexity with dark, thick lines going every which way plays mind games with you. Maybe that’s on purpose, intended to show how we stun everyone with our A+ academics and psych out our athletic opponents. But that cape, though. At first glance one may see an elephant because of the Raider’s cape flared out on both sides, or even a bat with the cape looking as if it is wings on the Raider’s horse.
The logo hits the intimidation aspect with the shadowy coloring, and the gray horse is an effective nod to our silver school color, but there’s no intimidation factor if outsiders don’t even know what they are looking at. The simplicity was a positive aspect of the old “unicorn dolphin horse.” Despite the jokes, we knew what we were looking at.
A logo is meant to have a powerful impact shown through a strong focal point. Our new logo seems too busy to do that. Without having a simple focal point and design, it will be harder to use the new logo on a smaller scale because there is so much detail it may turn into a big blur. Not to mention some of the uniforms for sports still containing the old logo may have to be updated, and that means more money.
When facing other schools in sports, their uniform logos aren’t complicated, but they still show school colors and pride. If you look at other logos in our conference they are very simple: “WF” at West, “R” with a spear at Reynolds, a bobcat paw at Glenn, etc.
A good compromise since the logo has already been chosen is to for students and staff to develop another, small-scale logo to complement the new one and use the new logo only for bigger scale projects. The new Raider is great for athletic, less-formal purposes, but what image do we want to have for more formal occasions?
We have high hopes that someday the logo will once again evolve to reflect more of a nod to our original version. Traditions are traditions only if they are kept alive.
https://reaganrooster.com/2769/news/updating-the-face-of-reagan/