- If any esports organization comes to mind when talking about the North American region, its Evil Geniuses.
- The team prides itself in always being a top contender in NA, and is wholly aware of that fact.
- EG has undergone a few changes in its administration, inviting changes to the brand overall. From sponsors to tag lines, and even logos.
The Classic
The original EG logo carries a lot of weight. It symbolizes some of the greatest accomplishments of the North American region in all of esports. It was a perfect illustration of Alex Garfield’s vision for North American esports, and it’s no wonder that people were upset that it was replaced. Just one year ago today, the EG organization introduced a new CEO. The company has had a lot of changes in leadership, from Philip Aram, to Peter “PPD” Dager, to finally, Nicole Jameson. I speculate that the reason for this is that EG lacked a purely business-focused leader to direct the company. EG by its very essence was a passion project at the start. What Nicole brings to the table, is a completely business-focused entity to the company. And of course, with the addition of Nicole, some questionable changes soon followed.
The Awkward Sibling
This brings us to the first logo revision for the company. As stated earlier, the original logo carried a lot of weight. The legacy that it created, and the emotions it invoked, was incredible to say the least. However, the company understood this, and it was never their intention to disrupt that legacy. But the logo was quickly becoming outdated, and a change was in order. Some fans would have liked a simple revamp to the older logo, but it’s clear that EG was looking to symbolize it’s philosophical changes in it’s executive offices to it’s branding. This all sounds fine and dandy, but the one problem that they probably did not anticipate, was the massive backlash from the community.
Fans would ridicule it as nothing but a “low effort” redesign of an already established and iconic symbol. Why abandon the foundational style that made the logo so iconic in the first place? Why go all-in on the edgy and cringy “into the darkness” style? It was a very one-dimensional take on a brand that holds too much than what 2 simple words can represent. Not only that, but the whole “Bleed Blue” tag line that every die-hard EG fan would chant has also essentially been dropped altogether. It was just far too big of a change in so little time, and the fans were not ready (or happy) with it.
A Brief Falling Out
Alex Garfield, the founder of EG, wasn’t afraid to share his opinions on the decision over Twitter. Besides his clearly frustrated demeanor, it’s clear that Alex felt pretty hurt that his pride and joy has been taken to such a polarizing direction. He made it clear to everyone at EG to remember where they came from, and not disregard the legacy that the original founders have built. Fortunately, Philip Aram (a close friend of Garfield’s), was quick to make amends and apologize for the decision. He let Garfield know that even though he no longer has a stake in the company, he will “always have some ownership of it to me (Philip)”. Philip then promised to make sure that Alex is filled in on every decision moving forward, to have his blessing and not tarnish the work hes put in.
The Badass (and slightly edgy) Newcomer
Today dawns a new era—one with a nod to our legacy and a bold eye to the future.
Welcome to the new EG. #LIVEEVIL pic.twitter.com/PE35QfJGpd
— Evil Geniuses (@EvilGeniuses) May 20, 2020
EG was in a rough spot. Fans were subjugated to a lot of anguish and uncertainty and were sort of left hanging. We knew that some future revision was to happen sooner or later, but no one had any idea when or what to expect. A few hours ago, Evil Geniuses unveiled to the world their brand new logo. This time, however, fans are a lot more accepting of the change, and seem to embrace the direction the company is taking. The most noteworthy thing, is that it stylistically resembles the design philosophy of the original. It’s still a badge, some oval/circular shape, with an air of elegance and notoriety. Four things that EG live by. They also were sure to acknowledge the old branding’s history, with a short video reflecting on the organization’s achievements in the last decade.
This brand new logo has been instantly well-received by EG fans. It’s hard to say whether it tops the original, but it does compliment it, which is more than anyone could ask for at this point. Is it an upgrade over the previous however? Absolutely. This logo finally struck a balance between respecting the foundation and initial philosophies created by Garfield at the companies inception, and a clear focus on adapting and modernizing the brand. Nicole seems to have finally figured out that the best way to cater to the hardcore fan base, is to embrace what the fans fell in love within the first place. An edgy, sinister, threatening, and dare I say, evil, aesthetic that will leave all competition shaking at their boots. To that I say, Live Evil.
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