Atari Logo Evolution Continued

by Uncle Harry

A wonderful day in September. It is Saturday and I planned to visit a demonstration at a local hi-fi dealer downtown who has invited customers to attend the presentation of the newest high-end products. You may know that I am a hi-fi enthusiast and would not miss it.

At 'noon the telephone rings, it's Mad Butscher calling to tell me about the recent Unconventional 2003 event (MyAtari issue 35, September 2003). He also has a surprise up his sleeve: in the afternoon he will be shopping in Frankfurt and is going to meet me there. So we take this chance and arrange an appointment for the late afternoon.

Team meeting
It is a good idea to take the train for a longer shopping trip into the city. Car parking spaces are rare on Saturday and also expensive. The warm weather attracts people to the Zeil, one of the largest pedestrian boulevards in Germany with stores, cinemas and restaurants.

Then I arrive at the hi-fi store. The dealer recently moved to this place and it is the first time we meet here. I enjoy the presentation and the discussion with other visitors, the director and the salesman.

A well-known melody from my mobile phone indicates a call from Mad Butscher. He and his girlfriend have already finished their shopping and are sitting in a café. We agree to meet in one hour at a distinctive place, at the Zeilgalerie "Les Facettes".

"It's a shame to sit in a basement studio on such a sunny day" I think to myself while walking up the Zeil and reach the Galeria Kaufhof at six o'clock. Here I spot Thorsten and Nicole and we greet each other like friends who haven't met for a long time.

We decide to search for a nice restaurant to have a light dinner. While we stroll down the area with the most restaurants we discuss our experiences of that afternoon. Finally we find a suitable place at a famous Spanish restaurant. We prefer to sit outside on a small table with a view to the promenade. Since we are not very hungry the orders are not complete meals but lush starters.

Surprise, surprise
There is another surprise Mad Butscher has prepared: a birthday present from Shiuming Lai nicely packed in colorful paper and also a greeting card. Since I was celebrating my birthday just at the weekend of the Unconventional 2003 it wasn't possible for me to be there. With pleasure I discover an Atari calculator model CC192 in its original case. Remembering the article "Do The Math" in the last MyAtari issue (August 2003) I realize it is a valuable present.

On our way back to the train station Mad Butscher incidentally mentions the large displays in the Galeria Kaufhof shop windows featuring Atari's Xbox software. "It's a shame we don't have a camera to hand," I lament. "It is worth a photo and also to be published for our Atari friends," Mad Butscher adds, "Maybe you will have the opportunity to come back again and take a photo."

Noticing the Fuji logo within the word Atari replacing the middle "A" I remember the MyAtari article of the June issue discussing the Atari logo evolution.

Since it is late in the evening we cannot go inside the store to see the product display (in Germany stores usually close no later than 20:00). So we say goodbye and I set off to the train station while Mad Butscher and Nicole head for the car park.

Atari comeback
Later I read again the Atari Logo Evolution article wondering how the Atari symbol for the Xbox advertising campaign looks like in detail. So there is nothing for it but to return to that place and investigate the logo and symbol. I could also have a closer look at the Xbox game system and its software. A recent publication of Atari software for the Xbox system is Enter the Matrix, reviewed on the PC by MyAtari in July 2003. Also available (at least in Germany) are Unreal Championship, Battle Engine Aquila and Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes, in October.

One week after our meeting and accidental discovery of the Xbox promotion I go to the Zeil once more and revisit the Galeria Kaufhof building. Equipped with my digital camera there I find all the advertising displays in the shop window.

The crowd passing along or standing in front of the windows block the view of the promotion displays. With patience I manage to take some photos and even more of the interesting area just beside one of the main entrances to the shop. A newspaper stand is there and it is impossible to take a direct photo of the Xbox system and software, so I try it from both sides.

Looking around to spot more interesting subjects I notice a large green display hanging outside the building wall. It is the Xbox and Atari banner featuring the DigitalHome promotion week stretching over three floors in height. The sun is shining directly onto the banner so I can take many good photos from different angles.

Xbox draw
Realizing this is the last day of the promotion event I go inside the store and find the Xbox stand at the 5th floor. Even from a distance I can spot the big Atari sign in the middle of the stand. It is almost as large as the two TV sets placed below it. Two children are playing Midtown Madness 3, advised by a man clothed in a black suit decorated with several Xbox signs. Some adults and teens are standing around watching the game sequence.

I notice another member of the Xbox team guarding the entrance to the adult area. After explaining to him my enthusiasm for Atari and the plan to create a feature about the logo on the MyAtari web site I get the permission to take photos.

The symbol of the green four-point star with the word Xbox below it dominates the stand. The lime-green color on black background has the power to catch one's eye. Whereas the Atari sign with its surrounding frame looks rather simple and less exciting.

New symbolism
Let us inspect the sign. In the word "Atari" the middle letter is replaced by the Fuji logo. At first sight this is a clever idea, because the logo and the letter "A" have a similar triangular outline. The central position also keeps the horizontal balance. On second sight it ruins the word Atari.

A closer look at the Fuji reveals the flared bottom of the middle prong. This logo design is new and it is currently used by the Atari companies. Moreover we can see the rounded top corners of the letter "T" as well as the missing ® on the upper-right side of the letter "I".

We remember the type of Atari sign formerly found on Infogrames game boxes. The combination of letters and logo is the same but the Fuji was unmodified while the "T" is already changed.

The display in the store window is showing the Infogrames Atari symbol with the more original Fuji. Also the letter "T" is unmodified and the ® is found in its expected place.

I think in this design our beloved Atari sign is destroyed with its own logo. From the view of a long-time Atari computer enthusiast the evolution of the Atari logo is embarrassing and needless.

An insult is the recently changed Fuji. The flared central prong, possibly a graphical adaptation to the outer prongs, looks like it has been pressed to the bottom causing the widening - it doesn't look good to me. It reminds me of '70s fashion trousers. It's an irony that the simple clear Atari design was developed in the '70s and today it is reshaped - maybe unintentionally - to the lifestyle of those years. Compared to these modifications the already changed symbol's aspect ratio is not so serious. My measurements come to an approximate width to height ratio of 6:10 for the original font and 8:10 for the new font considering the letter "R".

The future
The observation of the futuristic Xbox symbol shows wide expanded letters. The star as a similar shape to the letter "X" is used as a logo positioned above the word "Xbox". This arrangement is obviously very popular for designers. The visual balance is kept by using the letter "X" at the beginning and end of the word.

I am not happy with the Atari symbol mutation because it has lost its original identity. Will the new Fuji be recognized as the Atari logo? Has it the same importance today as it did years before? The future will show us so let's keep an eye on this evolution.

Related MyAtari articles:

• Atari Logo Evolution (June 2003)
• Enter The Matrix (July 2003)
• Do The Math (August 2003)
• Unconventional 2003 (September 2003)

harry@myatari.net

MyAtari magazine - Feature #12, October 2003