The new logo for the MIT Media Lab has received high praise over the last few days, as it deserves. The logo is quite interesting for all the paradoxes it seems to represent.
One of the main goals of MIT Media Lab’s rebrand was to provide the Lab with a fixed logo that could also be dynamic. The desire for a static logo was a result of functional short comings of the previous logo- an ever changing amalgamation of different-colored spotlights that could be organized in 40,000 unique formulations, but lacked a single identifier for the Media Lab.
The new logo is based on the same grid as the old logo. The grid both establishes a main identity for the Media Lab, and allows for the creation of individual logos for every research group that falls under the MIT Media Lab umbrella. The grid system can also expand with the Lab as new research groups come into existence.
Visually, the 8-bit renderings seem to contradict the cutting edge technology and forward-thinking that the Media Lab is known for. One interpretation of the design is that it serves as a reminder; a juxtaposition of where we once were and where we are now, and where we will continue to go as technology advances and various industries collaborate to solve harder and harder problems.
You can read more about MIT Media Lab’s new logo on Pentagram‘s project page.
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