Comments on: make the logo bigger

make the logo bigger

Armitage Shanks — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:03:38 -0800

Why is the new NYC taxi logo so ugly? The bumpy design process probably had a lot to do with it. The Times invited eight designers to try improving on it. Perhaps you can do better? (Ob. soundtrack)

By: nobody

nobody — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:10:24 -0800

I am so happy to hear you say this! (But as for the bumpy design process, it looks like the original proposal was almost as bad).

By: Armitage Shanks

Armitage Shanks — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:12:33 -0800

Argh, the three links for "improving on it" may not show up correctly because I have fat potato fingers. They should be: improving on it

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:18:28 -0800

I think the new logo should be a plate of beans. I mean, can't the just stencil TAXI on it with black spraypaint and be done with it?

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:20:37 -0800

The checker fade is just strange. It makes me think .... Chicago? But the main Logo just looks like it has been xeroxed a few too many times. So I guess it is cool, like 1970's NYC?

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:22:39 -0800

Cooks? Meet broth. That logo really does suck, I've gotta agree. Could've been an opportunity to do something really cool. But nooooooooo. :(

By: kuujjuarapik

kuujjuarapik — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:23:08 -0800

TAXI! Plus, it's instructional on what to say to anyone hailing a cab. Works for me.

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:23:21 -0800

Spraypaint "taxi" on both sides, then scratchfitti/acid etch the fare rates into every glass surface.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:25:08 -0800

How about a taxi crashing into the WTC, I know Guiliani would support it.

By: Xoder

Xoder — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:30:40 -0800

Slightly on-topic: what's the deal with the flowers on the hoods and trunks? Is it related to this process?

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:32:35 -0800

What does "AXI" stand for?

By: DenOfSizer

DenOfSizer — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:35:59 -0800

It's awful, I know - even the analyises on the Times link are awful, too. As a taxpayer here I'm disgusted to have paid the design firm. On the other hand, those flowers are pretty great! And wouldn't it be great to paint the new hybrid taxis green?

By: DenOfSizer

DenOfSizer — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:36:32 -0800

The flowers are just artwork for fun! We love Mayor Bloomberg, it was his idea!

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:39:46 -0800

The flowers are a kids art project. The colors were all hand painted on plastic decals, which was then applied to the taxi.

By: wfc123

wfc123 — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:42:19 -0800

Who cares what it looks like. It's a taxi. It's not like someone on your block just painted their house purple.

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:44:10 -0800

No, its like 9 out of the 10 houses on your block were just painted purple.

By: equalpants

equalpants — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:48:30 -0800

Dear god, that logo is terrible. Why have a different typeface on either side of the circle? And why the circle at all? To look like the subway symbols? (Hope the tourists don't get confused when the T train starts running in a few years.) Do they even need a logo? Did they have one before? I lived there for 6 years and I can't say I ever noticed a logo. I think the yellowness is enough, really.

By: Greg Nog

Greg Nog — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:48:43 -0800

Oh hey, from the "on" link: making the medallion number larger is a fantastic idea. And that guy's totally right that the logo is pretty much useless as an identifier; you see a yellow car hurtling toward you, it's safe to say it's a cab. The medallion number, though: what a great idea.

By: wfc123

wfc123 — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:48:47 -0800

It's frightening that people would actually care this much about a taxi logo. It's a taxi.

By: Mikey-San

Mikey-San — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:56:37 -0800

Plus, it's instructional on what to say to anyone hailing a cab. Only tourists yell, "TAXI!" to hail a cab in NYC. The rest of us know that the cabbies can't hear that shit inside their cab over the street noise. Stick your hand out and wait.

By: mumkin

mumkin — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:06:03 -0800

Wow. Just wow. There's lots to hate in that, but for me the worst is the NYC logo, looking like the smudgy output of a cheap thermal printer. Here's your receipt, buddy.

By: DU

DU — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:09:37 -0800

It's frightening that wfc123 would actually care this much about a taxi logo thread on the internet. It's a thread on the internet.

By: sciurus

sciurus — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:15:15 -0800

Ah, design by committee. I run into that fairly often since I work as a government designer. We had one project for a bus ad that was so restricted in the initial terms of what it must and must not have that it was literally impossible to get them what they wanted. They ended up settling for something they didn't like and got charged an arm and a leg for it because they kept changing the design requirements.

By: KevinSkomsvold

KevinSkomsvold — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:22:36 -0800

I think the new logo should be a plate of beans. I mean, can't the just stencil TAXI on it with black spraypaint and be done with it? Ha! Indeed. I know on those cold rainy nights when I'm trying to flag a cab down, I make my selection based on how sexy the logo is.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:25:51 -0800

They should have waited for the Bladerunner box set to come out, for the inspiration.

By: shmegegge

shmegegge — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:32:54 -0800

Dear God that logo is. Terrible? Not really. Great? Certainly not. It's only crime is that they bothered at all. Taxis are big yellow things that take you places. The only spot on it that matters is the fare table on the inside, the medallion number somewhere outside, large, and the Off Duty lights on top, which are currently not large enough and obscured by the medallion number as it is. Here's mine. Big TAXI logo on side because I imagine the city would have insisted on something. For real, even having a logo is redundant, but if it's gotta be there, might as well be legible from a mile away.

By: condour75

condour75 — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:42:26 -0800

I played with it, came up with this. If you're gonna use the checkers, use 'em for real, black and white and square. And put it into the logo without being obnoxious about it. An X is already a checker pattern. http://amberdigital.com/images/nyctaxi.jpg

By: condour75

condour75 — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:43:18 -0800

with link.

By: mullacc

mullacc — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:47:49 -0800

I dunno about this logo nonsense, but NYC taxis have the best available/off duty light system I've seen*. I wish more cities would adopt their system. Note: I may not have visited your city yet, so don't get worked up if you think I'm insulting the brilliant taxi light system prevalent in your town.

By: CitrusFreak12

CitrusFreak12 — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:51:14 -0800

I am an unapologetic fan of NYC taxis, and consider them to be one of the greatest modes of transportation in the country. I've written at length about what an accomplishment they are, and I'm frequently asked to speak about things like city transportation and use them as a positive example. With increasing frequency, though, I find people who are unfamiliar with the city questioning the legitimacy of taxis, and of the drivers therein, because the default yellow color scheme doesn't look "professional". Typically, these are fairly street-savvy individuals, who are used to using various transportation services, and associate a white paint job, or possibly a grey/black paint job, with "real" transportation. I'm completely fine with a green paint job option being made available for those who want to keep the current scheme, but visitors who come in from other cities should be able to tell that the taxi is a compelling transport without being distracted by the unfortunate default aesthetics.

By: CitrusFreak12

CitrusFreak12 — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:52:52 -0800

Damnit. Green should say yellow.

By: pracowity

pracowity — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:57:17 -0800

They should cover the entire cab with that active camouflage that makes things look invisible, but make it so it looks like just the words "TAXI TAXI TAXI TAXI" in big yellow letters flying along in the air. However, have a water-activated switch on the roof so the taxi would go into complete invisibility mode automatically as soon as it starts to rain.

By: Krrrlson

Krrrlson — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:41:46 -0800

This logo is the bastard child of Lisa Simpson and the other half of the London Olympics logo.

By: turaho

turaho — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:43:29 -0800

Personally, I think they should redesign the interior of cabs: cover the roof in flashing multi-colored lights, install a few built-in TV cameras, and have a white guy ask you trivia questions.

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:57:55 -0800

A yellow vehicle with a light on top. What could it be except a taxi? Paint TAXI on it if you must; paint TAXI in green instead of black on a yellow vehicle that is environmentally aware, but the whole idea smacks of let's get the citizenry riled up about something so they won't notice something important.

By: eyeballkid

eyeballkid — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:04:34 -0800

Is this a thread where we hate on NY? Or do we just do that with every single thread that mentions Los Angeles? I couldn't find the answer in the wiki. Help pls kthx.

By: digaman

digaman — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:28:49 -0800

I adore NYC taxis -- that logo is strickly from hungah! -- but give me a roomy London black cab any day, driven by a toothless cabbie with a head full of the Knowledge smoking filterless cigs while decrying the anti-smoking laws and perpetual traffic jam in a Cockney accent.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:43:16 -0800

Shudder. That is one awful logo. But I think the gist of several designer's comments was right. The yellow itself is the brand (CitrusFreak12 notwithstanding). There was no need for a logo, although maybe a less stencil-looking font is still helpful. The fantastic idea was to make the cab number huge. Lord knows that most people can hardly remember that they parked in section "F" let alone a four-digit code that reads like a captcha, but it's a start. It suggests, at the very least, some accountability, which should reflect well on the cabbie/passenger relationship. If it's referential design they're working toward, I would have done black-on-white lettering suggesting an available cab. The checker thing is OK too, but I would have put it right with the logo instead of over on the trunk like racing stripes. I think it partly comes back to the fact that the NYC Visit logo itself is subpar. It's a bit brutalist, suggesting asphalt lanes instead of buildings or people. I could almost expect that to be the logo of the city streets department, but tourism? It's certainly never going to compete with I♥NY, that's for damn sure.

By: digaman

digaman — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:48:31 -0800

Yeah, what is *up* with that NYC Visit logo? It looks like it doesn't even render correctly onscreen, it's so blocky.

By: CitrusFreak12

CitrusFreak12 — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:41:11 -0800

I guess my Anil Dash reference was too vague, huh?

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:46:08 -0800

I am an unapologetic fan of NYC taxis, and consider them to be one of the greatest modes of transportation in the country. A particular city's cab is its own mode of transport? Love it or hate it. I guess there's no "meh" in New York.

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:47:13 -0800

The fantastic idea was to make the cab number huge.....It suggests, at the very least, some accountability... I agree its a great idea - just yellow with a huge number. But I suspect that the drivers would be totally against it. Because... It suggests, at the very least, some accountability...

By: CitrusFreak12

CitrusFreak12 — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:49:19 -0800

Dreamsign: See comment directly above yours.

By: the jam

the jam — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:27:20 -0800

Thank you for posting this, I've been complaining about the logo for about a month now.

By: goatdog

goatdog — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 16:07:54 -0800

Do you think there's still enough room to stencil "Don't fucking flag me from the wrong side of the street because I'll either stop right fucking here in the middle lane or try a U-turn at 40 mph and create a traffic hazard" on it?

By: Poolio

Poolio — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 16:21:22 -0800

Anyone know what the deal is with those mosaic patterns that've been appearing on the front hoods of NYC taxis?

By: Poolio

Poolio — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 16:22:31 -0800

D'oh! I see that my question has already been answered upthread.

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 16:35:07 -0800

Is this a thread where we hate on NY? Or do we just do that with every single thread that mentions Los Angeles? I couldn't find the answer in the wiki. Help pls kthx. My thoughts exactly. Apparently people feel safe spitting on LA. They're probably too scared that New Yorkers will spit right back at them, twice as hard and with precise aim.

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 16:39:32 -0800

Welcome to the official web pages of the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission... (a) An owner of a taxicab shall [print legibly on both rear doors of such taxicab the words "NYC Taxi" and the medallion number of] apply taxicab markings approved by the Commission, specifically, two taxicab logo decals, two rate of fare decals, two medallion number decals and two checkerboard stripe decals, to such taxicab [except in the case of authorized stand-by vehicles which shall have "SBV" and the SBV number in lieu of the medallion number] at the locations described in section 1-36 of this chapter. An owner of a taxicab shall obtain the approved taxicab markings from a person or entity authorized by the Commission to print and distribute such decals. A depiction of the decals described herein and a list of persons authorized to print and distribute such decals shall be available on the Commission's website and/or through other means determined by the Commission and announced on its website. Authorized stand-by vehicles shall display SBV number decals in lieu of the medallion number decals....

By: eyeballkid

eyeballkid — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 16:42:39 -0800

I suppose I should start talking shit about NYC, but I've been there and enjoyed it. Maybe I can just point out all the stereotypical shit about New York that I've seen on TV or heard in a Missing Persons song. That's what people usually do in threads about L.A.

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 16:47:36 -0800

Is this a thread where we hate on NY? I totally don't see this as a dump on NYC thread. I see it as as dump on those in power who would f*ck up NYC, thread.

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 17:11:07 -0800

I totally don't see this as a dump on NYC thread. Yeah, see, that's kinda the whole point he was making.

By: coolhappysteve

coolhappysteve — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 17:36:14 -0800

It's mentioned off-hand in the original article, but I'm really shocked that the MTA (or the MBTA, for that matter) didn't immediately balk at putting Boston's mass transit logo on all their cabs.

By: icosahedral

icosahedral — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 17:56:37 -0800

I wish that New York would take some aesthetic cues from London. Everything's so nice - the typography, the cabs, the tube. And speaking of cabs - aside from costing freakin' $50, London's cabs are the best things ever. I mean, really - building a microphone into the car so you don't have to raise your voice to talk to the cabbie? Fantastic.

By: Armitage Shanks

Armitage Shanks — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:16:32 -0800

Huh, the NYC logo is designed by the same people who brought us the London 2012 logo.

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:20:02 -0800

If that's the case, it's alllllllll making sense now. They must've just mixed the logos up. Kinda would've made more sense to see Lisa Simpson giving a blowjob on the side of a NYC cab.

By: junesix

junesix — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:03:02 -0800

Here's what I don't get. The practical utility of the exterior taxi logo is nearly zero because you'd never see it when hailing the cab. You begin hailing a cab when it's down the street and you've recognized it by the yellow paint and the lights on the roof. By the time you're in range to see it, it will have zipped right by on the street. If the purpose was to plaster the cab with useful info, they should print the rates on the side in a huge typeface size. (Though I doubt anyone would suddenly refuse a cab due to the standard rate).

By: Xoder

Xoder — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:40:23 -0800

coolhappysteve, the MTA does not run NYC cabs, the Taxi & Limosine Comission does. But I definitely had the same feeling when I first saw the new logo.