ITT: A bunch of non-designers offering opinions which prove why we have designers.
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I am a designer and illustrator, as I suspect @Wetterschneider and probably others in this thread are, and I can only confirm their criticisms. The new design is generic, the proportions are off. It´s a stiff, generic pose as well. Look at how lifelike the 60s design is, it´s because the artist bothered thinking (and learning) about anatomy and weight. The new designer should have actually tried to understand what makes it a good illustration instead of just writing a bunch of mumbo jumbo about how he “found it and used it as his biggest inspiration”.
Btw, everyone can be a designer, it´s not a protected trade, at least where I come from. Call yourself one and you are one. It´s why we have so much bad, generic design.
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I’m hearing that “edgy” no longer means what we think it means.
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cannot unsee. it’s really bothering me now.
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I like the feet… but the head is a mess, too much colours, too much shapes. In my opinion this is a huge improvement, mascots (like logo) are far more effective when “flat” and simple and a retro-on-purpose aesthetic can be great !
Can’t resist to show one of my favourite mascot/logo :
So cute 
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Does anyone think it’s weird to have a mascot for a magazine encouraging environmental and wilderness protection be a racoon? Racoons, much like rats, and unlike most other wild animals, have actually benefited from human settlements by using our discarded food.
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The Ranger Rick from the 60s was indeed timeless, and I’d much rather they’d have just gone with that design than the new one. I love his eager happy expression.
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Trickle-down ecology…questionable.
Ranger rick is great, and I love his message, although I generally prefer a more “activist” approach to racoon-driven environmental movements
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OMG I had one of those, I am sure of it.
Those aren’t actually raccoons.
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I think if you dig deep enough, you’ll find at least some Tanuki blood in the 'ol ranger as well…
Looking at the pictures of Ranger Rick, I’d say they haven’t. Or maybe poor old Rick has been castrated to keep them family friendly.
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I have a background in illustration and design… but i don’t see how that’s particularly relevant. The consumer of a product is ultimately the target audience and their impressions and opinions is what counts.
A designer or artist might have insight on what could work but at the end of the day that means nothing if the consumer does not care for it.
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[quote=“beschizza, post:1, topic:84705”]computer-rendered mascot redesigns from the last 10 years or so, which have gotten dated and nasty[/quote]I was kind of hoping for a ghoulish rendering of Jackhammer Jill when I clicked the link. Perhaps in another ten years, when the dated and nasty has cycled back around to trendy again.
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The National Wildlife Federation is conservative by “radical environmental” standards, but Ranger Rick magazines of the '60s to the '80s spawned the generation of bulldozer destroyers, ship blockers, oil platform occupiers, headquarters banner hangers and tree sitters of the 90s, 00s and 10s.
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That badge is honestly a million times better. If you already have a timeless design like that, why waste your time coming up with a new one (and failing miserably)?
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Indeed.
How not to make a “timeless” design: Try to make a timeless design.
How to actually make a timeless design: Examine designs from a few decades ago and choose one that still holds up.
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This thread reads unnervingly like one at Hacker News
I think he was out in our trash this evening.
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