Website Logos in Optima Font

Yahoo got some flak recently for their new logo. Done in a font called Optima, Yahoo’s new logo has been criticized for looking too much like a makeup brand. I agree that it’s a little boring, but I can’t criticize Yahoo’s choice of typeface. The Optima font is one of my favorites. Designed by the famous designer Hermann Zapf, Optima crosses the line between a serif and sans-serif font. So after redoing famous logos in Papyrus and Algerian, I thought I’d try redoing some famous websites’ logos in Optima.

BuzzFeed

CareerBuilder

CollegeHumor

Cracked

Kickstarter

Mental Floss

Netflix

Pinterest

Tumblr

WebMD

I tried to make a logo parody that was really hideous, but for the most part, these Optima logos just come off as bland. Not as bland as Helvetica, but still pretty low-key. I think that’s why Yahoo got so much criticism for its new logo. Their old one was ugly, but at least it was memorable. The new logo is better looking, but like beauty pageant contestant in too much makeup, it’s just plain forgettable.

As for Optima, it’s a good font to use when you want your text to look subdued. For example, it’s used on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. But as logos go, Optima is too subtle to create memorable wordmarks.