The ISA uses Helvetica to make the world a better place
La Jolla, California, March 25, 2021 - The International Surfing Association (ISA) has today launched an updated logo and brand identity system in preparation for surfing’s debut as an Olympic sport this summer at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Leveraging the strength and universal appeal of the word ‘surf’, the identity represents how surfing transcends sport, lifestyle, logo, and brand.
Watch brand reveal video here.
The ISA brand reveal video showcases the new logo with a series of key messages that embody the core values of the ISA and its mission, which include joy, youth, culture, progression, passion, lifestyle, and teaching, among others.
The ISA’s tagline ‘A Better World Through Surfing’ will continue to be represented in the identity system. Introduced in 2019 on the proposal of the ISA President, the tagline embodies the ISA’s mission and values to use surfing as a tool to make positive social impact around the globe.
ISA President Fernando Aguerre said:
“Surfing has come a long way in my journey with the ISA, and with all change taking place in the world, we felt this was an opportune time to update our image and identity. We need to represent the current – and future -- state of the sport as we expose fans from all around the world to surfing, many for the first time, at the Olympic Games. We have embraced surfing’s ethos of simplicity and youth, which is effective across the array of digital mediums whether a smartphone, tablet, or desktop screen.
“When we were searching for a new direction for the brand, we realized that the solution was right in front of us all along. Surf! The ISA is composed of individual surfers, organizations, and federations from all around the globe – from grassroots all the way to the Olympics. We are all surfers. We all represent surf and we all live surf, hence the new logo, isasurf.
“Paying homage to our original logo, which withstood the test of time for more than two decades, we maintained the same hue of blue that draws a strong connection with the ocean and nature. We went back to the original designer that we hired in 1994 to create a new identity and logo for the ISA. Mario Gemin, a master designer from Argentina, did a brilliant job again in 2021.
“Our new identity will herald in the present and future of the sport. From the surfers preparing to debut in the Olympic Games, to the children riding their first wave, our new logo highlights our togetherness, as we continue together in our mission of making a better world through surfing.”
Comments
Eh?
It's the big news in the surf world, Bone.
“ Leveraging the strength and universal appeal of the word ‘surf’, the identity represents how commerce and layers of bloated bureaucracy transcends sport, lifestyle, logo, and brand”
...they say as they present their primary school child's first go at InDesign and charge you 6 figures for it.
Goodness me!
Oh, this wasn't a DA piece?
That was my first impression too.
And we won't hear from them again for another for years.
Happy to post the weekly email messages if you like. Here's a recent snapshot of the Subjects:
"ISA Reaffirms Commitment to World Surfing Games with Release of Health and Safety Plan"
"Tune in! State of Olympic Surfing with Caroline Marks and Frederico Morais"
"ISA Solidarity Fund Uplifts Communities around the Globe"
"ISA Medical Commission Holds Successful First Meeting"
"ISA Furthers Commitment to Gender Equality through United Nation’s ‘Sport for Generation Equality Framework’"
"ISA Announces Creation of Medical Commission to Promote Athlete Health, Advise on Medical Services"
"ISA Awards Scholarships to 43 Underserved Youth around the World"
"The ISA Joins United Nations’ ‘Sports for Climate Action’ Initiative to Further Prioritise Sustainability"
Betoota Advocate could learn a thing or two.
Just re-read the second to last Subject title - inadvertently omitting an 's' - as "ISA Awards Scholarships to 43 Undeserved Youth around the World".
Nice to see the Undeserved Youth of today getting a leg up.
Hahaha
I did the same thing and had to do a re-read. Thought it said undeserving youth - hilarious.
When I have a glass of wine I often look at that wanky spiel on the back, the one about about fine grain tannins and hints of oak, fucked if I can ever taste them though. Similarly, this wankfest of corp speak about a new logo might take a few hits of something psychadelic for me to see their vision manifested in font. At least someone in Argentina (funny his design was blue and white eh?) is laughing all the way to the bank, anyone know the cost of the new logo?
Bob
the cost of the logo pretty minimal, The cost to fly the marketing team to ISA HO to conduct ideation sessions and creat mood boards and deliver prototyping for 360 deg feedback and the dinners out to reflect on how truly inspiring the meeting was and how awesome the marketing team are.....yeah thats a little pricier
I have it on good authority that flying the marketing team around was part of the ‘Sports for Climate Action’ series of meetings.
Semi-related - Ratepayers in my shire got footed a 200k bill for a failed consultation on naming our new Aquatic centre last year. Hahaha. Whaaa?
Would love some transparency on how that money got allocated..
They probably went straight to implementation stage instead of following the old tried and true method
Empathize > Define > Ideate > Prototype > Test > Implement
Trap for young players....or those that saw the cash grab and took it
I know the GC council dropped $680k many years ago on a new logo and all they got was a red dot.
https://www.businessnewsaustralia.com/articles/opinion-divided-over-new…
This is as dumb as nbn co trying to trademark "nbn" and requiring, under their trademark usage guidelines, the network be referred to as the nbn network.
Stunning and brave.
On a pedantic note, I don't think the font is Helvetica. If you'll note, say, both ends of the 's' – in helvetica they'd be perfectly horizontal, as opposed to the 45-degree planes they are in both S's of the isasurf wordmark.
Yep it's Trade Gothic. I did notify Stu, currently waiting for the "font nerd!" response.
I'm not sure it's Trade Gothic? – at least not the cut of T.G I have? I might not have the whole family etc
though. (edit: if not TG, very very close)
Ah, looks like we've got a font nerd battle. OK I'm thinking Trade Gothic Next (Pro Regular)
https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/trade-gothic-next/pro-regular/
so close... so so close, but look at arm of the 'r' in the wordmark - the far edge two degrees off vert, but in trade gothic fully vert... but there's a fair few cuts of TG floating around I'd imagine, so god knows. All I know is I HAVE to start working for real right now.
Fark, well spotted. I bow down, sensei.
gentlemen. this is a custom made font. can you not see. it is art
Personally, I would have gone with Comic Sans.
Always Comic Sans, so versatile.
So we can expect to see the new Swellnet logo in comic sans?
Ooooh yeah
Haha.
Nice
Can you do the Swellnet logo in traditional gothic pls?
Thanks Ben, I just spat coffee all over my keyboard.
You are kidding right, Thermal Ben?!
How could comic sans have "embraced surfing’s ethos of simplicity and youth"?!
This could ONLY be achieved through Helvetica or the like.
... an awful piece of identity design.
Initial thought: 'Franklin Gothic' ... now leaning towards 'News Gothic' or even [que noxious sulphuric odour] Microsoft Sans. (the lowercase 'r' has me stumped!)
Typography aside: the tautological use of the word 'surf' should have been addressed ...
They should have gone Times New Roman. Connect with the Gen X demographic. One of the great fonts really. Got me through my university years along with Word Perfect and a 286 PC. Been waiting for the Millennial hipster set to start using it ironically.
Glad someone beat me to this!
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="
title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I've always been a bit cynical about the ISA and what they are, but after seeing their new logo my whole opinion has changed. Wow! Blew me away! I get it now, and it is exciting to look to into the future. (Japanese beachbreaks).
Bit of a scandal last year as to the logo for the newly minted "National Brand Advisory Council", which cost taxpayers $10 million.
Even worse, launched during the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, it looks like the bloody virus itself.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-01/is-the-famous-australian-made-ka…
Oooh, nice! Represents our commitment to the minerals trade perfectly: gold in colour (tick), symbolizes an explosion (tick) and an empty space (no fill in the letters) where there once was something! Absolutely perfick. $10 Mill well spent.
Helvetica, Times New Roman and Windings walk into a bar.
Barman says "Sorry, but we don't serve your type here."
Ha ha
or, we don't serif your type here
What a giant wank surfing is becoming.
"the universal appeal of the word 'surf' " Fuck me dead..........
True though. I’m writing this on a Samsung wifi surf board whilst my Jeep waits for me to surf through the bottle O to pick up some Coronas on the way home.
Your long tresses wafting in the warm breeze, and that sickly 'little river' tune playing.
Looks to me like "Mario Gemin master designer from Argentina" might be a conman extraordinaire.
If nothing else at least I've now heard the 3 fonts walk into a bar joke.......I love a good dad joke.
I was going to make a font joke....but I'm just not bold enough
Serif’s pumping this morning, mainly at Comic Sands.
FFS - what a total wankfest. It makes me embarrassed to be a designer.
Now puns, it's getting better, at least better than the news breaking logo by the ISA.
I was going to try to add a pun, but I'll leave it to the textsperts.
Stick it to the Man! ISA (rebrand) = [ Surfing's World Governing Authority ] Cool!
Problem with Drug Crazed Surfie Dregz! ISA (rebrand) = [ For a Better Surfing Future ] Cool!
Your oceans weren't coughing up enough shit! ISA (rebrand) = [ A Better World through Surfing ] Cool!
www Search results not up to scratch! ISA (rebrand) isasurf = [ NYSIPTUPFIELCTPRCLJDOS ] Huh?
www Search Results : (NYSLZMOSE) Elo Dance routine ...gotta be happy with that! [isasigns Cheque]
isasurf = nature, youth, strength, innovation, passion, teamwork, unity, progression, family, inspiration, equality, legacy, community, teaching, persistence, respect, culture, lifestyle, joy, dreams, Olympic, surf.
Reinvigorating message brothers but maybe a tad Me too clingy for Pandemic Stickers...
What's so funny 'bout Peace, Love & Understanding.
...like was gettin' really superstokeded with the Flag waving & those soppy lyrics & all that...
... then this mental arse tbb had to over-rethink his re-imagining brief...
screw tbb & screw the whole crew...why can't ya'll just leave the rebranding of our isasurf planet alone!
PS : isasurf team judged tbb's comment as least hostile & refashioned his blather into a tone dea[f] like.
Over on BG, the same article but reporting this only happened last night whereas this article was up on Friday? Behind the times? World clock differences?
Ka-ching for the designer, ka-ching for the committee members. Dare I say, looks a little plain?
I piece of wood wouldn't look so good without a bit of basic plaining... I say ay...
This is the most amusing thread I've read on Swellnet in years. Good work Stu, Gra and others, but Sheep Shagger takes the prize with three fonts walk into a bar. Meanwhile, what can be done about Fernando! The bloke's all heart, but I bet the entire Latin American Olympic surfing contingent could have flown first class to Tokyo for what they paid the design guru to copy a font off a chart.
I just wanna know who are the key board members involved in this typo controversy?
isasurf
Bit like saying ‘atm machine’ ........
Hilarious. You bunch of cunny fonts. I hear it as accented statements or questions during early surf check.
Italian -Isa surf?
Jamaican - I's a surf but me get no waves mon.