Hi guys! 

So I was recently approached about new logos for 2 different companies: Taco Bell and the newly renamed hockey team the Vegas Golden Knights. I was asked what my opinion on both of these logos were. Personally when I make a logo I have a mental checklist I go through.

Will it work in Black and White?
Does it maintain the existing brand?
How well would it work for a sign?
How about a letterhead? Is it too flashy?
Is it too flat?
Does it work at small and big sizes?
Can it be printed without issue?
Aimed at the right audience?
and most importantly does it solve the problem?

So lets take a look at these logos! 

Here is a quick comparison chart to address some of the points above; keep in mind none of these are the official logos just mental variations of the original to gauge how versatile the logo is.

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Okay so now that that is out of the way lets compare!

First Impressions:

Vegas Golden Knights

My first impression of the Hockey logo is that it is flat, boring, not too versatile, and while it does contain a nice bit of negative space usage is mostly pretty generic. With those complaints aside I also think that this logo is falling flat at its most basic level: conceptually. The "Knight" in the logo obviously was chosen specifically for the V but the problem is that the helmet in the logo is more akin to the Roman's, now I'm no historian so it could be from somewhere else but the point is it does not fit the traditional feel of a knight helmet.

Because of that I immediately can't take that logo seriously. But that could just be me. I feel that the choice in helmet in this logo is the biggest downfall of the logo. And that doesn't even get down to the details yet. The logo is flat; very flat. The logo doesn't represent "Golden" or "Knight" in any way.

Now lets take a look at the Taco Bell logo:

Taco Bell

The Taco Bell logo works in black and white, gray scale, has minimal colors so it is good for printing across many mediums, it works much better at small and large scales than the Vegas one, it pulls your eye, it is simple, utilizes negative space, and continues the existing brand very elegantly.

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Do they solve the problem?

This is the most important question to ask when it comes to any design project and the answer always depends on the question. So in terms of what they are both going for I would say that despite the fact that the Taco Bell logo is much better in most every way; they are both good logos. The Vegas logo is manly, sportslike, isn't too distracting, and is recognizable; despite it's not very interesting appearance, As for Taco Bell the biggest problem would be maintaining the brand I think. In those regards both logos solved their problems.

Good design is about solving problems, but a great logo is versatile, consistent, and clever. Neither are anything special in my opinion but they are both good. Logo design is just a piece of a brand so maybe the Knights can play some catch up with the rest of their branding.