I have been rinsing series 1, 2 and 3 of the American Office in the last few weeks and it's been hugely enjoyable, but there's one thing that has been bothering me. The Dunder Mifflin logo is just not quite right. Bits of it jut out from itself and my eye wants to bring it in line on all sides and make it one solid, standalone logo without the sticky-out bits. So I tried my hand at shaving it even and I have to say it's a challenge.
The first and most obvious place that needs to be brought in is on the far left, the D sits inset from the M below. This is the easy bit.
The main issue is the big comma; it leaves a big space above where the INC is but to fill that space vertically, the text has to be quite large and therefore overhangs the rest of the logo.
If you are going to have the comma there – and I have to say that while I don't think it's necessary it does gives it some great personality – then there are three way that I found that could keep this logo looking even:
1. Use a different, extended typeface that fills that gap. I don't like this option, as it just makes the type look like it's been squidged down and jars with the rest of the text.
2. Reduce the size of the MIFFLIN text and reduce the size of the comma even further, leaving a good amount of space for the INC. I like this one but then it leaves a bit of space under the INC, which is what I'm trying to get rid of.
3. Again, reduce the size of the MIFFLIN and then increase the size of the comma, and finally kern the INC so it is a bit more spacious. I don't love it but I would say it's the best of a bad bet.
What do you think? Is there anything else you could suggest? Have you even noticed the awkwardness of the Dunder Mifflin logo?
Like this post? Try Why Blade Runner Is The Best Designed Film Of All Time, Is This The Greatest Logo Of All Time? or Logorama
