North American organisation Evil Geniuses has unveiled what it calls the “final phase” of its rebrand, including a new logo that more closely resembles the original.
Evil Geniuses, which was founded in 1999, unveiled a rebrand in December of 2019 that dramatically changed the logo and jersey designs from an “EG” monogram to text.
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The new Evil Geniuses logo, which is a modified version of the original, is based on community feedback while paying homage to the organisation’s history, the organisation said. According to a provided breakdown of the redesign, the circular crest represents inclusivity and the two sharp serifs at the top and bottom represent “innovation and risk-taking.”
The new jerseys place the new Evil Geniuses logo on the upper left side, less prominent than the December redesign which took up much of the front along with brand sponsors. With this third iteration, brand logos have been moved to the upper shoulder and arms.
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Along with the rebrand, Evil Geniuses also announced a partnership with LG UltraGear, the logo of which has been added to the new team jerseys. Additional information about the partnership will be revealed at a later date.
Evil Geniuses has been in a period of transition for a year, having been acquired by Chicago-based investment PEAK6 Investments in May 2019 and naming Nicole LaPointe Jameson to the role of CEO. At that time, the slogan of ‘LIVE EVIL’ was adopted and the first rebrand was unveiled at year’s end.
James commented on the latest rebrand in a statement: “Today represents a culmination of over a year of incredibly hard work and dedication by our entire organization. Fueled by the passion of our unshakable community, we’ve finally given a face to our vision that’s not only representative and respectful of our past, but also dictates EG’s place in the future of esports.”
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Rebrands have been commonplace in esports in recent years as organisations grow and seek to modernize with audiences. NRG Esports, Excel Esports, Complexity Gaming, MAD Lions, ESL, and North have all rebranded in the last year alone.
Phil Aram, CGO of Evil Geniuses, also spoke on the rebrand: “Whether you cheered us to victory at TI5 in 2015, or you’re just becoming a fan of esports now, we strive every day to be there for our community. We look forward to seeing our players write the next chapter of EG championships while under a banner that’s truly symbolic of everything that we stand for.”
Esports Insider says: Abruptly changing the iconic Evil Geniuses logo resulted in mixed reviews from nostalgic fans and it’s nice to see an organisation pay attention. The latest logo is a clean, modern version and yet unmistakenly EG, combining old and new. It will be interesting to see how audiences react this time around.
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