Why
As onedrop mentioned - growth and evolving. That was the main reason. Onedrop wanted a different logo and I agreed with them. I felt a different logo could represent onedrop more effectively. They are very high precision and their work reflects that. In the creative process of designing yoyos with them, every aspect of conversation is as technical as you can imagine while still producing creative outcome. Even when I would see them sketch out ideas for yoyos, they would be very detailed cad like drawings to be as specific as possible. Precision, accuracy, clean and simple. These were a few words that came to mind when I thought about onedrop. I got some but not all of this from the past logo.

Most people, including myself, didn't realize what the shape was supposed to be until it was mentioned to them. Now I'm not saying that everything has to be completely literal, to the contrary. But when I looked at the mark, it didn't seem to evoke all of the previously mentioned attributes.

Process
First and foremost, the original logo used helvetica, and over the years I have expanded the style in which it is used for different mediums. Specifically in videos and ads. It became a very specific part of the brand that I wanted to remain. So the font stayed and the project became more of a refresh than an outright rebrand/redo.

After I established that that element of the logo was going to remain, it was time to figure out the icon. In short, it's a simplified illustration of a yoyo cad drawing. Now to the public eye, most cad drawings can be very overwhelming and mathematical, and rightfully so. Cad drawings are exact math. So how to communicate the same thing, without all the detail? I figured out what the main elements were of the yoyo (and hopped that I could also represent them in a visually appealing manner). I decided on these: Two yoyo halfs, string (DRAGON) and an axle. Simple enough BUT too simple. What was even more specific to onedrop? Some folks will agree with this, some won't; but the packing. The box. Although the box is very simple, as are the graphics that accompany them, it is specific to them and embodies their methodology.

When asked, "Why do you guys use the box?" the reply I got was, "Why do we use the box we use? Its simple, recycled and does the job effectively."

I highlighted the key takeaways from this statement and to they resonated very firm. The word 'simple' popped up again, so I tried to compose a cohesive connection between the box and what was in it. Ultimately I deduced that they were accomplishing one and the same. The box is simple, but it does the job effectively. The same can be said about all of their yoyos.

So the box it was. Two yoyo halves, string DRAGON - which is hidden in the gap) an axle (because you don't really need a bearing if your playing classic fixed axle : ) and the onedrop box. Some sketching here and there, some print proofing and the result was as you see.

To Note
One major concern of mines was to make certain that the logo mark when reduced, would still be clear and look good. The past version had completely pointed edges that when reduced got a little lost, especially when engraved onto a yoyo face.

Boldness. When you speak to them, they are really really nice guys and you soon find out that they are very solid, very firm in what they are talking about. There's no wishy washy business, no doubt on detail. That being the case, I wanted the mark to communicate the same.

We are moving forward with a revamp our logo. First step is replacing it on our website with other stuff like stickers to follow.

A huge thank you to Mark Montgomery for his work on this. He did an amazing job and we love the new look.

Nice new logo.
But I have to ask: Why replace the old one?

Keep things fresh and Revolving.

Keep things fresh and evolving.

Check any company that has been around a while and their logo changes. It evokes enough the previous that people know what is.

Check any company that has been around a while and their logo changes. It evokes enough the previous that people know what is.

But the new one is totally different than the old, not an evolution but a radical change. It is difficult to see how people would recognize the connection between the old and the new. I guess I am thinking of all of the T-Shirts that YYE recently sold with the "old" logo on them. Are they collector's items now?

Besides, new logos are typically associated with major changes in the marketing message or a change in the way people use the product. Think Intel Corp. They changed their logo in 2006 to reflect a growing consumer-bent to their products. They removed the electrical engineer inspired :lower e" with the oval swoosh around the Intel to be more consumer friendly (less geeky).

Does this logo change signal a shift of some kind?

Keep things fresh and evolving.