I’m not lovin’ the new suite of PEGI logos. Not one bit. Whilst the BBFC logos are clearly an influence, PEGI have opted to retain the square profile whilst injecting the candy colours. A great deal of thought has obviously gone into them and this is just a personal opinion, formed without access to any of the research I’d hope went into their creation.
All the fun but fair – PEGI warns the kids
My problem with them, neat as they are and carefully grouped into young, early teen (ish) and adult, is that they are no longer distinctive. Against the brightly coloured or intricately illustrated game packs, these logos blend in a little too neatly which reduces their admonitory purpose.
Designing a classification system is more than just an exercise in branding, it has a task to perform in raising awareness of the suitability of the product. It’s not merely about recognising that these logos are from PEGI or BBFC but rather what PEGI and BBFC are actually for.
BBFC logos do the colour thing of course and they suffer from a similar problem but, in their defence, they are at least in varying, traffic sign shaped blocks.
For me, PEGI’s old monochromatic suite was a stark contrast to the lure of the beautiful colours. If you are too young, they seemed to say, don’t even think about picking me up. These new designs, on the other hand, look too tasty – especially that juicy red one.
