Founded in 1984 by a small group of surfers in Malibu, California, Surfrider Foundation (SF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to “the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education.” Through more than sixty local chapters, SF counts with over 50,000 members across the United States. Earlier this month, SF introduced a new logo designed by Los Angeles-based 72andSunny.

This change is like going from surfing in Hawaii to your grandma’s tub: All the energy and dynamism the previous icon had has gone awash in the new one. By being confined in a square, the old wave conveyed a sense of the grandiosity a good wave can reach, completely engulfing you. I am sure someone, somewhere had a hard time reproducing the logo on a t-shirt or wetsuit and said they needed to change to something more simple and Nike-like. The new icon is weak not just in its sloppy execution but also in its depiction of a wave. It has no energy or power. The typography is a bit of a cliché but it could have been saved by better execution and a more interesting choice than all the weights of Helvetica Neue — just as one alternative, take different weights and widths of Titling Gothic and go to town or, to ocean, with it. There was no need to change the old logo so drastically; drawing one or two versions of it with less and more spaced lines for small reproduction and replacing that funky italic would have been sufficient.

Article from Elizabeth MacDonald at Brand New

CR’s take….love Surfrider but not the new logo. Still a member though.