The RTL logo

Events Ride the Lobster 2008
1

I was wondering what folks thought of the newly released RTL logo.

I have nothing but respect for Darren (whose design this is), and all the organizers of this race. I do not, however, care for the logo. I would have much preferred something low key to this, which I consider mostly silly.

This event feels serious (seriously fun, but still hard-core and serious). This logo just won’t cast our race in serious light. IMO.

I’d rather have a shirt with the design at the top of the RTL website.

To the organizers: Please choose a less silly design for the RTL shirt.

2

Shouldn’t the unicycle be on top of the lobster?

3

Yeah, fwiw, I agree with all of that. It does make it look like it’s a Saturday mornings kids cartoon more than a test of the fittest sportsmen of long distance unicycling.

STM

4

The designer of that logo clearly forgot the red nose, comedy big shoes and water-squirting flower, but otherwise they have clearly shown their opinion of unicycling.

jim

5

Maybe it’s a cultural difference?

I found this–I guess a goofy lobster is better than #2:

6

While true, that’s the least of my objections.

7

Choose your battles wisely, Steveyo.

You’ve only so many calories to expend, and there are many better causes to champion on this planet.

C’mon, take unicycling seriously? What next, hard-core juggling? Extreme ironing? Knitting marathons?

8

I don’t mind the lobster; it’s not what I would do on my own, but it at least looks like a professional graphic, unlike most of what we see on unicycle shirts. I don’t like the font much, it’s way too crowded. And the space behind the wheel needs to be transparent (background color), not white.

9

Oh, I haven’t picked a good battle in months.

Yes, IMHO, an 800K unicycle race deserves to be commemorated by an excellent shirt, and not a clowny one. I want to wear this shirt in my later years (I’m already in those?) and make people gasp, not laugh. I need the ego-stroking.

Also, I don’t care all that much, but c’mon, a silly, cartoony lobster?

10

Also, that is one of the most anatomically incorrect lobsters I’ve ever seen. No legs? When not unicycling does he just drag himself around by his claws or is he able to wobble around on the end of his tail which is somehow also able to pedal?

11

You guys forgot this is a unicycle race. The world, that is to say, the market for the tourist trade Nova Scotia is hoping to generate, do not equate unicycling with the Tour de France. Do we know this race is dead serious? Yes. Does that matter to “the world”? Not a bit. They will not appreciate a “serious” logo that contains a unicycle. It just won’t make sense. Maybe in a few years, but not today.

That’s my opinion, and you definitely don’t have to agree with it! I like both logos, but the “new” one is definitely more interesting, and to me would make for a more fun T-shirt (or jersey). Is this an “official” logo, to replace the previous one?

Anyway, whenever I see cartoon drawings of unicyclists the first thing I always do is check out the hardware and anatomy to see where the problems are. There are almost always problems. In this case, the lobster needs to lower the seat a whole lot to even be able to reach the pedals in the safety position. Not a big deal, it’s a cartoon after all. But I’m a unicycle nerd so I’ve come to notice such things.

Yup. Of course a lobster can’t physically come anywhere close to pedaling a unicycle, so we needn’t go into a frivolous lobster anatomy discussion. Also, I would never want to eat that lobster. It doesn’t look very meaty, and one might catch Mad Lobster from it or something.

When I first looked at the design the thought of “clownish” never entered my mind. Cartoon? Yes. Also fun, good-natured, and adventurous. Lobster + unicycle? What’s it all mean? More interesting to me than “guy riding unicycle” (the other logo). Do you consider the Unicycle Factory logo to be clownish? It’s been around since 1984 or so, so it completey predates the “extreme unicycling” movement of recent years, yet it still looks more extreme to me than “clown.” This logo reminds me of that one.

(BTW, even the venerable Unicycle Factory logo is anatomically correct. You can’t see it on the web site, but a piece of the unicycle’s frame is missing in the original.)

12

I like the logo and really I see nothing wrong with it.

13

Well, it’s cool that some people like it.

I just think an understated shirt with the stats of the race (something like

“1st Annual Ride the Lobster”
“800K Unicycle Race Across Nova Scotia, June 2008”

and a small copy of that cyclist from the website would look nicer, certainly from participants’ perspectives and maybe even tourists’ perspectives.

Maybe this on the back:

14


How’s that look?

15

I will point out that the pro cycling motif is not understated; it’s as loud and flashy as possible.

16

I don’t mind if the shirt itself is bright and flashy, I just don’t want the clowny lobby on it.

Of course I’m
a) not qualified or registered yet (may be qualifying this weekend, though), and therefore have (and should be given) no clout whatsoever,
and
2) going to wear the thing with pride until it’s totally thread-bare, no matter what the logo looks like.

17

Believe it or not, there is a kid at my school who takes juggling quite seriously. He stretches before he juggles, and considers it a rigorous athletic activity. I wouldn’t mind this normally, but he hates on contact juggling(which I participate in) because he feels that doesn’t have any athletic merit and is bringing juggling down as a ‘sport’ :roll_eyes: .

/end threadjack

18

i think the logo should be a cartoon cowboy ridding the lobster like it was a bucking bull

19

and here’s extreme ironing. they take it very seriously.

//threadjack

20

i love to juggle, i dont contact juggle but think its pretty cool. that kid at school is just saying the same garbage that jason garfield of the WJF (world juggling federation)