Red Tail Design Company is sharing with us, the story of how they came up with the logo for the Transformers: Bumblebee movie; which was used during the #JoinTheBuzz marketing campaign as well as on various toys and merchandise.
The logo which was first discovered by TFW2005, sure has an interesting backstory:
“Sometimes, even a small design company in Southeast Ohio gets the chance to go Hollywood. Our chance came when we got to design a logo for “Bumblebee,” the new Transformers movie.
In 2017, Paramount Pictures reached out to Red Tail about a logo. Well, we didn’t actually know it was Paramount Pictures right off the bat, as these sorts of things are kept TOP SECRET, especially before a movie is even in production.
But lo and behold, a major studio needed us to create a design for an upcoming movie!
We didn’t know exactly how the logo would be used, so it needed to be versatile. This design works well as a stand alone image and also across all manner of products including toys and apparel.
The Bumblebee logo is based off of an old logo Tim made years ago. Paramount initially reached out about acquiring the original logo, but we offered to make them a new version.“
You can check out the images, after the jump. You can read more via RTD official blog.
Final Version:
Original Version:
Unused Concepts:
Music
Interesting, thanks for the insight! It was featured so you were probably happy either way as a fan.
RedTailDesign
It was possibly going to be the main logo, but instead I think they just went with a stylized bumblebee head without much more of an icon… I know they used it on a lot of products and the Director used it for shirts as gifts to the staff. Sadly I didnt get to play a huge role or conversation in how it was used. I think they hoped I wasnt going to even figure out what it was for at first… probably didnt realize I was a fan. haha.
Music
It's really cool to hear insight from people who have worked on the movie. Was this logo supposed to play a larger role in the film initially?
RedTailDesign
haha yaaa there was a lot a lot of minor adjustments. We always normallys send a few versions to the client at first… and when you realize the project is for a movie AFTER its all done… you think well crap… maybe I would have done things a little differently haha. I think the individual thought I wasnt going to guess what it was for, which I did after I already invoiced. Still fun non the less!
RedTailDesign
Hey all! Thanks for the love and the share! This was such a random project and I am glad Paramount didnt just steal it. I read all your posts early on and someone tried to contact me but since I did the logo before production started I coudlnt say anything.
The various versions were minor adjustments one of the producers wanted to see. Since this logo was done in pre production just before TF5 came out, not everything makes the cut sadly, but it was AWESOME to see it at the start of the credits. We basically made no money off of it as we only billed a few hours for the work since as you noted it was based off of something we had already done. Anyways has a TF fan, its cool to randomly be a small part of the universe, especially in a move that was wayyyy better than the last few.
Digger
The actual legitimate designer explanation:
“You guys ever heard of these things called bees? Well they were our key inspiration for designing the logo for the bumblebee movie. It only occurred to us midway through production that bumblebee actual has a lot of similarities to bees. Which insured our design decisions for this logo. So what we did was take some of the essential bee designs and traits and apply it with our own sensibilities. Creating a timeless design that gives a nice insight and exposure for this little known creature that surprisingly encapsulates this film and protagonist.
TheSoundwave
I get where you're coming from, but it's not an excessive amount of effort. The designer probably could have had these done in a matter of hours. I doubt those were rejected versions (they could have been, but I doubt it). They were likely just rough designs that the designer played around with for inspiration. I'm an art/graphic design major, and I sometimes go through more rough sketches than that for homework assignments. It's not a faction sign, but it is a prominent piece of their marketing. It's important to have something visually appealing. It's kind of unrealistic to expect them to get it right on their first try. Something like the wing size changes the look of the whole thing.
Rated X
Im just saying 8 different Bee logos seems like a lot to me. So it keeped getting rejected ? Make the wings smaller, no make the butt bigger, now give it eyes, lol. Sheesh its not a damn faction sign…
TheSoundwave
Huh, interesting. I definitely think the final one was the best of the bunch.
Honestly, it doesn't really sound like they broke their back over it. Paramount tried to buy the company's generic bee logo, and they designed Paramount a new one instead. I'm actually surprised Paramount seemed pretty hands-off during the process.
Rated X
Its hard to believe they put this much effort on a freakin bumblebee logo.
Digilaut
Never got why they went with this. Ok, we get it, Bumblebee looks and sounds a bit like a bee, but nowhere ever is this icon ever used in-movie. It’s completely dissonant.
Feloniicharges
Koff koff breaking bad bee k/o koff koff bloody dust
waflhaus91
That\'s pretty awesome! I live about an hour away from Athens where this design studio is. Always enjoy seeing my nearby cities getting national attention like this.
Hyoumaru
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Burnout00012
I remember when this logo first started circulating, someone posted the original concept, and said that Paramount had stolen it. Glad to know that's not actually the case.
SilverOptimus
News Post: Transformers: Bumblebee Movie Logo Concept And Info