On July 12, 2010, the YMCA announced the first update to its identity in in 43 years. The biggest change seems to be the elevation in importance of the ’Y,’ similar in usage to McDonald’s use of the slang, MickeyD.

The Young Men’s Christian Association (“YMCA” or in the USA “the Y”) is a worldwide movement of more than 45 million members from 124 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs. Founded on June 6, 1844 in London, England by George Williams, the goal of the organization was putting Christian principles into practice, achieved by developing “a healthy spirit, mind, and body.” The YMCA is a federated organization made up of local and national organizations in voluntary association. Today, YMCAs are open to all, regardless of faith, social class, age, or gender. — Wikipedia

While opinions concerning the branding has been mixed, The Guardian has a unique take on the change:

The Guardian, YMCA rebrands itself as The Y

It was perhaps the most joyfully proclaimed acronym in the history of popular music. Four letters, four actions, one exuberant hit record that came to be seen as a symbol of gay culture in the 1970s, on a par with mustaches and wide lapels.

But on Monday, the YMCA was laid to rest in the US, marking the end of its 166-year history. Or to be more accurate, MCA was laid to rest, leaving the Y standing tall and proud as the sole surviving letter of the Young Men’s Christian Association, the original Bible study group founded in London in 1844. The board of the organization’s American branch announced that it will henceforth call itself by its common street name, “The Y”, unveiling a new logo as part of a major “brand revitalization”.
…
Audrey Haynes, the group’s vice president, said it was a ”momentous event in the history of the Y”. She said the new logo was a symbol that “honors our past and represents our future”.

But for many, that was precisely the problem: honoring the past. Specifically, what on Earth now happens to the famous Village People pop hit that took the US and the UK by storm in January 1979?

What will thousands of teenagers at coming-of-age parties and barmitzvahs now dance to at the end of the evening, and what becomes of the choreographed hand movements with which they spell out Y-M-C-A in time to the legendary chorus? “It’s fun to stay at the Y-Y-Y-Y” doesn’t quite cut it.
…
The organization hopes its new-look, diminutive name will make it “warmer, more welcoming”, as an executive told the New York Times. But they must be mindful of the confusion that can set in when institutions change their spots.

Take the artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince. He turned himself into gobbledygook for much of the 1990s, only to switch back to the thoroughly understandable brand Prince in 2000.

45 million are part of this global non-profit organization whose mission it is “To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all.” After 43 years with the same logo, the organization is introducing a new identity system by Siegel+Gale and is adopting the moniker the whole world already has for it: the Y.

Siegel+Gale’s Co-President, CEO, and Chief Creative Officer, Howard Belk, has shared some additional clarifications and intentions behind their work:

The underlying reason for change was simple. The mission of the Y has broadened dramatically over the past 20 years and the organization’s brand — its story — needs to better express its highest order impact on our world. The new identity is that of an organization that strengthens the essential foundations of community.

Here is what the new brand needs to accomplish…

• Convert brand awareness to action. The new mark is an expression of the Y’s commitment to a higher cause, namely, strengthening the foundations of communities, as well as its personality, which is welcoming and hopeful. The previous mark was intended to serve primarily as an identifier for facilities and was not reflective of the brand.
• Align with the Y’s newly articulated areas of focus: Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility. The new identity appeals to and is more relevant to youth by being fresh and accessible. It reflects healthy living through its brightness and sense of movement. Social responsibility is conveyed through the range of colors and its direct relationship to the areas of focus within communications.
• Counter mis[con]ceptions of the Y as merely a provider of programs and services and instead convey the true spirit of the Y as a ‘movement’ committed to strengthening communities.
• Build on the heritage of the Y as a beacon within its communities. The new identity is more of beacon, a visual call to action, than it is an identifier.

Form

• From severe, static and rigid to friendly, approachable and dynamic.
• Forward looking, optimistic, contemporary.
• Preserves heritage of the triangle.

Color

• From corporate red and black to hopeful and bright.
• Better reflects diversity of the organization and its members.
• Provides a freedom within a framework.

Finish

• Gradients bring depth and dimension.
• Is sympathetic to key applications such as signage and contributes to the beacon effect.
• Is not problematic from a production POV given current technology.

Name/Typography

• The previous logo was a standalone “Y” with the letters YMCA underneath. The communicative name was adjusted to reflect what people affectionately call the organization, “the Y”.
• Trademark law requires the inclusion of the full YMCA name as well as the ™ mark.

As for my opinion on the Y’s new logo, I believe that the original mark has too much existing equity in it to warrant such a wholesale change. The design would have been better if the original mark was simply softened, executed in black and red, and then updated colors added to the system to satisfy the need for a youthful look. In addition, I think the gradients date it and won’t age gracefully. The Y logo has worked well for most of its history with just two colors. As far as the layout goes, the “YMCA” feels tacked on and makes the mark feel unbalanced. The way it is placed now just creates unnecessary visual dissonance and hurts the overall presentation.

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