Just in time for NYCC, Oni has debuted a new logo and icon for their books. The new look will first appear on November’s Crownsville #1, the supernatural tale from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Elia Bonetti.
The new logo was designed by the very talented Patrick Crotty, who was recently Eisner and Ringo award nominated for his work on the Scott Pilgrim 20th Anniversary Hardcover Box Sets.
Crownsville #1
Cover Art by Jason Shawn Alexander
The new logo has a strong look, and follows in the footsteps of two previous logos, as seen in this impressive gif. The original logo was designed by Dave “Watchmen” Gibbons, the award-winning co-creator of Watchmen and set the tone for such early Oni classics as Clerks: The Comic Book by Kevin Smith & Jim Mahfood and the Oni Double Feature anthology. The second Oni Press logo appeared in 2012 and was designed by art director Keith A. Wood, branding such tales as Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt’s The Sixth Gun through Christopher Cantwell & Tyler Crook’s Out of Alcatraz.
The rebrand rolled out in a Publishers Weekly interview with Oni publisher Hunter Gorinson and editor in chief Sierra Hahn, who covered such things as the EC Comics relaunch, and embracing webcomics:
Since Gorinson and Hahn have been at Oni’s helm, the press has worked to build a stronger presence in the direct market through the publishing of single issues, with 113 issues slated to be published in 2025. “We came in and very fortunately had a robust book market driven list, but we knew that we also had this other readership we didn’t want to neglect,” Hahn told PW. Both Hahn and Gorinson have backgrounds in the direct market, as Hahn had previously served as executive editor at Boom! Studios where Gorinson was VP of business development.
Beyond a new focus on the direct market, Oni has adapted to the current changes in the comics market by organizing crowdfunding campaigns for multiple graphic novels as well as dipping a toe into the world of webcomics, publishing print volumes of the popular Webtoons SubZero (Junepurrr) and LySandra Vuong’s Covenant (LySandra Vuong).
Much more interesting chat in the link, but back to the new logo! In a statement accompanying the logo, David Steward II, Chairman of the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group and CEO of Polarity, Oni’s parent company not that “as Oni prepares to reach even greater heights ahead in the months and years to come, it’s the perfect time to refresh the company’s footprint in comic shops and bookstores with an aesthetic that’s every bit as bright and bold as the stories we put onto the page.”
Oni indeed has many things, cooking, as noted by Hahn, and “we’re deep into plotting and planning our next major wave of creator-owned comics and graphic novels with familiar faces and surprise talents alike – several of which you’ll hear about this week at New York Comic Con.”
Oni Press – Standard Logo
Designed by Patrick Crotty
In addition to the “standard logo” seen above, there is an “Extended Icon Logo” which has a creature and seems suitable for even more elevated offerings.
Oni Press – Extended “Icon” Logo
Designed by Patrick Crotty
To learn about the latest Oni doings, head to NYCC fFriday at 1:30 for the “Oni Press: The Loudest Thing in Color” panel, with including Rodney Barnes (Crownsville), Mat Heagerty (Indoor Kid), Matt Kindt (EC’s Catacomb of Torment), George Northy (Yuletide), Adam Syzm (Little Visitor & Other Abductions), and more.
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