There's a famous waxed paper cup pattern called "Jazz." It first appeared in the early '90s and is a jaunty time capsule of its period. It also happens to look a bit like the logo for Google's new Stadia streaming video game service.
Twitter user helixD pointed out the resemblance shortly after Google unveiled Stadia on Tuesday. The tweet is just one of many poking fun at the zigzag logo that looks like a stylized Wi-Fi connection symbol.
I'm diggin Stadia's logo pic.twitter.com/o5V8PRc5uA
— helixD (@its_helixD) March 19, 2019
Some Twitter users, including YouTube game reviewer Shane Luis, think Stadia looks like it should be a Tesla competitor.Â
The logo for #stadia looks like an electric car brand. pic.twitter.com/2QugXd5FC2
— Shane Luis (@RerezTV) March 19, 2019
Video game fan Willie Aguilar noticed a kinship between Stadia and a bunch of Crayola crayon scribbles.Â
#Stadia knew I’d seen that logo before pic.twitter.com/xmcZpPjIma
— Willie Aguilar (@KratosRager) March 19, 2019
Stadia's logo look has also drawn comparisons to some famous now-retro gaming platforms, including Sega Dreamcast and Atari.
Google's Stadia logo really reminds of Sega's Dreamcast logo 🤔. #Stadia #GoogleGDC19 pic.twitter.com/ppcOpUU5wy
— Patrick O'Rourke (@Patrick_ORourke) March 19, 2019
Anyone else getting some old-school Atari vibes from the #Stadia logo? #GDC2019 pic.twitter.com/MppLeZIXuX
— Super League Gaming (@joinsuperleague) March 19, 2019
Google isn't the only company to opt for an "S" logo that looks like it was painted with a broad brush. Specialized Bicycles has a more vertical version of the concept.
I am wondering if Google has talked to Specialized Bicycles about their logo for Stadia. #GDC19 #google #specializedbicycles pic.twitter.com/9a3nhY3OOU
— Gregor M. Wildermann (@flagge7) March 19, 2019
Swedish death metal singer Mikael Stanne says he recognized the Google logo from somewhere else: the logo for Focal, an audio gear maker. The similarity is pretty striking, though Stadia is more truncated.
I knew I recognized that logo from somewhere. #stadia #focal @FocalOfficial @GoogleStadia pic.twitter.com/h2ADxXmQnG
— Mikael Stanne (@MiklStne) March 19, 2019
Not everyone came down hard on the logo. Some tweets called it "rad" and "awesome," both terms that would've been flung around quite a bit in the '90s.
The Stadia logo is rad. Very 90s 👌 pic.twitter.com/wbKtXV08ZI
— WolverineRising (@WolverineRising) March 19, 2019
Perhaps the harshest critique came from a Twitter user by the name of Dante. By turning the logo upside-down and adding a visual cue, it becomes the popular poop emoji.Â
Analistas descobrem mensagem oculta na logo do novo console da Google, o Stadia. pic.twitter.com/kOfpPgeRwi
— Dante(AKA ELiTE) (@dante_ynt) March 19, 2019
So is Stadia's logo retro cool, or is it lazy? That's all in the eye of the beholder. The logo ribbing will likely be forgotten if Google really does deliver the "future of gaming." Until then, you can either revel in its bright bodacious boldness or retch at its dull derivative weirdness.