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Credit: UniversalIn a surprising announcement today, Universal Parks & Resorts have changed their name to Universal Destinations & Experiences.
The change suggests a move toward focusing on the upcoming announced Parks and projects, including the year-round Halloween Horror Nights in Las Vegas and the family friendly Park coming to Frisco, Texas. While the change affects the Universal name, it was also stated the the individual Parks would not be affected.
Shortly after this announcement, it was revealed that Universal Orlando Resort updated the logos of each of their Parks and CityWalk, with similarities comparing the new logos to the logo for Epic Universe. The logos for the two current theme parks and Volcano Bay were changed, featuring a circular focus point and the Park name across the front. The logo for the upcoming Epic Universe was also changed, featuring a more simplistic design, with the wording “Universal Epic Universe” in a plain font straight across the background rather than incorporated into it, like the original version. The logo for CityWalk features neon pink font, and is the odd logo out compared to the other four. The new designs are more 3-D rendered, compared to the 2-D look of the former versions. Online reactions to the changes have been mixed.
The logos for Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay and CityWalk have been updated on the Universal Orlando website. pic.twitter.com/nIKJoh9NNL
— Ashley Carter (@AshleyLCarter1) March 8, 2023
One commenter, @HaydenGPalmer, complains about the update,
“The thing that annoys me the most is the continents being cut off by the text in the studios logo. These are… rough”
Several comments claimed they looked like “copyright-free logos from 2013” and that they look “really cheap.” Comments similar to this one from @NotTheGamer shared similar thoughts,
“Idc about the rest of them but islands of adventure and epic universe look horrible”
However, one Twitter user, @ReviewtymeDom, brought up the accessibility factor of the new logos.
“Ugh. These aren’t just objectively bad but in a lot of areas fail web accessibility checks. Using Volcano Bay as an example – in the center where the shadow thins out around the L C & A in Volcano and it becomes painful to look at on a white background.”
With all of the negative comments surrounding the new logos, it seems as though Universal Orlando may be listening and passing the critiques to the appropriate channels.
Hi there. We appreciate your feedback, and have passed this along to the proper leadership teams.
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) March 8, 2023
They’ve been responding to several users with similar comments, thanking them for their feedback and promising to pass it to the appropriate teams for review. With the amount of negative reactions to the unveiled logos, it seems highly possible that Universal will take the time to rework the designs. The rebranding of their company name and Universal Orlando seems to suggest that massive change is on the way for the Universal Parks.