The Ovals Have It : They’re Simple and Retro, and Firms Dig Them

The oval is in. Maybe it was never out. How do the creative minds behind these hip sportswear companies explain the similarity in their logos? The oval is simple, it fits almost any pattern and, for companies specializing in the retro look, it evokes the ‘50s.

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Jim Alfaro, owner of Gouge, a Lake Forest company specializing in alternative clothing:

“We originally had a graffiti logo that looked like a tagger’s mark. Then everyone started doing that, and about three years ago we came up with an oval logo. We found that when it came time for making stickers, hats and patches, the oval shape fit the best. It also looks like an old ‘50s gas station- or Ford-type logo. (We specialize in) the ‘50s look, the industrial, blue-collar, nuts-and-bolts ‘Made in America’ look. . . . It fits with what we do.”

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Adrian Gross, co-owner and graphic designer for Sherman Oaks-based Fiend sportswear, specializing in streetwear and skatewear:

“I like the oval because it’s essentially nostalgic, mostly from the ‘50s. A lot of large companies over the years have used the oval, but now it’s mainly generated from retro. Everybody uses it, from major conglomerates to small air-conditioning stores. It could be overplayed in any industry, but hopefully Fiend pulled it off successfully so that it’s got a twist to it.”

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Joel Fitzpatrick, owner of L.A.-based Pleasure Swell, specializing in high-end urban streetwear:

“I have a theory you can put anything in an oval and sell it. I also like the aesthetics of minimalism, which is confused with the ‘50s. Some of the most brilliant logos come from the ‘50s because (that era) had minimalism down. . . . It’s easy to say about logos or clothes, ‘that’s very gas station’--it’s an easier ism to try to tag it with than minimalism.”

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Charles B. Lewis, vice president of Orlando, Fla.-based Tip Inc., specializing in men’s sportswear and streetwear:

“There’s no reason whatsoever that we use an oval. In the streetwear business, there are a lot of companies out there, and their logo has to do with the image they have to portray. . . . Maybe one of the reasons we like the oval is that a lot of large American logos have been ovals, like ‘Made in America’ and Ford, and all our clothes are made in America, not like a lot of big companies (that) go overseas. That’s the deepest thing I could possibly come up with.”