Did you know? Differences in Japanese and international SEGA logo

News from 2019.08.23
Archived on 2019.09.09

If you have ever played a game released by SEGA, you surely remember their iconic blue logo.
However, have you ever noticed that this logo looks a little different depending on the region your game was released in?

意外と知られてない気がするんですが、セガのロゴは国内と海外で色が少し違います。並べてみるとわかるんですが、受ける印象がちょっと違いますよね。 pic.twitter.com/THC3FCwcaL

— 北尾雄一郎/Yuichiro Kitao (@kit_p) August 23, 2019

🔵 Fun fact: Did you know that the color of SEGA logo is different between Japan and overseas?

Top: Japanese logo with light blue color
Bottom: international logo with darker blue color https://t.co/tSUD4YkrtN

— ●SonicJPNews● (@SonicJPNews) August 23, 2019

Gem Drop's head and game designer Yuichiro Kitao-san addressed this differences between SEGA logo used in Japan and international products, and this tweet gathered attention of many Twitter users and people from the gaming industry, including Naka-san.

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これって昔からめんどくさいなあと思ってました。
SOAの意見が強かった時期から違うんですよね。
本社の意見が通らないと言うトホホな感じですよね。 https://t.co/qoPEElZo7G

— Yuji Naka / 中　裕司 (@nakayuji) August 27, 2019

🔵Naka-san also commented on the difference in SEGA logo's color between Japan and overseas:
"I've always felt this bothering. The color is different since the time when SOA's opinions had stronger impact. It's a shame that opinions of the headquarter didn't go through." https://t.co/4y2wgIIafO

— ●SonicJPNews● (@SonicJPNews) August 27, 2019

ちなみにセガロゴの右上にTMをつけるのか®️をつけるのかが違ったりした時もありましたので、色違いと表示違いもあったと記憶しています。

— Yuji Naka / 中　裕司 (@nakayuji) August 27, 2019

🔵 Additional comment by Naka-san:
"By the way, there were also times when the top right of the logo was different (either TM or (R)), so I remember there were variants in the logo itself aside from that in the color."https://t.co/tZSRKZsMuS

— ●SonicJPNews● (@SonicJPNews) August 27, 2019

This trivia was also confirmed by a SEGA production director Sam Mullen.

I can confirm this is true. The Japan and International logos for SEGA are different shades of blue. If you have a JP and EN copy of any recent game, check the boot sequence and compare for yourself. https://t.co/j1se4rrdm0

— Sam Mullen (@sam_mullen) August 24, 2019

Indeed are the colors printed on packages and or those shown on starting screen different depending on the released region of the game. Interesting!

It's possible that they change the contrast a little depending on where it's placed, but it appears the color of the Japanese SEGA logo is usually lighter than the international one. Interesting! pic.twitter.com/Jc0vCPceYj

— ●SonicJPNews● (@SonicJPNews) August 23, 2019

The trivia spread and multiple web gaming journals released an article about it within the day.

Kotaku https://kotaku.com/segas-logo-is-a-different-color-in-japan-1837562455
Gigazine https://gigazine.net/news/20190826-sega-logo-different-color/
DenFami Nico Gamer https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/190827a


Sonic Official has once explained the color of SEGA logo and the meaning behind its unique 'SEGA Blue' in a tweet from 2016. However, the reason behind the variation of international logo has not been officially addressed.

Ah thanks for the info!

I found the original tweet.https://t.co/2JOoqedTbH

According to the tweet, the Japanese logo color is called 'SEGA Blue' which represents the company's aims: bright future with latest technology, fun of entertainment and peace.

— ●SonicJPNews● (@SonicJPNews) August 23, 2019

The person didn't specifically mention the other color variant they showed in the picture, but that must be the color for international logo.

For the Japanese logo with SEGA Blue, they stated the color code as follows:https://t.co/z3dnxhGsZs

— ●SonicJPNews● (@SonicJPNews) August 23, 2019

There must be one, but I don't think it's been officially addressed until now...

— ●SonicJPNews● (@SonicJPNews) August 24, 2019

Japanese logo: #0085CA (PANTONE：Process Blue C)
International logo: #0060a8

Some speculate SEGA's corporate decision by difference in desired impression of the company depending on cultural background; others relate it to the color difference in display of classic era consoles. What do you think the reason might be?


Also, another fun fact since it was on topic with one of the followers:

Cool! Another fun fact: you may already know this, but that bag you got from SEGA arcade center in Japan has a hidden message on it in Morse code...

"UFO Catcher Is Not A Vending Machine."https://t.co/i4UmzuUIsq

— ●SonicJPNews● (@SonicJPNews) August 23, 2019

The more you know! ;)

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