Comments on: On Why Syfy is a Good Idea

By: Bruce

Bruce — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:54:10 +0000

Thanks man, this is good. I’ve really been thinking and asking myself “why the change?” and I’m glad to see these points and ideas.

By: Nerdote

Nerdote — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:36:32 +0000

It stuns me when i read (a lot of peoples) arguments on the pronunciation of the name. How can somebody read “SyFy” and pronounce SeeFee??

Really? Who are you people hanging out with? Clearly people who do not know how to read. When i first saw the “new” name, it struck me as odd. But i immediately liked it. It says to me that the network is playful, AND that it still “sci fi”. So basically: same thing + FUN = better (?)

What i hadn’t taken under consideration is the “ownability” of the new name. Makes perfect sense to me. Great post.

Oh , and Chet. “Nobody cares about ownability”.
Really??

By: David S Auer

David S Auer — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:10:20 +0000

I would not be bothered by the name change if there was not a turn toward wrestling and “reality” shows on the channel. Having wrestling fans yell at me forty some minutes into then Eureka or now Warehouse 13 is so totally jarring, it makes me want to boycott the advertisers immediately following the promo, but by that time I am too livid to note who they are. This name change seems to me to support this trend. If this trend continues to far, Syfy risks losing my loyalty. The only positive I can see from the name change is that I will now never confuse Sci abbreviation on TV Guide Channel with Science Channel again.

By: The Great Geek Manual » Geek Media Round-Up: July 28, 2009

The Great Geek Manual » Geek Media Round-Up: July 28, 2009 — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:02:08 +0000

[…] On Why Syfy is a Good Idea in one sentence: The new name serves as a built-in warning for genre fans to keep their expectations in check. […]

By: Best Linked Cold « Torque Control

Best Linked Cold « Torque Control — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:59:09 +0000

[…] finally: In defence of Syfy. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)ExperimentationOn Being A FanVector 249 — […]

By: Robert M

Robert M — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:31:18 +0000

With all due respect, I just can’t agree. Your ideas are good, but “SyFy” is as clever, differentiating and playful as “Krazy Kup Koffee Korner”. Which is to say, embarrassingly cheesy at best, and knock-off generic brand at worst.

SciFi Channel may have needed a name change and brand overhaul, but this wasn’t the way to go.

No logo+name should invite mocking unless your brand is about being mocked.

By: Son Of Grab Bag Sunday | The Crotchety Old Fan

Son Of Grab Bag Sunday | The Crotchety Old Fan — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:04:22 +0000

[…] TLTSNBN: a “defense” of the SYFY […]

By: Spazzikarp

Spazzikarp — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:23:01 +0000

SciFi/SyFy didn’t cancel BSG, per se. BSG was always meant to be 4 seasons from the start. The creators wanted a definite end point to build up to. They just screwed up the ending horribly.

FarScape, however, was canceled. But IIRC, it had lackluster ratings, which is what happens at that point.

By: Devon Grey

Devon Grey — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 07:16:40 +0000

Thanks man, this is good. I’ve really been thinking and asking myself “why the change?” and I’m glad to see these points and ideas.

By: Alfonso

Alfonso — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:14:59 +0000

Thanks, all for your comments. I’ll repost here a relevant exerpt of my response in io9’s comments:

[…]

I appreciate the discussions this has sparked, and have only a couple of things to point out:

1. To those of you who question my description of the former name (Sci Fi) as uptight and serious: I invite you to read the whole article. Or, at the very least, read the paragraph before it, as it explains why I’m calling it uptight and serious. This is one of those instances where context really explains the choice of words.

2. I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me that some of you would presume this to be a marketing stunt on behalf of Sci F—excuse me— Syfy. On the other hand, it does seem a tad arrogant of you to expect a company like Syfy to “pay” some unknown, bullshit-slinging designer to write an article defending their choice of name only to please you. No disrespect, but: Are you that full of yourselves? Seriously. In fact, that would contradict the notion that Syfy is “abandoning” their loyal audience while attempting to connect with a younger, “hipper” crowd. If they are indeed abandoning you, why would they care to pay an unknown graphic designer running a blog with a monthly readership of a couple of hundred, at best, just to try to make a case that could convince you? It’s one, or the other… but you can’t have it both ways. Not logically anyway…

3. I agree that no amount of marketing, branding, re-branding, name-changing or justification for any of these things can make up for lack of good, solid content.

[…]

Cheers!

By: One 'ROESian

One 'ROESian — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:22:45 +0000

Just fyi - Tptb didn’t create the name SyFy…

http://www.airlockalpha.com/node/6502

By: Johann Mitchell

Johann Mitchell — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:21:20 +0000

If you wanted to change your name, the best thing available would have been SF!

First, most people DON’T hear SciFi in their heads when they read SyFy. I’ve heard SeeFee, and I, personally hear siffy and more. And every time there’s a weird pronunciation, the person giggles.

Did you intend to be a laughingstock?

If you want to change your image, don’t use a typo.

Just stop showing Grendel and Beowulf three times a month for the coming year, and show something interesting. The programming is in a rut, and some of it is BAD. The original saga, Beowulf was some of the most enduring literature in the history of the world, and these two movies have changed it into a joke.

If you want to save money, show some of the classics that SF fen have been begging for, like Blake’s 7, or Sapphire and Steel. It’s slightly out of genre, but The Avengers would be loved! But as far as being out of genre is concerned, how, exactly, is wrestling something that belongs on SyFy, even if you ARE spelling it wrong?

By: pjowens75

pjowens75 — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:54:44 +0000

My concern is different, and one I’ve only read about in a very few places, but it relates to the “sounds like” issue. In this day and age of “texting” shorthand, where everyday words are purposely misspelled or shortened for convenience, there is a serious concern that the results will be a generation that can’t spell or communicate effectively with the written word. As an avid lover of science fiction, it concerns me that when someone hears the term sci-fi, they will automatically think of syfy. And that would be a shame.

By: Weekend shows/SyFy/Colbert covers guns in bars law « steve cross loves music and science

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:05:54 +0000

[…] typographer Alfonso Gómez Arzola has posted a blog in defense of the new logo/name. Check it out here. He makes a decent case, but I still disagree with the overall decision. (Via […]

By: Sam W

Sam W — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:02:05 +0000

So I’m beginning to be convinced that the brand they are trying to establish is good. But I’m not convinced that it is BETTER than the previous one. And that’s why so many fans seem to be having a problem with it. Those same fans also tend to think the channel should have less fantasy and horror, but removing those would still be rebranding, just in a different direction.

Less importantly, it seems most people think Syfy is pronounces like an STD instead of like a fiction genre, and I’m not sure what can be done to change that. And it needs to be changed, because if it isn’t you lose the bonus of familiar pronounciation as well as any meaningful connection to the type of content the brand contains.

By: ctheokas

ctheokas — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:55:07 +0000

I’m with Bandbabe on this one. You can spin it all you want, but the problem with the SciFi Channel was never the “SciFi” part of the logo/brand/whatever. It was the fact that the people running the channel aren’t very good at it (they cancelled Farscape and BSG).

By: Bandbabe

Bandbabe — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:26:13 +0000

Wow, I saw this over at i09.com, but I *had* to make a post here.

You are WRONG.

It’s not cool. It’s not imaginative. It’s a typo. It also is a huge waste of money and a convenient way to excusing pissing all over true science fiction fans.

By: Mart

Mart — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:04:11 +0000

There is a problem, though, when you try to rebrand your enterprise with a name that is also the slang word for a venereal disease.

By: PhoenixTerran

PhoenixTerran — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:00:48 +0000

Every time you read Syfy, you hear Sci Fi in your head.

Except that many people don’t hear sci-fi when they read Syfy. The most common pronunciation I’ve heard is “sih-fee”—which is more reminiscent of syphilis than any sort of science fiction/fantasy/horror/etc. Probably not what the channel is aiming for.

I will admit that aesthetically, the double y’s are nice.

By: Chet

Chet — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:18:12 +0000

Nobody cares about “ownability” but marketing flacks. The very concept itself is light-years distant from normal people; that’s what’s so retarded about “SyFy”.

By: Alfonso

Alfonso — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:13:42 +0000

Thanks, Popu. And for the further perusal of those interested in the application of this re-branding effort, there’s a collection of the Syfy idents on Motionographer.

By: Popu

Popu — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:50:47 +0000

Nice one mate. Point. Counterpoint.