A few words from Alayan: Vollstock is a new contributor to SuperTuxKart, who has created the new logo and written this blog post. A professional designer, he is helping us with Evolution's new user interface and with other visual elements associated with the project.
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| SuperTuxKart Evolution's new logo on a colored background |
Last year the SuperTuxKart Team unveiled the roadmap for SuperTuxKart Evolution.
Since then they've shared progress on gameplay, polished classic tracks, and continued work on exciting new features and circuits.
Alongside that, I quietly began a much-needed refresh of our graphic identity. Branding touches many parts of the project — app icons, the user interface, our YouTube channel, and several websites (the blog, Patreon page, main site, and forum).
I can't update everything at once, so I'm developing a consistent visual identity that can roll out across projects over time.
This first glimpse focuses on an update to the iconic logotype.
What’s so super about TuxKart?
A redesign is a good opportunity to re-examine all existing design elements: colours, naming, and the visual conventions that make SuperTuxKart what it is.
That doesn't mean we should change everything. Rather, it's a chance to ask which elements define the project's character, and which are merely historical baggage.
As explained in the history article, SuperTuxKart grew out of the original TuxKart and picked up the "Super" prefix along the way.
Whether to keep that prefix for a future release — and therefore in the logo — was an interesting question. The name clearly nods to Super Mario Kart, but Nintendo only used "Super" for the SNES era, so why should we?
Well, we love it — and there are practical reasons too. Our domains, repositories, and many distribution entries are registered under the name SuperTuxKart, so changing it would be disruptive.
For the foreseeable future, "Super" will remain part of the name.
Step 1: Modernise what’s there
I started by carefully vectorising the hand-drawn, pixelated wordmark. While tracing it, I refined small details, aligned the letterforms more consistently, and corrected lighting discrepancies on the bevels.
These tweaks are subtle — you might not notice them at first glance — but when played side-by-side they make a significant difference to balance and harmony.
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| The new and old logo shapes compared |
Step 2: Turn it into a new logo
Using the refined wordmark as a base, I explored different branding directions. Some ideas leaned into "evolution" as a theme, taking inspiration from nature and from technological progress.
Ultimately we decided that the game itself doesn't call for an overly bold brand identity. As a small volunteer project, the logo needs to be timeless and adaptable, so we kept the concept simple: a fresher, more grown-up look that still preserves the playfulness of the original.
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| The new logo on different backgrounds |
Step 3: Have fun
With a clean wordmark in place, I also made a 3D version, and there are plenty of fun ways to use it — in 3D animations, title sequences, and short clips for development videos.
| A 3D animation of the new logo (click it to play it) |
What do you think? Do you like the new haircut for your favourite kart racing game? I'd love to hear your thoughts — tell me on the forum or drop a comment here on the blog.
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