Danica Davidson
September 25, 2020 
All anime are going to have some sort of logo. But if the anime logo is written in Japanese, it doesn’t do much good in countries where most people don’t speak Japanese. This leads us to logo localization, and a fascinating new video from Crunchyroll shows how the work is done.
The video, which is just under 14 minutes, speaks to a few designers at Crunchyroll. The first step after licensing an anime is to find an agreement on an English translation of the title, if needed. For instance, My Roommate Is a Cat is a title both the Japanese and American companies agreed on, but if you literally translated the Japanese title, it would be the lengthy My Housemate Is on My Lap But Sometimes on My Head.
Every logo suggestion must be approved by anime production and the source material. Designers find inspiration from the colors and style of the original Japanese logo. The video shows some of their early drafts all the way to the final product. As you can see, it’s not an easy job!
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
