Last week, the BBC revealed its newest logo for 2010′s season of Doctor Who.

Aside from the “Holy-Lens-Flare-Batman” factor, I’m kind of feeling this. Actually, I all but ignore the stacked type on the left because I’m in love with the treatment of the initials “DW” forming the shape of the TARDIS.

(For those who are scratching their heads and wondering “Doctor.. what?”; the TARDIS is a time machine in the form of a Police Call Box, used by the title character of the Doctor to gallivant through space and time.)

This is the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor Who logo since the show’s premiere in 1963 and celebrates the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor. Doctor Who is unique in the fact that the title character has remained the same, despite eleven different actors playing him. The show handles the changes in talent by having the Doctor “regenerate” instead of die. And in honor of the release of the newest regeneration of the branding associated with the show, I thought it’s be fun to take a trip back through time ourselves.

The following is going to be a test of endurance for those designers out there who cringe at the idea of a brand constantly changing its look every few years. Or those who suffer when a design reeks of the trends from the era in which it was created. But when the show/brand in question is one of the longest running television shows in the world (the longest running science fiction program, period);  I guess it’s hard to argue with success.

Check out the history of Doctor Who logos, the good, the bad and the ugly… after the cut.

Okay, so these feel like time-period appropriate, low-budget TV title cards to me. You work with what you have.

Woah, someone scraped up enough money for some color, a trippy, wavy thing in the background and a snazzy, velour coat.

I couldn’t say anything bad about this if I wanted to. Besmirching anything to do with Tom Baker’s Doctor is sacrilege to many Who-vians. That is not a wrath I care to bring upon myself.

Well, that neon look sure is great and all, but can you make it a little more fun and way more purple?

There it is!

Just look at him, he knows what he did.

Meh. This is bland enough the cleanse the palate after that last travesty. Speaking of travesties, that hair…

After a ten year break, the show got a reboot, the Doctor got a haircut and the stacked logo was left by the wayside for this more.. futuristic, Tylenol gel capsule deal.

Barely any changes at all –a bullet point and a subtle typeface shift. I can only speculate that since the 9th Doctor left rather abruptly in this relaunch of the series, they weren’t going to go crazy with a brand spanking new logo so soon. (I love you, David Tennant.)

Aaaand… back to number eleven. I don’t know if it was planned or a happy accident that the logo and the promo shot both have the same color scheme. After going through the different incarnations, this feels like “something old, something new”. The stacking is back and the warm oranges and yellows have been traded back in for cooler hues.

I want this logo to WOW me, but it’s not completely there yet. I guess when it’s finally paired properly to the Doctor on the right and the new season gets rolling, we’ll see what happens.

Bonus Questions:

1. A British guy in a police box shows up and offers to take you on a trip through space and time, do you go? And if so, where/when?

2. If you haven’t been bored to tears by this particular streak of nerdiness because you watched Doctor Who at some point in your life… who’s your favorite Doctor?