D&D 5E Why is the "Dungeons & Dragons" label so discreet in 5E?

[Kai Lord]

From 1977-1999 we had "Advanced" Dungeons & Dragons and that went away in 2000 with 3E. Now for the first time in 40 years the "Dungeons & Dragons" label is barely noticeable compared to the more prominent "D&D." Does WOTC consider there to be a stigma against Dungeons & Dragons? I'm reminded of Kentucky Fried Chicken fearing bad connotations with the word "Fried" years ago when they permanently relabeled themselves KFC. Are we seeing something similar with D&D?

 

[ephemeron]

I think it's more that the game has become so iconic that everybody recognizes "D&D" without needing to have it spelled out.

 

[Kai Lord]

Has there been any precedent for any company moving away from an iconic label that they were proud of in favor of an abbreviation? It seems like the only time it was done before was due to a perceived stigma of the full title.

 

[Essenti]

Has there been any precedent for any company moving away from an iconic label that they were proud of in favor of an abbreviation? It seems like the only time it was done before was due to a perceived stigma of the full title.

There are many instances that don't follow your quoted logic: IBM, AT&T, BMW, 3M, IKEA... there are probably thousands, and it's pointless to list them all here.

Like many abbreviations, it was likely done because the shortened version has become equally iconic, and transmits the same information in a smaller design space.

 

[Kai Lord]

It still seems different to me because D&D is the product, not the company. So I guess it isn't totally like KFC. TSR was an abbreviated company name, but they never hid the full title of their product. Maybe its nothing but I was just surprised to not see "DUNGEONS & DRAGONS" in massive font at the top of the game books like they've done for the last 40 years and wondered what was up with that.

 

[Wormwood]

Edit: asked and answered.

 

[SigmaOne]

It still seems different to me because D&D is the product, not the company. So I guess it isn't totally like KFC. TSR was an abbreviated company name, but they never hid the full title of their product. Maybe its nothing but I was just surprised to not see "DUNGEONS & DRAGONS" in massive font at the top of the game books like they've done for the last 40 years and wondered what was up with that.

There's no doubt that their is some reason for their design choice, but I'd be careful not to over-interpret it. After all, the full "Dungeons & Dragons" name is right there on the front cover and has some prominence in that it provides the header for the bottom of the page.

It's perfectly reasonable that they just wanted to keep a clean look at the title; and so they have only the D&D logo appearing with the title. Perhaps there are other reasons, but I see nothing to imply anything dire.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

It's worth noting that by using the smaller, lower contrast D&D at the top, it lets the book's actual title be the most prominent element.

 

[billd91]

It's worth noting that by using the smaller, lower contrast D&D at the top, it lets the book's actual title be the most prominent element.

For those of us hobbyists, that might be OK. But for the uninitiated approaching the bookstore shelf, the reaction may be "Player's Handbook... For what?"

 

[Lalato]

For those of us hobbyists, that might be OK. But for the uninitiated approaching the bookstore shelf, the reaction may be "Player's Handbook... For what?"

And if they spend two seconds looking at it, it will be answered right away.