Caribou Coffee Leaps into the Future

When it comes to coffee retail chains, it’s easy to think of Starbucks as the number one, but who exactly is number two? Until this morning, as I sipped my Starbucks coffee, I would have never guessed it was Caribou Coffee, with nearly 500 locations in 16 U.S. states (compared to the 11,000-plus of Starbucks). Originally established in Minneapolis in 1992, Caribou’s main presence is in the Midwest and some lower East Coast states. I have, literally, gone into a Caribou only once in Atlanta and it was a fairly convincing experience as the brand relies heavily in a kind of ski lodge environment and look that makes you feel cozy and warm. The coffee wasn’t bad either. Over the weekend, Caribou announced a new identity crated by Minneapolis-based Colle+McVoy.

When approaching the logo redesign, we didn’t want to lose the important equities of the previous logo, so the new logo still includes a leaping caribou, a shield and the words “Caribou Coffee.” What has changed, however, is the look: from a Northern lodge theme to a fresh variation of the same elements, now rooted in natural textures and fluid graphics.

“Because coffee is the heart and soul of our company, the body of the caribou is formed out of a coffee bean. In addition, the caribou’s antlers now form the shape of the letter ‘C’.” Another significant change in the logo is the direction of the caribou’s leap. While the Caribou in the previous logo was leaping left, the caribou now leaps right, signifying the direction the company is heading — into the future.

“The shield element has been updated to resemble the shape of traditional national park signage. This is a nod to our founders’ hike in Alaska’s Denali National Park, where they were inspired to start the company,” said Alfredo Martel, senior vice president of marketing for Caribou Coffee.
— Press Release

There are things to like and things to dislike in this refresh. The overall impact is indeed beneficial, as the old look and feel, well, it looked and felt right out of the 1990s with the chunky strokes and distress-ey typography. The handwritten “Caribou” follows today’s trends of the handcrafted and personal, so in a decade or two it might feel trite, but for now it works, especially in contrast with the über stoic use of Futura by Starbucks. The readability of the “a” is a little questionable, but the rest of the letters look as if a sophisticated lumberjack had scribbled them on a diner while eating pancakes — and I mean that as a compliment. The caribou itself is not as convincing and it’s trying too hard to carry meaning: Its body is a coffee bean! The antlers make a “C”! The shield is like a park sign! The angle of the jump signifies the expected revenue of 2010! Okay, I made that last one up, but in trying to do too many things with the icon, it becomes a little bit of an amorphous jumble.

The new color palette is a vast improvement, I love the light blue and brown combo and it works great to separate Caribou further from Starbucks. The continued use of handwritten typography in the packaging is also nice, but I again wonder if it will be too much of the same as the brand attempts to sustain itself over the next few years — and the combination of quirky messages and scribbles has been more genuinely executed by the much, much smaller Puccino’s, and it’s also reminiscent of some of the materials produced by Quicksilver in recent years. Nevertheless, Caribou needed a refresh badly and this is the right kind of direction and execution.

Thanks to Nate Mueller for first tip.

Dale Campbell’s comment is:

I like it!

I like the fact that the body of the “caribou” seems to be an abstract coffee bean. That is what I saw, anyway.

I wasn’t blown away by the packaging - seems like that is the thing to do lately.

But I agree - they did need a refresh and this is pretty nice.

Sweet.

On Mar.01.2010 at 09:48 AM

=David’s comment is:

I think the wordmark is excellently done. The logo is fine, and had I never seen the old one, I’d have thought no ill of it. But the review is spot on: It’s trying to be too many things (if you place the logo on the floor of every location with the antlers pointing due south, one of the legs points to Alaska!). Maybe if it were boiled down to just the bean, I’d be on board with it.

Though, I think the direction it’s facing is important, too. The old way with the left-facing caribou didn’t track the eyes as well.

Bottom line: good work, but nostalgia for the old one kind of draws it down a bit.

On Mar.01.2010 at 09:51 AM

Cory ’s comment is:

The moose icon is hideous, and the bean looks more like a hamburger bun.

I don’t mind the word mark, but I find the ‘a’ distracting, like Armin pointed out. I also feel the space between the ‘b’ and ‘o’ is awkward, and ruins the handwritten feel to an extent; totally breaks the flow of the script.

On Mar.01.2010 at 09:58 AM

Avi’s comment is:

too much clutter on the icon…nice wordmark and colour palette!

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:12 AM

John McCollum’s comment is:

Agree that it’s an overall improvement, but the caribou illustration is a mess. It looks like its jumping in both directions at once, and as Armin said, it just tries too hard.

I wish they’d decided to make the best caribou illustration possible, rather than trying to load up on secondary representations — the “C,” the coffee bean, etc.

I also think that the inclusion of all the other hand lettering detracts from the wordmark itself, making it look a bit like just another of the secondary graphic elements on the packaging.

The biggest successes are the wordmark itself and the color palette.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:13 AM

ScottyM’s comment is:

The “a” is fine to me. It’s the “o” that has problems.

Don’t particularly care for the icon, as it leans more toward a reindeer than a caribou.

I also find the comment about the “vast improvement” in color palette to be strange. A tweak to the blue and a shift from dark brownish-black to dark brown is “vast?” More like a “pleasant” improvement.

For a fine establishment, it’s an overall improvement, but just ever-so-slightly.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:21 AM

Jef’s comment is:

Cory I agree, hamburger. I looked at it and thought, “why would a coffee company put a hamburger in their logo?”

I absolutely despise all the handwriting telling me how to live my life right on the packaging. Adopt a four-legged friend? No.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:21 AM

Lyell E. Petersen / @93octane’s comment is:

I Saw the new Caribou branding this morning…was a little disoriented at first and didn’t realize what I was looking at…Of course, that was BEFORE they served me my coffee. :P

New moose is fail.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:22 AM

cody milhouse’s comment is:

I agree 100% with this review.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:28 AM

room34’s comment is:

My immediate reaction was negative, until I remembered how bad the old logo was.

This new logo is a definite improvement. I’m still not entirely sure I like it though. Then again, I’m ambivalent about the Caribou brand as a whole anyway: living in the Twin Cities, there are dozens if not hundreds of Caribous around here, but there are also a huge number of small, independent coffeehouses that offer a more genuine experience and significantly better coffee, too!

Then, of course, there’s the notorious case of the corner of Randolph and Fairview in St. Paul — where Caribou moved in directly across the street from the established neighborhood coffeehouse, Brewberry’s. Years later, both are still going strong. But I don’t think I could ever bring myself to set foot in that particular Caribou.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:34 AM

Brian Son’s comment is:

Environment-wise, Caribou Coffee did a great job of setting itself apart. As the post describes accurately, it tries to capture the mood of a mountain lodge — that you’re actually not sitting in a small coffeeshop located beneath a corporate office building or shopping plaza, but in a separate world. Fireplaces, comfy couches…

The coffee itself never did much for me. As a product, it was tasteless and no branding effort will bring me back. However, one would only hope that with a visual rebranding, that they would try to make their product even better as well.

The new mark is confusing, it keeps a similar feel from the original logo, despite it being completely different. The use of a coffeebean is both interesting and unoriginal, however, in this case it looks like a caribou being split in half or after it has been shot and the legs twisted in preparation for gutting.

Conclusion? A dying caribou only signals a dying chain.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:39 AM

V as in Victor’s comment is:

At first glance, it really caught my eye, but I didn’t get it. After reading the Press Release, which I usually disregard as corporate drivel, I was sold on the logo. I’m a fan of everything having a reason in design and not just design for design sake or that the owner’s wife likes blue. The thought process in the logo really impresses me. Good jorb!

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:39 AM

Cory ’s comment is:

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:42 AM

Dennis Van Staalduinen’s comment is:

I say “BOU!”

This is a fail for me, not because the new identity is bad… well okay, the bisected antelope icon is bad, but taken as a whole, it’s okay as a design.

But as a branding decision, this choice is a MASSIVE downgrade, because they lost their key character differentiator: that folksy-cabin-in-the-woods persona. The old logo worked because it was corny and didn’t take itself too seriously.

This is yet another example of a chain with a very clearly differentiated personality trying to look more “grown up” and in the process becoming just another ho-hum player (see Expedia and that Minnesota sub shop from last month).

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:42 AM

felix sockwell’s comment is:

reminds me of Paul Howalt for some reason. dig it.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:43 AM

GC’s comment is:

For whatever odd reason, the logo reminds me of this:

http://daily.greencine.com/archives/hitch-profile.jpg

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:44 AM

Dennis Van Staalduinen’s comment is:

Oh, and in the “trying too hard” department, the vivisected moose-slash-coffee bean also looks like coffee spoons clasped together in Kumbaya harmony. I may cry.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:45 AM

JonSel’s comment is:

Not digging the illustration. I didn’t see a coffee bean. I saw two spoons together. What that means, I have no idea. I think a beautifully drawn moose here would have been awesome.

I really like the shield shape. Whether anyone ever gets the National Park signage reference doesn’t matter. It helps create a little stability for the whole visual.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:49 AM

Nick Irwin’s comment is:

NOOO! f-bomb f-bomb f-bomb

the old logo, she was in my top ten

I like the branding effort but disagree with the logo “updating”

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:50 AM

Utah Web Designer | Bent Design Studio’s comment is:

I really like this logo. Its a great move. I think they couldn’t have done a better job. I don’t think they over did the logo in any way. Although it did take a min to get it. But it simple and very iconic. This is great step for them and I think it will be very successful.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:51 AM

Alphonse’s comment is:

You can complain about the goofy looking Caribou all you want, but it works well with the rest of the elements. Overall, the branding is great.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:51 AM

David’s comment is:

It has that Jetsons feel. Crafty and slick. Caribou has come a long way.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:52 AM

Nate’s comment is:

Wonky all the way around. Just face it, a coffee bean doesn’t make a great caribou body.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:52 AM

Matthew Olson’s comment is:

I agree with Dennis on this one… Not that the design is bad (personally I don’t care for it, but it is clean / well executed), but that it pulls their brand off the mark.

As a frequenter of Caribou Coffees (I’m in WI), I must say that the “folksy northwoods feel” is what appeals so well to me. It feels like people meeting in a lodge. To me, that’s comforting.

I can abide the change as long as they don’t change their atmosphere in the shops… I like the fireplaces and couches…

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:56 AM

Darrel’s comment is:

This is really nice. I don’t know that they needed a new logo, but this is a good one to go with.

Now, if only they’d bring back their canned iced coffee.

On Mar.01.2010 at 11:06 AM

jonathan’s comment is:

Wow, took me about 20 minutes to find the actual Caribou! They really went overboard on the hidden details (bean as the body, C as the antlers) and it has completely abstracted the symbol.

The script type is alright. Has a nice feel, but feels really similar Far Coast. Pretty much a rip off. That TM is HUGE too!

The saving grace would have to be the color palette.

On Mar.01.2010 at 11:12 AM

cj’s comment is:

bummer, I was really looking forward to Caribou getting a new logo. I can’t tell what’s going on with any part of this hot mess except the “coffee” on the bottom. the only positive I can see here is that they chose a mn-based firm.

On Mar.01.2010 at 11:17 AM

Steve Rose’s comment is:

“Caribora”? And, do mooses actually leap?

On Mar.01.2010 at 11:26 AM

Doug Best’s comment is:

Yeah, the extra symbolism in the caribou is a real detriment. I wonder if the client pushed for that, or the designers presented it?

On Mar.01.2010 at 11:31 AM

lodenmuse’s comment is:

Caribore

On Mar.01.2010 at 11:37 AM

rynot’s comment is:

anyone who refers to the icon as a ‘moose’ automatically forfeits their opinion. c’mon people.
the concept is an interesting one, but it’s REALLY forced. i’m sure it was explored but a vertical bean that takes on more of a front view of a caribou head as a basis may have been more economically, this execution has too many strokes and the style has no integration with the lettering execution. too many disparate parts that don’t support the existence of one another.

On Mar.01.2010 at 11:41 AM

Unit B’s comment is:

I’ve always liked the coffee there better than the branding. I’m a bit allergic to the old mint green. (As noted by others, the old icon is a bit too caught up in the 90s.) I agree this is a nice improvement, and the new colors work, but still the new package is not quite there. Is there too much symbolism/meaning going on with the icon? Maybe. But I’m glad he’s facing the right direction now. Solid B, maybe B+. Will go there today to see how much has been implemented. It’s really good coffee.

On Mar.01.2010 at 11:51 AM

Matthew’s comment is:

I believe it’s a pretty risky move to re-brand in this case. Your product is what you should be concentrating on. It’s a complete waste of money and energy. A simple issue of a company over-thinking and not concentrating on the core mission, to provide a superior product.

On Mar.01.2010 at 12:03 PM

kevin ocallaghan’s comment is:

My scoring:

- nothing wrong with the new look, but it’s not a significant step forward.
- new lettering not as distinctive as old
- new caribou animal less involving to me, lacks character

I don’t see the point : they probably spent lots of $$$ and now have to implement it across all their stuff, packaging, signage, cups, etc.

Should have been a more progressive change to make it worth it, in my humble …

Fail.

On Mar.01.2010 at 12:06 PM

connor’s comment is:

I seem to like the old logo just a little more, it’s more fun, but this does make it look more professional.

On Mar.01.2010 at 12:08 PM

Kim Siever’s comment is:

FWIW, Tim Hortons is a much larger coffee chain than Caribou, which means Caribou is at least third place.

That being said, it took a lot of effort for me to see a caribou in this logo.

On Mar.01.2010 at 12:17 PM

John’s comment is:

I liked the old logo better. It seemed to have a more rustic look, which is what I liked about their in-store design. Although, there is something about the new type treatment that I find appealing in a retro way.

On Mar.01.2010 at 12:30 PM

qwertyale’s comment is:

agree with others.

old logo + new logotype = better

On Mar.01.2010 at 12:32 PM

jen’s comment is:

Love the wordmark and the sans-serif under the name. Don’t like the deer logo, although I just remembered that a caribou = reindeer, so maybe they are trying to steal some of Santa’s thunder. (Just kidding…I find it overdone and overly complicated visually.)

On Mar.01.2010 at 12:34 PM

Scott Sullivan’s comment is:

wordmark makes it

On Mar.01.2010 at 12:36 PM

Erica’s comment is:

As a MPLS resident — go Caribou. Nice refresh. I love the colors and the wordmark. It was time for a change — wee’re not all moosehunters up here. But as far as the logo goes, I think it looks like a pirate upside down.

On Mar.01.2010 at 12:38 PM

Stereo Radiation’s comment is:

A little too much abstraction of the caribou, but over all execution works, I agree that this is a tad “faddish” and definitely not going to be Caribou’s look forever. Starbucks can be like the Coke, with its unchanging graphical appearance, and Caribou can be like the Pepsi, without a consistent logo.

But as long as they don’t monkey with the recipe for dark chocolate mocha, I will continue to drink them.

On Mar.01.2010 at 12:48 PM

Paul Howalt’s comment is:

OK - I “get it” as far as concept goes. the type is nice - can’t argue with it… but the rendering of the mark is sort of awkward maybe. I’m thinking that it might have gotten “beat up” in the board room… Nice palette.

On Mar.01.2010 at 01:02 PM

John Lascurettes’s comment is:

The body is a coffee bean? I think it looks more like a fast-food burger.

On Mar.01.2010 at 01:18 PM

John Fuller’s comment is:

It was time for a logo change for them. I’m not really sure why they went with a moose running the 400 meter hurdles. I do enjoy the wordmatk though.

On Mar.01.2010 at 01:46 PM

jason Parry’s comment is:

I like the old shield background. The stylized bean thing is cool but then what is the head made out of? Antlers are wayyyy too big and if they were supposed to be a C then they conflict wiht the handwritten H below. The word C O F F E E is too similar to starbucks. I thought there were a lot of killer brand/design firms in Minn. that would have better execution than this?

On Mar.01.2010 at 01:59 PM

Rx’s comment is:

Caribon

On Mar.01.2010 at 01:59 PM

Mr Miyagi’s comment is:

Both the old and new logo have poor illustrations of the moose but good color. My first reaction to the new one was, “wtf is that suppose to be?.. oh it’s a moose.” It would have been cool to have a sort of realistic, maybe scratchboard etching of the animal.

On Mar.01.2010 at 02:03 PM

alex’s comment is:

The starbucks font is actually Freight I believe:
http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/garagefonts/freight-sans/black/

On Mar.01.2010 at 02:09 PM

MSGDS’s comment is:

The new logo design is horrendous. It looks like they had a few people throwing some design elements that just don’t go together. The sloppy, handwritten type feels out of place. Caribou no longer looks like a caribou, it’s overworked, although I like the coffee bean integration, but there’s no character. And the shield in the background is a very awkward shape - it doesn’t fit with the design.

Couple of things to compliment on is the slight color update and how the elements are well balanced.

On Mar.01.2010 at 02:10 PM

John Mindiola III’s comment is:

This is a much needed refresh. I love it. The caribou illustration? Eh, take it or leave it. Overall, this makes a great attempt to connect on a more intimate level with their customer base. The phrases on the packaging are all written in second-person, which just further pushes this. Also, to those afraid the ski-lodge-esque feel is gone, it’s not. Now, if they could just get their web site updated!

On Mar.01.2010 at 02:11 PM

David Timmerman’s comment is:

I agree with most everyone - the logo is a failure. I was going to incorporate the original logo into the new design, but instead reshaped the new logo after 5 min. on photoshop…..
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/2131/caribou2.jpg

On Mar.01.2010 at 02:20 PM

Chris Herron’s comment is:

Nice color combination and script type, though the old typography was more own-able. And the mark is abstract to the point of being indiscernible.

On Mar.01.2010 at 02:27 PM

Barclay D’s comment is:

Overall it’s an improvement no questions asked. But, I HATE the antler(s)… It looks forced, and a different style compared to the rest of the coffee-bean-caribou. In the end I’ve never heard of this coffee chain nor have I ever tkane a sip of the coffee… but either of these logos still beat out Dunkin’ Donuts… hands down.

On Mar.01.2010 at 02:43 PM

mimi’s comment is:

I’d put money on this being a client cut-and-paste job after round 6 or 7.

They liked the type from this one, the sans serif from that one, can’t we bring this element in from the earlier version, but we really liked the idea of the C, can’t we use that here, yadda yadda.

this touchy feely “wear sunscreen” thing is really old, late 90s. The old voice of the brand was much more ownable - had more of a point of view and some actual humor. These are platitudes straight from the papyrus store. Oprah-by-coffee cup.

I think this already feels dated. in two years, it’s going to be silly. The old brand needed help but this seems like step 25-degrees to the right rather than forward.

On Mar.01.2010 at 02:44 PM

Josh / Cicada’s comment is:

It’s a bit amorphic. It conveys just barely enough to sort of justify its existence, but it teetering at best.

By the way, Colle McVoy, who did this redesign is a fantastic and very qualified firm to have done this. In some ways it doesn’t seem like their work, because they usually have it on lock down most times.

If I were to channel today’s marketing/brand messages and agree with one of the folks above, the scrawled messages feel a little vacant. If Caribou wants to grow even more they have to figure out how to interact with their customers on a different level than before. Cute phrases don’t win the battles in 2010 and beyond.

I’ve heard rumors about their coffee easily beating Starbucks in taste tests. With the quality of Starbucks these days severely lacking, this should be a selling point. Not adopting animals or patting your friend on the back. Mushy time was so 00s.

On Mar.01.2010 at 02:58 PM

josh’s comment is:

Could be biased due to my love for Caribou coffee, but I whole-heartedly dig the icon and the wordmark.

On Mar.01.2010 at 03:13 PM

Joseph’s comment is:

I actually like the new mark. The only thing that is a little awkward for me is the shape of the antlers. The “r” in the wordmark feels too large, in my opinion, but overall a great refresh.

One other small gripe, the “TM” feels unnecessarily large, and makes “COFFEE” feel off-centered. Perhaps a better placement would have been up with the icon somewhere? I don’t know.

Overall, me likey.

On Mar.01.2010 at 03:22 PM

rynot’s comment is:

again, caribou?moose.
if you expect to be given any credence on your crits, at least know what you’re critiquing.

On Mar.01.2010 at 03:28 PM

Saylor’s comment is:

*** awkward caribou/coffee bean mark ***
*** awkward shield shape ***
*** awkward script ***

*** lovely colors ***

On Mar.01.2010 at 03:31 PM

Evan’s comment is:

Took me far to long to see the caribou. If it wasnt for the text an old logo right beside it, i dont think i would have ever seen it.

On Mar.01.2010 at 04:14 PM

Mojo’s comment is:

I think it’s leaping to the right because a backwards “c” wouldn’t have made sense.

I hate the new one.

Caribori Coffee anyone? Or how bout some Caribon Coffee?

Old one was far better.

On Mar.01.2010 at 04:15 PM

Matt V’s comment is:

The logo design that was released today is as small but important part of a much broader brand transition for Caribou Coffee. As I write this I’m sipping a tea shake in one of two Minneapolis pilot stores which have been serving as ginuea pigs while Caribou tweaks their makeover.

The goal for Caribou is to break out of their established market in the upper Midwest where they’re so successful they’re hitting saturation — there are 7 Caribou shops in my home city and only one Starbucks — and start becoming more competitive in territory that’s currently occupied by other brands.

In order to do that Caribou is dropping the northwoods look, which would be incredibly out of place in some markets, and going with a causal yet sophisticated store redesign. Overall the look uses a lot of stainless steel, glass, and raw wood in a way that somehow feels rustic and modern at the same time.

Caribou is also upgrading their menu to include higher quality ingredients like gourmet chocolate and a more robust brewing process for both coffees and teas. Bakery items will be made fresh at the store and oatmeal is already featured as a healthy snack.

I expect the rebranding to be a success for Caribou — I’ve always been a fan of their coffee but I already find myself spending more time and money there. It will be interesting to see if other demographics respond the same way.

On Mar.01.2010 at 04:46 PM

JL’s comment is:

Old logo was bad. New logo is bad. I can’t keep from seeing “Caribore” in the new wordmark. That said, the application is great and almost makes up for the weak logo.

On Mar.01.2010 at 05:42 PM

Michael’s comment is:

I suppose my analysis is simple:

Icon: Incomprehensible, zero of the previous charm.
Wordmark: Love the refresh. “a” is not an issue.
Collateral: Far more clean/modern than the previous. Not all good, but not all bad.

On Mar.01.2010 at 05:45 PM

Scott Reinhard’s comment is:

A little bit quirky, a little bit weird. In a good way.

On Mar.01.2010 at 06:17 PM

Marcelo’s comment is:

i read it “Caribau”

On Mar.01.2010 at 06:27 PM

Anthony Hawkins’s comment is:

The caribou is a little too abstract in my opinion. It works when you have a few moments to take it all in but as understanding it at first glance is hard to do.

Especially for a coffee company where their logo will be on cups and other items. If you see someone carrying a cup of caribou coffee and you just glance at it, your probably aren’t going to remember the brand well and might not even pick up on the name of the company.

On Mar.01.2010 at 06:27 PM

Sandra’s comment is:

This logo is ugly, crowded and messy … did the starbucks design team do this?

On Mar.01.2010 at 06:56 PM

rMc’s comment is:

I was at a Caribou yesterday, and I found the messages on the cup preachy and off putting. There’s nothing wrong with a a dose of inspiration, but it seems a bit overboard to cram all of those very important notes on one cup.

A paper cup does not need to remind me to spend time with my children when I’m not a parent. It does not need to instruct me to give blood while I’m eating. It seems like Caribou didn’t really think through how the cute messages would be received.

I’d like form and function with my coffee, please.

On Mar.01.2010 at 07:28 PM

John Mindiola III’s comment is:

If what Matt V. says is true about the store makeover becoming less backwoodsy over time, then I really see this current logo as a transitional mark. If they’re going to get further and further away from the forest, then clinging on to the caribou animal becomes unnecessary. I could see the logo changed to be just a “C” and a bean, with no need to fuse them into a animal shape.

Speaking of shapes, the new light blue shape in the logo is on the money. It’s unique enough (ie, not a circle, triangle, square, or crest) to be ownable. Keeping this shape would be a solid idea, as there’s already another Minnesota home-grown sensation with a “C” in a pointy shape: Capella University.

On Mar.01.2010 at 07:34 PM

aindreas’s comment is:

whatever about the logo - why is no one talking about the vomit inducing copy scrawled over everything?
it actually makes me want to put a fork in my thigh.

stay awake for.. breakdancing. ghost stories around the campfire.

dare to adventure.

be the first to apologise.

sing out loud.

don’t wait for new years to make a resolution.

**and again - this is your coffee cup speaking**

dare to adventure.

…..

jesus, jesus christ.

On Mar.01.2010 at 07:35 PM

Paul Rand’s comment is:

The identity looks the Olympics logo.

On Mar.01.2010 at 07:38 PM

Flaherty’s comment is:

Oh my. So horrible. Looks like a small plate of lamb chops. Do over.

On Mar.01.2010 at 08:19 PM

James Strange’s comment is:

Good job. Nice rebrand. Love the icon.

On Mar.01.2010 at 09:19 PM

Rich Peniche, LD’s comment is:

Great job my friend. I feel there’s some influence of the 1950’s dinner’s design style.
Anyway…. congratulations.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:02 PM

rynot’s comment is:

gee matt v, you have such intimate interest in a brand for someone who is a casual consumer. not a suspicious post or anything.

On Mar.01.2010 at 10:31 PM

Matthew Sandahl’s comment is:

As a graphic designer and employee of Caribou Id like to say that I love the new direction Caribou is taking; the wordmark more-so than the logo but good overall. I totally agree with the direction of changing the caribou from jumping FORWARD opposed to jumping back. Ive always thought the caribou logo should symbolize moving forward rather than back and now it does. I think the new logo is a bit awkward but less awkward than the old logo. Love the typeface which is carefree and personal just like the new ad campaign.
Has anyone seen the photos taken to bring awareness to the new tea lattes? Great Photographer. Although I feel the actual logo is a bit unresolved, Ive lots of good to say about the new direction.

On Mar.01.2010 at 11:12 PM

Ashely Adams : Sticker Printing ’s comment is:

this is a refreshing logo as well as design! i love reading up interesting stuff on walls, bags, hoardings,and now coffee cups. if all the cups contain different messages, then that’s even better. i once noticed how match boxes also carry small messages and i find them cute! if you want to know more about designs and printing, you may visit http://www.psprint.com/stickers-labels

On Mar.01.2010 at 11:24 PM

Christos Chiotis’s comment is:

Gongrats!
Very nice redesign and great color choice!

Makes me wanna go there. 100% success story for me.

On Mar.02.2010 at 12:45 AM

Mane’s comment is:

This identity is definitely an improvement, although the icon could be executed better.

Does anyone else see the two spoons forming the coffeebean and legs of the caribou?

On Mar.02.2010 at 02:04 AM

Erik Mellenius’s comment is:

I really, honestly think this is the worst I’ve seen on Brand New so far.

On Mar.02.2010 at 02:16 AM

FG’s comment is:

Wordmark is great; illustration needs quite a bit of work. I think that the caribou drawing is a bit TOO abstract; a more realistic caribou drawing with equally soft lines would have done the trick far better. That being said, the new logo as it is is an improvement over what was there before, which I feel was rather stuck in the Nineties.

On Mar.02.2010 at 02:27 AM

x3mbrand’s comment is:

«Well where there is coffee» ©

On Mar.02.2010 at 03:07 AM

Baseline Shift’s comment is:

I like it - the Caribou is a quite abstract but as animal updates go it’s far better than the new Peugeot lion.

As an aside, the reason animals traditionally face left in symbols and logos that in heraldry they had to appear to face the flagpole which was considered forward when running into battle.

On Mar.02.2010 at 04:36 AM

Rollerpimp’s comment is:

Until I read the description I could not see the caribou. Until then I thought it was jumping the same direction as the old one and for some reason had changed their logo to an elephant. It looks like the trunk of an elephant being raised. Word type is awful and unreadable in several places.

On Mar.02.2010 at 06:22 AM

obse.’s comment is:

I like amorphousness.

On Mar.02.2010 at 06:48 AM

Brad’s comment is:

I don’t know what they were thinking with this new logo. It looks like a kid sat on Illustrator for 5 minutes. Don’t they have focus groups to give input on these things before they roll them out? This is almost as lazy of a “redesign” as MTV’s new logo. There are designers who could have done this 100 times better, and the funny thing is, sadly, they’re probably the ones LOOKING for work. Erica’s “pirate” comment is funny to me - upside down the logo looks more like a pirate than a caribou when right side up. Fail on all counts.

On Mar.02.2010 at 09:13 AM

jj’s comment is:

If this were me, I wouldn’t have changed the type. Or maybe I would have tweaked it here and there but not enough that an average person would have noticed. The type, good or bad, was a lot of their identity.

The caribou justifiably needed work, I just feel like it could have been executed with fewer, more simple forms and again–I would have tied it into the old version of the logotype.

I like the colors but agree with one post above that the COFFEE is too starbucksy whether it’s fair that they own coffee set in sans caps or not. It just is.

This isn’t anything that will ruin their company, as they rely more on the experience of going there than anything else. I just wish the would have kept more of their charm somehow.

On Mar.02.2010 at 09:38 AM

Nathan’s comment is:

I like the new type but, wonder if updating the old caribou might have been better. Something was lost in the new caribou.

On Mar.02.2010 at 09:42 AM

David Sanchez’s comment is:

Outstanding refresh, really outstanding and a great sign of a revival of a coffee retailer knows a s a underdog. This modern refresh signals an opportunity that Caribou Coffee is going for.
The color palette is trendy and classic, the typography is accurate and emotive, and the symbol is absolutely beautiful brilliant. They perfectly master created a symbol that represents the laborious hands of a barista with the coffee bean and still respect the Caribou metaphoric shape.

Wonderful.

On Mar.02.2010 at 09:54 AM

Jeff Koromi’s comment is:

The Caribou is sloppy, and not a good sloppy that would make it look hand-drawn, but sloppy like a rough draft. The type pleases me, though.

And yes, upside down the icon looks like a pirate! Haha! That made my day.

On Mar.02.2010 at 10:08 AM

Mojo’s comment is:

It seems this has been circulating Caribou Inc. Rynot, you hit the nail on the head… and there’s a few more i’ve detected, including the one above this.

On Mar.02.2010 at 10:15 AM

Fiona Flowers’s comment is:

I like the new logo, looks contemporary as far as coffee logos go; however, I always thought that when you drink coffee, based on propaganda circles, you leap left not right? Mmm…

On Mar.02.2010 at 10:59 AM

kingpin’s comment is:

Oh, deer!

On Mar.02.2010 at 11:14 AM

Nathan McKinney’s comment is:

What I see:

On Mar.02.2010 at 12:09 PM

BWJ’s comment is:

Nice refreshing update. Especially the colors. But the icon is definitely forced. The weakest part. I also think all of the hand writing in the application is a bit overboard.

Now if only their coffee were better.

On Mar.02.2010 at 01:24 PM

marcus’s comment is:

The old logo is a disaster. It screams 1995. Love the new icon and wordmark.

On Mar.02.2010 at 01:41 PM

San Antonio Employment Lawyers’s comment is:

Love the colors and the new logo, but the products seem a little busy. Then again I don’t have to much interaction with caribou coffee so that might just be their thing. Either the colors are amazing, you’re right.

On Mar.02.2010 at 03:25 PM

Cam Hoff’s comment is:

I love this. Minneapolis FTW!

On Mar.02.2010 at 05:00 PM

rayray’s comment is:

Much improved overall, but the caribou icon is very awkward. (looks like two spoons.) Nice treatment on the wordmark (“C” and “a” are a little weird).

On Mar.02.2010 at 05:07 PM

Nathan’s comment is:

The antlers making a “C” thing sounds like a clients idea. “I’ve got a great idea!” HAHA

On Mar.02.2010 at 09:31 PM

Katie’s comment is:

*Love* the coffee bean caribou! Seriously, I’m a big fan.

On Mar.02.2010 at 11:41 PM

Katie’s comment is:

I think I know who Matt V works for! :)

On Mar.02.2010 at 11:46 PM

izzy’s comment is:

“When approaching the logo redesign, we didn’t want to lose the important equities of the previous logo, so the new logo still includes a leaping caribou, a shield and the words “Caribou Coffee.””

huh??? whoa!! is it me, or is this quote quite hilarious??

On Mar.03.2010 at 03:08 AM

Paulo Peres’s comment is:

Totally amazing.

The result was terrific! The evolutions was very clear. Look that like the tipography it´s more fluid and soft. Took the weight about logo.

hugs
Paulo Peres

On Mar.03.2010 at 07:10 AM

neal’s comment is:

The Caribou wordmark is totally awesome, the coffee bean caribou is lame and wacky looking. I’m thinking that maybe they went a little overboard with the hand type all over their cups and napkins.

On Mar.03.2010 at 12:43 PM

Charlene Jaszewski’s comment is:

I immediately liked the new font/wordmark for “Caribou COFFEE” but the logo looked like jibberish, and I had to read the text to get it to explain to me what it was. Not a luxury customers will have!

On Mar.03.2010 at 01:58 PM

Copperplate Gothic Bold’s comment is:

You have done a great job bringing light to the new redesign, however it has failed in the sense that it does not reflect the way that they should have ended their design process.

They clearly should have used Copperplate Gothic Bold in the design, in fact we’ve taken the design one step further and offer this as the final final design for Caribou Coffee. http://ilovecopperplategothicbold.com/2010/03/03/caribou-coffee-logo-redesignredesigned/

Much better!

On Mar.03.2010 at 02:53 PM

Dennis Van Staalduinen’s comment is:

Thanks to Matt V for providing context (and yes sounding a *touch* like a corporate shill) but I could have told you all of that from the logo redesign.

Obviously they (you)are trying to look more urban and yuppyish and upscale - in other words just like every other Seattle wannabe coffeeshop on the planet. Track lighting! Easy chairs! A tiled backsplash!

Congratulations. They (you) found the cookie cutter.

But if they (you)want to totally genericize them (your)selves, they should change the name too.

On Mar.03.2010 at 03:53 PM

decksnap’s comment is:

I love the shield shape, and I really don’t mind the type. The icon is awful in several different ways though. The ‘C’ and the bean are so unnecessary and forced.

Also… I can’t think of a MORE trendy color palette. Seriously… is there one?

On Mar.03.2010 at 06:22 PM

kzinger’s comment is:

I don’t like it- I don’t see a Caribou at all and the writing is too hard to read at a glance.

On Mar.03.2010 at 11:49 PM

steve silvas’s comment is:

i’m really gonna miss the old logo on this one. i always loved it. but there comes a time for change for everybody, i guess.

On Mar.04.2010 at 12:53 AM

ezflash’s comment is:

Caribou Coffee of Minnesota is a warm environment that extends community interest and environmental consciousness to its customers.Social responsibility is one of the core beliefs of Caribou Coffee. For every pound of coffee bought by Caribou Coffee, funds are set in a piggybank for community events and social causes.

On Mar.04.2010 at 07:51 AM

Patrick’s comment is:

I like the script, but the ‘u’ is hardly recognizable. It really looks “Caribore.”

On Mar.04.2010 at 03:38 PM

NFitch’s comment is:

I’m pretty sure Dunkin’ Donuts is the number 2 coffee chain in the US.

And the “u” at the end is extremely hard to make out

On Mar.05.2010 at 04:06 PM

M J McGregor’s comment is:

I like the caribou. It reminds me of a petroglyph, plenty of which you can see in various wilderness parks.

The wordmark looks casual and fluid but also a bit sloppy. I’d like to see more slant to the “a” and more definition to the “u”.

Color’s nice, especially the richer brown, which looks more like coffee I’d like to drink.

The shield is fine. Combined with the caribou, it creates a shape that meets my criterion for a successful logo – I will know whose it is at a half-assed glance.

I remember when Caribou first came on the scene. The logo and identity looked so cool and funky. It’s time for a change.

On Mar.05.2010 at 07:12 PM

Glenn Sakamoto’s comment is:

WTF is that symbol supposed to be? The lettering is nice, tho…

On Mar.05.2010 at 10:33 PM

Todd Weber’s comment is:

I’ll miss the Caribou leaping to the left. Everyone’s animal outside of John Deere leaps “into the future.” Caribou Coffee is supposed to be an escape from your insane life. You should be leaping back to a rustic lodge, not into the future.
Solid rebrand. I don’t like the little messages on the cups and napkins, but I do like that they are an extension of Caribou’s old-though-not-great tag line: “Life is short. Stay awake for it.”

On Mar.06.2010 at 07:56 AM

BALKhi’s comment is:

i think it’s not that bad ..
i holp they stay for ever

On Mar.07.2010 at 04:58 PM

patrick james’s comment is:

I say thumbs up. I really like the color choices along with the type. It certainly gives me that “50s” feel as well. I mean seriously, it’s gotta be a challenge alone to mix a caribou with a coffee bean. haha. I think it’s a great step forward. Good on ya Caribou people. Now if we could only drop those prices a little. :P

On Mar.12.2010 at 02:17 AM

enrolled agent’s comment is:

The new logo has a nice, clean, modernistic look to it. Definitely an improvement of the old logo.

On Mar.13.2010 at 12:52 AM

Berthold’s comment is:

While I do agree the old logo could’ve done with an overhaul, I don’t think they made the right choices here. As you already pointed out, they are traying way too hard. If their brand name is caribou, then their logo should be a caribou, not flying coffee beans. Apple doesen’t overlay it’s logo with transistors, and Porsche doesen’t stick an exhaust up the horses’ rear end.

Having the caribou face right instead of left to get the “C” has even worse implications. Suddenly what clearly was a caribou looks more like a reindeer to me. We’ve had this kind of confusion happen with Agip and Renault, we don’t need it again.

Looks cool, no doubt, but the execution falls flat. Coribon will need a new logo in the future…

On Mar.16.2010 at 08:02 AM

Steve Morris’s comment is:

I’m in the UK, so have not even heard of Caribou which I supposes allows me to be objective with regards to brand positioning etc.

I think this is certainly an improvement, and I like the blue much better. But I have to agree with a lot of comments that the logo illustration is a bit of a mess - and neither one thing nor another. Great identity has to be timeless, and although this does well to steer clear of a lot of current trends, it still somehow has a little bit of a dated feel for me personally - and that may be the illustration style.

On Mar.18.2010 at 05:44 AM

Ainsley’s comment is:

I really like the wordmark, but the icon is a little to abstract. While I appreciate them wanting to make it look like a coffee bean or whatever, it still just kind of looks like some squiggles at first glance. Or a hamburger bun. or two spoons.

On Mar.18.2010 at 10:06 AM

PJ Chmiel’s comment is:

I think it’s a novel look, and I like the colors better, but I have issues with the wordmark as well. Some letters are really slanting to the right (esp. C and b) while most are not, which makes it seem a bit schizophrenic. I also read it as Caribori or Caribon. It’s hard to pull off convincing “naturalistic” / organic script lettering with paths in Illustrator; I’ve tried only and half-succeeded at it many times myself. The old look is starting to seem dated but I’ve always thought it was a strong brand/presence overall.

On Mar.20.2010 at 01:19 AM

DesignDef’s comment is:

Caribou Coffee redesign is so refreshing in its packaging & logo design. Both color combination and the typography is unique.

On Mar.23.2010 at 12:41 AM

Chase Mann’s comment is:

Well, I kind of got over all the comments and scrolled down to add my own.

As a former Caribou employee who still loves the coffee industry and still works in it (as a designer/marketer now), I LOVE the new branding and logo. Bravo to Caribou.

It really shows the character of the company which sets it apart from Starbucks. It’s abstract, natural-esque, and playful … exactly what the company is (was when I worked there at least).

I also love that the sayings are mostly from Caribou employees. When I worked for them we had two whole weeks of training off-site in a training facility and then a week in-store “shadowing” in various positions. Their training is (was?) simply fabulous. They really care about their employees.

Now take this whole comment with a grain of salt because it’s been years (more than a decade) since I worked there, but I bet they are the same or hopefully better.

On Jun.02.2010 at 10:32 AM

BobGrins’s comment is:

I live in MN and have always loved Caribou and the atmosphere of their shops. Sure, they needed a refresh, but this is bad execution. The thing isn’t a Caribou, it’s a hamburger with a celery stalk on top. I didn’t see a coffee bean or measuring spoons at all. The font makes the name look like Caribore. You can’t compete with Starbucks by being more like them. Forget hip, urban, trendy. Even hip, urban, trendy people hate things that try so obviously to strike a pose.

The colors are good, the shield is good and I like the cleaner look. But overall, this does not help make Caribou more memorable.

On Jun.18.2010 at 02:21 PM

steve’s comment is:

Looks like a Jr.high graphics project or the owners niece wanted to give it a try. Ridiculous.

On Jun.27.2010 at 03:50 PM

Meg’s comment is:

Hate the wordmark. Even knowing what it is, I still read it as “Caribon.” Makes me think “Cinnabon” every time I see it. And if that stylized thiing is a caribou, it’s a severely malnourished one — looks more like an impala. Miss.

On Jul.22.2010 at 04:02 PM