Unfortunately I have nothing to reference or go by for this redesign. (According to this blog post, it's feasible that Chicago-based VSA Partners did the work — given that First Data has been a client of them since 2001, and the logo is indeed VSA-ish, I would jump on board and agree.) Fortunately, it's great enough on its own that we can talk about it. First Data is one of those complex companies that make things behind the scenes work flawlessly through mind-bending systems, fancy computers and, surely, some type of mathematical equations. Or, in their words, "First Data processes transaction data of all kinds, harnesses the power of that data, and delivers innovations in secure infrastructure, intelligence and insight for its customers." What it boils down to is technology, data, and getting it from one place to another — the new logo manages to convey all this and more. The interlocked "F" and "d" signal connectivity and interaction, while the hard-angled shapes convey that this is a technologically astute company that — instead of softening its image like the rest of the rounded identities (xerox, docomo, kodak) — isn't afraid to communicate that it's authoritative and hard-nosed. The old logo was a heartwarming play on visuals and language, but felt decidedly vintage. If there is one major complaint I have about the new logo is the annihilation of the dot over the "i." Sure, it solves the boinking of it against the "F" but I just find this continued practice of de-dotting to be wrong. Nonetheless, In contrast to the remarkable new modern-day monogram introduced by First Data, it's a small quibble. First Data could transfer my data any day of the week.
Thanks to Joe Szczepaniak and Rachid Molinary for the tip.
I can't stand the thought of taxes or administrative tasks — it's not that I'm above it or that I am too creative to be bothered by them, I just get confused easily — but it is with fond memory that I remember Intuit's TurboTax software that allowed me to file my very first 1040EZ form for my 1999 taxes when I originally moved to the U.S., a daunting task made significantly easy, even with that old android dude of a logo sticking its pixelated head out of the side of the box. Earlier this month, Intuit unveiled (internally) a new logo that replaces the android with a more broadly humanized representation of, well, humans.
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Brett Wickens, Vice President and Executive Creative Director at MetaDesign (and of former Ceramic Hello fame) has been kind enough to provide us with some valuable insights into their recent redesign of SanDisk, the world's leading supplier of innovative flash memory data storage products.
Continue reading this entryApologies for any inconvenience the insane amount of spam may be causing. These attacks usually last two or three days, but this one has been going on for over two weeks now. I try to clean it up as efficiently as possible. If I pump up the volume on my spam filters some of your comments will get banned, so unfortunately I can't be harsher in that respect. I appreciate your patience and I hope this goes away soon.
Jerry Kuyper (of recent Cisco redesign fame), alongwith brand strategy firm Group 1066, has created a new graphic identity for LodgeNet Interactive Corp. — best for you to read what they do as it's impossible to condense in a simple sentence. As this is an example of an effective corporate redesign by one of the field's most talented designers, I asked Jerry if he would share some of his first-hand insights into the project and its respective process — and he kindly accepted.
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Whatever you do, whether it's today or 1994, please do not call Xerox "the copier company". Actually, don't call it "The Document Company" anymore either. While you are at it, don't confuse Fuji with Xerox, or wonder if the two merged. And, finally, please forget about that pixelated X that became one of the best known and widely recognized icons. All that is a thing of the past. Yes, just the past four decades. Poor Xerox, so misunderstood, so verbalized — "Can you xerox this for me? Thanks intern" — so outdated. Yet, if you worked anywhere with one of those multi-tasking, short of coffee-making machines, you know that Xerox can do more (way more) than make black and white copies of your spreadsheets. Yet, apparently, few people realize this. And nothing cures ailments like these better than a rebranding. Unveiled today, the new identity, designed by Interbrand, for Xerox may signal a new era for the company but, as far as we designers are concerned, it merely signals the full embrace of the senseless threedimensionalization of the corporate world.
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Update / 09.14.07: It has been brought up to everyone's attention, through the comments, that I used the wrong logo as the "After" image, rendering the rest of the post somewhat moot. I explain how I ended up with the "After" image in the comments. Even though I could change the whole post so that future visitors would not see the mistake, I would rather embrace the actual events and leave as is. The correct logo is in the comments as well. Apologies to our beloved readers for the oversight.
Web 1.0, if you will, left an indelible mark in the field of identity design: Google, eBay, Yahoo, and, of course PayPal. Logos that are more used, seen and interacted with than Nike, Apple and Starbucks'. A world (wide web) without any of these in their current design state would likely cause an implosion of confusion. Yes, I am afraid these logos will never change. PayPal, however has recently tiptoed into a new identity. Not that anyone would notice. According to this "behind the scenes" blog entry, hundreds of designs were reviewed, but ultimately, and after testing with customers, the internal brand team decided to stick with something painfully close to home. And now, with a new logo in place, the hard part begins, as "there are millions of logos that need to be updated". So as a service to the millions of users out there that have a PayPal logo on their web site, I have put together a handy guide for how to make a smooth transition into the new logo. Experience with horizontal and vertical scaling of type is necessary; please do not attempt if you have never fidgeted with the proportions of a carefully designed typeface.
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It's not everyday Brand New discusses an in-house logo but today is the day. In-house designers, rejoice. Anyone who has worked in-house knows the complicated process projects go through and their lengthy approval. To get a company to buy into a new corporate identity is a big deal, especially when it's done in-house and not outsourced to a firm.
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Flash forward to the year 2015...
Imagine your local Best Buy at 5:30 am on a Saturday morning; late August 2015. Picture a winding line of 300 good Americans—moms, dads, children, teenagers, and husky Ebay speculators. The barbarians at the gate are loaded with lawn chairs, vitamin C, playing cards, fleece blankets, and other middle-class mechanisms of subsistence. All are biding their time in hopes of being one of the first few to get their knuckles around the newest model of the Compaq Presario VXXX series. Compaq is so hot right now—they sponsored the last space shuttle mission.Continue reading this entry
If you take a holiday this summer, consider Pembroke, Bermuda, the legal incorporated home of some exciting de-conglomeration and branding. Tyco International LTD, a global leader in industrial valves and controls, metal conduit, armored electrical cable, and steel fence post tubing. A proprietor of fun brands such as ADT security and fire alarms, as well as niche-hits like Coev Magnetics, and Raychem, Tyco recently announced that it was neatly spinning off into three corporate-level brands, grouped by cateogry. So it goes. The spinoff gives us three consumer/industrial brands: Tyco Electronics, Tyco Healthcare (Covidien), and also Tyco Fire & Security/Engineered Products & Services (TFS/TEPS).
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