BY Armin

Let the Sunshine Inn

In general I have no shortage of connections to make to any of the given brands discussed here. With Days Inn, I have nothing. And it’s not because I scoff at budget hotels; I have stayed at my share of low-priced hotels and I may have even stayed at a Days Inn for all I know, but I would never know, since their branding seems so low-key… and it has been so, at least, for the past 37 years, when Days Inn was founded in 1970 and was granted its first (and, until now, only) identity. This past February, Days Inn unveiled its new logo to 1,800 of its managers and owners. The new identity helps support the chain’s “A Promise as Sure as the Sun” brand promise and, to boot, because the shape is nearly identical, it won’t break the bank: “We kept what was good and powerful in our logo — the unique and familiar shape and the warm yellow sun — but freshened up the look,” says Chris Trick, VP of marketing, “By preserving the shape of the logo we were able to keep signage replacement costs at a minimum since there is no need for franchisees to replace the physical signage container if still in good condition.” The old logo clearly needed a refresh, the dark frame made it feel like one of those motels where you could be murdered in your sleep or in the shower; the typography was uninviting and stodgy; and the sun looked more like a 50% off! starburst than an actual sun. Now it feels fresher — maybe too fresh? — and more inviting. But, funny, I still feel no connection.

Thanks to DesignMaven for the tip.

\n\nIn general I have no shortage of connections to make to any of the given brands discussed here. With Days Inn, I have nothing. And it's not because I scoff at budget hotels; I have stayed at my share of low-priced hotels and I may have even stayed at a Days Inn for all I know, but I would never know, since their branding seems so low-key… and it has been so, at least, for the past 37 years, when Days Inn was founded in 1970 and was granted its first (and, until now, only) identity. This past February, Days Inn unveiled its new logo to 1,800 of its managers and owners. The new identity helps support the chain's \"A Promise as Sure as the Sun\" brand promise and, to boot, because the shape is nearly identical, it won't break the bank: \"We kept what was good and powerful in our logo — the unique and familiar shape and the warm yellow sun — but freshened up the look,\" says Chris Trick, VP of marketing, \"By preserving the shape of the logo we were able to keep signage replacement costs at a minimum since there is no need for franchisees to replace the physical signage container if still in good condition.\" The old logo clearly needed a refresh, the dark frame made it feel like one of those motels where you could be murdered in your sleep or in the shower; the typography was uninviting and stodgy; and the sun looked more like a 50% off! starburst than an actual sun. Now it feels fresher — maybe too fresh? — and more inviting. But, funny, I still feel no connection.\n\nThanks to DesignMaven for the tip.

Many thanks to our ADV @ UnderConsideration Partners