Revisit

If you read my other grocery store design articles, you’ll see that I pay attention when I’m at the grocery store.  When the grocery chain Bloom opened, I went shopping and took my camera and documented some of my observations.

The first thing I noticed was the logo, it was new and fresh and plastered just about everywhere. Some of the pluses included the ability for the logo to be reproduced well in scale from small to large.  Additionally, I like the amount of different applications for which they use it. The problem I think they have is the overuse by repetition.  Repetition certainly has it’s place in good design, but doing so with the logo has to be done carefully.  In this case, I think the repetition choices take the good out and throws in some bad taste.

After looking at the pictures, I invite you to weigh in with your opinion.

Bloom Front Entrance

Bloom Floor Marker

Bloom Produce Signage

Bloom Product Scanners

Bloom Canned Product Labeling

Bloom Plastic Produce/Meat Bag

Bloom Recycle Bin

Bloom Produce Crates

Here’s a number of print pieces I’ve scrounged together…

Bloom Circular

Bloom Circular Page

Bloom Magazine

Bloom Business Card

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Although most circulars I generally throw away, I generally will take a look at the Wegmans flyer because they have great design. This week I did a double take as that bold logo I’m used to seeing was replaced with something different.

Honestly, the previous one didn’t bother me too much. It was interesting with some organic custom letterforms. Perhaps a bit crowded on the kerning, but I like the fact that it’s bold and different. The new one on the other hand has that retro script type form prevalent from 1930’s. According to the Wegman’s press release and logo sheet, it’s very similar to their original.

I believe this will be positive enforcement of the brand and will definitely strike a chord of nostalgia that will be embraced by long time shoppers. The italicized scripty type is noticeably less visible in the flyer and will probably need some care taken when they change out their signage. It shows well with lots of space, but will not be able to reverse and reduce scale quite like the previous version.

Here is the official press release from Wegmans

Wegmans customers will soon begin to see a Wegmans logo that harkens back to the company’s logo of the 30s and 40s. It makes its return in the Wegmans’ Sunday weekly ad on September 28, and over the next several days, on new uniform shirts for Wegmans employees.

“When we looked back at some of our earliest logos, they conveyed the warmth and personal attention to detail that we hope reflect our brand,” explained Colleen Wegman. “The family culture in our company continues to grow. It was time to go back to our roots and to a logo that is welcoming because it is more like a family signature.”

Little by little, a shift from the block-letter style of Wegmans’ name, first introduced in the 1970s, to a script style will occur. The transition will be gradual, starting first with things that are simple to change. Storefront signs, for example, may not be replaced for a long while, because of the cost. But grocery bags, packaging and other such things will be redesigned as supplies run out.

The company first announced the change in a September 19 email to employees from Colleen and her dad, CEO Danny Wegman, in which they said Our new logo is both a reflection of our past and a vision for our future.

Here is the Wegmans logo timeline…

In May 2004, Food Lion unveiled “Bloom”, a new brand that focuses on convenience and service through an easy-to-shop Bloom, A Food Lion Market store layout, a broad range of fresh products and home meal replacement products, and technology features that expedite the shopping experience. The Bloom experiment is the result of extensive consumer research, studies of best practices from retailers throughout the world and an intensive cooperation between different operating companies within Delhaize Group.

I selected Bloom for analysis because of the recent openings of several Bloom stores in my area. In my town alone there were three Food Lions, two of which have all recently been converted into Bloom stores. With this big influx and sightings of this brand popping-up everywhere, I decided to check the store out. In future articles, I will chronicle the full brand experience.

The Bloom logo is a successful mark. The symbol is perpetual and shows motion, while using white space effectively pulling your gaze inward. This white space shape makes a spiral, sun-like form. I believe it has a very organic quality which can be coupled with the border, which has flower-like edges. The two forms meld a very organic and conceptual symbol which portray a flower in bloom, which is directly linkable to agricultural growth, hence groceries.

The Bloom slogan is “a different kind of grocery store,” and the logo certainly has an abstract modern quality which aptly portrays this concept. The type also lends to this modern approach.

I identified the font to be Futura Medium Boldtype. This is an appropriate selection, as the clean lines convey the modern appearance. The selection also possesses a nice thick to thin stroke and dips below the baseline creating an organic flow for the letterform (see illustration).

The lowercase setting of the font helps the type to adjoin properly to the symbol, creating a unified logo. I also liked the fact that each character was kerned indiviudally and properly set to convey an even appearance.