Revisit

I visited the well designed MailChimp website today and I noticed that the MailChimp logo now sports the big cheesy grin, which made me wonder how many tweeks this logo has seen over the years.  Being a fan of their designs, I took a look online and found some comments from those in the know, namely the designer and the guy who hired him.

Here they are…

1st Generation Logo

I skipped a couple iterations in between there, but the differences are minor and irrelevant. I mainly changed the nose  because whenever I scaled that horrible, horrible Fireworks file, the 2-dot nostrils would often overlap each other, or spread way apart. Also, if I scaled the logo really big, the hat would come apart. You’d literally see a big giant gap between the brim and the gold badge. Like I said, Fireworks is great for web design, but not-so-great for print.

MailChimp 1st Generation Logos

2nd Generation Logo

The comments about MailChimp being “unprofessional” did not bug me one bit. However, I consider myself a scientist, so I love experiments. I’ll try anything just to see what it does for our business.

That’s when we had the idea to remove the monkey altogether, and change our website to look more “corporate and stodgy.”

MailChimp 2nd Generation Logo

3rd Generation Logo

So I emailed Jon. Turns out Jon is really busy, so we had to wait about 6 months.

6 months pass, Jon is finally available, and I show him the Mario diagram. I also show him my sticky note doodle, and I ask him if he can “do what Nintendo did for Mario, except we want the style and detail from the Firefox logo you did, but modernize the chimp a little so it doesn’t look like we’re trying to stay within the 16-bit websafe color palette or something.”

If that were a mathematical equation, it would look something like this:

The MailChimp Logo Design Equation

MailChimp 3rd Generation Logos

So the “try anything” scientific approach definitely seems to be at work here.  As you can see for yourself, the chimp has gone from leaning forward to upright, back to leaning forward. The 2nd iteration here shows the Mario-esque fist. The 3rd iteration takes the smile to full cheese and adds a piece of mail to the hand. Personally, I never understood why the mail wasn’t in the hand in the first place, but in terms of the new smile, I’m undecided, but I’m sure the folks at MailChimp will let us know eventually.

Original References

New MailChimp Logo By Jon Hicks | September 11th, 2008
Thorough write-up about the design process and design history summarized by MailChimp

Recent Work: MailChimp | September 15th, 2008
Personal design blog entry from logo designer Jon Hicks

It has been quite a year for the Washington Capitals hockey organization. Last year the professional franchise created a lot of energy by re-branding its logo, followed by their first appearance in the playoffs in years, where their marketing push of “Rock the Red” took center stage. This year, they one-upped themselves by advancing in the playoffs to the second round. Perhaps next year will produce a cup winning team.

But to the subject matter at hand, their farm clubs, the Hershey Bears from the AHL and the AA affiliate from the ECHL, the South Carolina Stingrays, already grabbed their league’s respective cups  and both did so in dramatic seven game series. Ironically, the Stingrays re-branding preceded their success as well. At the beginning of this season, the team released a new logo design, which features the same iconic stingray, but rendered in a much different way.

Whereas I didn’t really care much for the Capitals logo re-design, I did actually like this one. The Stingrays former logo featured a more cartoon-like style which was/is fairly consistent with the league’s other team logos. From a straight design perspective, the logo is too tight and busy in the way it incorporates the type. I don’t mind cartoony, but the type has to work with it, and in this case, the type makes it harder to assimilate the illustration. As it pertains to the illustration, I don’t care much for the flashing tail. But in terms of tails, it definitely is better than the original rendering.

The original design is very forced as all of the concept building blocks seem to be thrown on the canvas. It includes the state map, the stingray, the hockey stick, and a tail. The tail bothers me because I cannot tell if it’s a tail or a tree. I have a feeling it was intended to be both – the tree being the official state tree, the cabbage palmetto. The state shape has always interfered with how I interpret the shape of the stingray, which seems to get jumbled together forming one shape versus the two.

The new logo designed by The Joe Bosack Graphic Design Co. is much more integrated. As you can see right away, the type has a clear hierarchy with South Carolina on top, Stingrays underneath. The custom type treatment repeats the sharp edge seen throughout the Stingray illustration. The illustration itself is a lot more simple, yet still clearly identifiable. It also reproduces well on a small scale, even though the contrast might not be my first choice with two dark shades. The logo is definitely an improvement and has an aggressive quality which is ideal for hockey!

The secondary logo is a stylized version of the state flag, whereas the second has some simliar elements, adding in the Ravenel Bridge. The logos are cohesive in their styling with the primary logo in a number of ways, although I don’t think you’d be selling to many of these as jerseys of their own.

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…

I was just re-reading a post yesterday that I had written just prior to the NHL season regarding the Washington Capitals Logo and how the eagle somewhat resembled the D.C. United’s Logo. Ironically, today the D.C. United unveiled new uniforms, which don’t feature a new eagle form or anything of the like. In fact, the uniforms haven’t changed much at all, if you exclude the large Volkswagen logo planted smack dab in the middle of the jersey.

That’s right, the D.C. United now sport the big VW on their uniforms and from what I’m gathering, the reception has been rather good. You can read more about the finer details by visiting the team’s official blog, Behind the Badge.

“We left our jersey blank for a long time because it was so important that the brand we associated with matched up and complemented our D.C. United brand,” said D.C. United managing partner Victor MacFarlane. “I’m pleased to say we’ve found that brand.”

Not being a passionate soccer fan myself, I suppose I’m unsure of how autos conceptually meld with soccer. I realize that the sport has a stronger following in Europe and Volkswagen is European, so I guess that’s something, but we’re in America, right? Anyway, I do like the jerseys and having one of the most well-established symbols on the planet, can only help the sales of merchandise and ticket sales.

In terms of co-branding, D.C. United’s team logo is obviously not the focal point. I presume that with soccer, this is more of the trend, or perhaps this is helping establish a trend where sponsors play more of a central role in the marketing. Perhaps this sport’s marketing will evolve to be somewhat akin to Nascar, where the focal point on the cars is the sponsor.

In any case, Volkwagon is a great brand, soccer is a far reaching sport, and the D.C. United has been one of the most successful teams in the MLS, so this should a great development. Per the agreement itself, the new arrangement gives Volkswagen licensing rights to the United’s jerseys, stadium displays, and preference for stadium naming rights when a new one is determined. The deal is reported to be one of the most lucrative to date for the sport in the U.S., at an estimated $14 million.

Volkswagen’s initiative was conceived in conjunction with their recent re-location of their stateside headquarters to my hometown of Herndon, VA, a suburb of Washington D.C. “We are very proud to be part of the greater Washington, D.C. community,” said Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO of Volkswagen’s U.S. division. “We always said when we moved to D.C. and when we moved closer to our customers, to be a real marketing organization, we want to be also showing our local commitment by partnering with a great organization in this area and we are happy that you waited so long for us.”

I have a feeling that the arrangement will work out well, and we should be seeing these jerseys around town pretty soon!

• Read the official press release
• Read more about Volkswagen

This week marks a biggie for rebranding aficionados, with the redesign of the Xerox corporate logo. There is already a lot out there on the topic, so I won’t totally reinvent the wheel.

Xerox’s perspective on the Logo Rebranding

“There has been a perception gap in the marketplace,” said Richard Wergan, vice president of worldwide brand marketing and advertising. “Xerox is still perceived incorrectly as a copier company. We do not make copiers.”

Wergan would not say how much the research for the new logo cost, but said it was a “significant multimillion-dollar marketing investment.”

From the Official Press Release:

The new Xerox logo is now a lowercase treatment of the Xerox name – in a vibrant red – alongside a sphere-shaped symbol sketched with lines that link to form an illustrative “X,” representing Xerox’s connections to its customers, partners, industry and innovation, and designed to be more effectively animated for use in multi-media platforms.

“Our brand is one of our most prized assets and the value it brings to our business is immeasurable,” added Ursula M. Burns, president, Xerox. “Our customers, our employees and our shareholders connect the most with what the brand stands for — quality, innovation, customer-focus and a values-rich culture. Today, we’re strengthening all our attributes and giving our brand a contemporary look that is more relevant for business today – a bit less formal, a lot more lively with links to our heritage and a nod to the future.”

From Business Week:

Making the Brand More Approachable

Designed in the 1960s by branding firm, Chermayeff & Geismar, the familiar block-capital-letter XEROX wordmark, most often seen around the world in red, did not lend itself to the three-dimensional world of Internet and mobile-phone marketing canvases. The new logo, created in FS Albert font, is accompanied by a symbol—a red sphere that is trying to convey a sense of the globe. The intersecting graphic ribbons encircling the sphere signify the worldwide connections between Xerox’s customers, employees, and other stakeholders. The new wordmark, with softened and rounded lower-case letters, is a far cry from the former imposing logo hatched in an era when U.S. Steel and IBM were kings of the corporate mountains.

The new graphic identity of the company is meant to make Xerox a more approachable brand without compromising its reputation for engineering. In fact, an internal document circulated between Interbrand and Xerox describes the new graphic font this way: “I am FS Albert. I am a modern and approachable font. My rounded corners make me more human and less technical.” The sphere symbol will be especially used on the Internet and will spin in other animated applications, says Maryanne Stump, Interbrand’s senior director of brand strategy. “The old Xerox logo and graphics just didn’t lend themselves to the new media landscape.”

During 18 months of research preceding this week’s launch, customers already made strong connections between the brand and attributes such as “dependable, traditional, and established.” The company’s challenge will be to reinforce those while improving impressions of the other characteristics, which currently separate Xerox from its rivals in a negative way.

Xerox, despite the ubiquity of its brand, operates at a brand-building disadvantage to rivals like Canon, Hewlett-Packard, and Toshiba in that those brands have strong consumer franchises to buttress their business-to-business images. “The research shows that this gives our competitors an advantage in communicating innovation and modernity,” says Wergan.

The Business Week article goes on to talk about Xerox’s blunder in allowing Microsoft and Apple to swipe their forerunning ideas to our modern day personal computing. I found this somewhat ironic as the first thing I likened the new logo to, was the Xbox logo, a sub-brand waving under Microsoft’s banner.

Here’s a comparison:

My Thoughts:Anyway, I pretty much agree with what has been stated. The Xerox brand was overdue for an overhaul. The type was very old school/corporate, with less than ideal all cap readability. The switch takes the font from a thick and thin sans to a thicker sans with a darker toned red. I do like the type selection, FS Albert font, which has an organic playfulness to it that was desperately needed to liven up the corporate message.

Visually, the type maintains its consistency with each character equi-distant from baseline to cap line; but it’s certainly more readable now. The all lowercase definitely does bring about a more modern trend and the gradation on the ball definitely makes this web 2.0 or business 2.0, whatever you want to call it. I’m not a fan of gradation logo elements, but overall this logo is a notable improvement.

The design firm said, “The sphere symbol will be especially used on the Internet and will spin in other animated application.” Hmmm, spinning, gotta wonder about that…