Famous Logo Transformations

micoblanco · 08-13-2009, 08:46 PM

It can invigorate a company's image or squander its brand equity. To see which gambles paid off, Fortune turned to a few experts to judge some of the most dramatic transformations.

Quote:

Apple - A Chic Redesign

Just imagine what an iBook or iPhone would look like with this image on it: definitely not as chic.

Ronald Wayne designed Apple's original logo in 1976 when the company was still operating out of a garage.

It shows Isaac Newton sitting beneath a tree with an apple dangling precariously above his head.

Rob Janoff used the same apple in his redesign a year later.

"You can almost feel the '70s and '80s taking place when you take a look at that rainbow apple," says Bill Gardner, principal of Gardner Design.

Apple dropped the multi-colored logo in 1998 for a monochromatic version, produced in every color imaginable, until transitioning it to today's popular shade of chrome.

Quote:

IBM Simply Classic

In 1972, IBM ditched its original logo in favor of the symbol it has used ever since.

In an attempt to update its antiquated look -- the old logo wrapped the words "International Business Machines" around an image of the globe -- IBM tried two different block-letter logos before legendary branding designer Paul Rand created the current version.

In this modern design, the lines that make up the letters represent "speed and dynamism," according to the company.

They owned the lines going through it before everyone started using lines," Gardner says. And because of its simplicity and originality, "you have a hard time desiring to mess with it."

Quote:

Procter & Gamble - No Devil Inside

The logo P&G used when it launched in 1851 pictured a man in the moon with 13 stars, representing the original American colonies -- à la the original U.S. flag. But critics later claimed the stars connected to form "666" and that the curls were in the shape of devilish sixes as well.

P&G chopped off the old man's bearded curls in 1991, and then two years later, the company trashed the pictorial logo altogether for the simple initials it uses today. "While it's unfortunate that they had to change for the reasons they did," Murphy says, "I think the 'P&G' logo is a strong mark."

Quote:

Starbucks - Song of the Siren

Here's one Starbucks concoction many hoped had disappeared a long time ago. The brown logo featuring a nude siren had been the company's icon since 1971, when it was developed by Starbucks co-founder Terry Heckler.

In 1992, it was updated to the green logo used today, picturing a less exposed siren. But in May of last year, the brown logo -- with the breasts covered -- made a comeback for several months during a promotion. Even with the minor touch-up, the flashback was not met with much enthusiasm.The retro logo "goes from nostalgic to crude," says Belk, whose opinion was shared by many.

Quote:

UPS - Modern and Traditional

In 2003, as UPS moved into the digital age -- from packaging and shipping to managing logistics, too -- the company outgrew its 42-year-old iconic logo. Celebrated in the design community for its connection to legendary designer Rand, the original logo and its old-fashioned bow gestured to the company's roots in neighborhood package delivery. "It had a humor and a humanity to it," Murphy says.

But the new logo represents a strategic decision to emphasize UPS's expanded business operations, and analysts also praised the company's FutureBrand designers for nodding to UPS's heritage by preserving the shield, keeping it lighthearted, and leveraging the color brown. "You would never think [brown] would be an asset," Belk says, "but in their case, it is."

source: http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work...-new-logo.html

What can you say about these logo transformations? Do you really think that logos can affect the business? In what ways?

app789 · 08-14-2009, 01:26 AM

Best transformation was done by IMB, their old logo was just ugly.

trippynet · 11-04-2009, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by app789

Best transformation was done by IMB, their old logo was just ugly.

Yeah the Apple one looks a hell of a lot better too.

chillfire · 08-15-2009, 04:03 PM

Sorry I hit yes on the poll then thought about it and maybe stick with the old one, The Royal Mail tried a name/logo change (millions of pounds later) then changed it all back again as the entire popultaion had no idea who 'insignia' was ( i think that was the new name)

Keep it or at least have a competition to see who can come up with a better one!

cheers,
craig

angilina · 08-16-2009, 01:57 PM

I really like the Apple Logo and I think their decision to change the logo was an excellent decision. Their new logo is now a commonly seen trademark of a big company.

ben_huebner · 09-17-2009, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angilina

I really like the Apple Logo and I think their decision to change the logo was an excellent decision. Their new logo is now a commonly seen trademark of a big company.

Apple is great, not only the logo!