Brand New

Polycom Phone Home (and Office)

2012-05-30T10:33:56Z

Established in 1990, Polycom, with 3,800 employees in 80 offices in 36 countries, specializes in "open standards-based unified communications (UC) solutions for telepresence, video, and voice." If that means not much to you, they make those triangle, UFO-shaped phones that people scream at during conference calls — they are as much a staple of corporate America offices as the cubicle. Simplification aside, Polycom does have quite the stronghold and edge on all kinds of conferencing platforms that go beyond the phone, offering video and mobile solutions — they have more than 800 issued or pending patents too. Last week, Polycom introduced a new logo and identity designed by San Jose, CA-based John McNeil Studio that signals a commitment to continuing its transformation to a software-led company.

One of the classic triangle speaker phones.

The new Polycom (as of May 2012) — three fluid, transparent, elliptical arcs, symbolizing connection, mobility, information sharing and collaboration.
— Polycom Brand Page

Brand video. To view bigger click here.

Unveiling the new brand in the lobby of the Company's new headquarters in San Jose, CA.

I loved the old logo: it was striking, simple, and very corporate. The icon mimicked the shape of its famous triangle phone and even the wispy serif all caps wordmark had some gravitas to it. But I can see all the reason why Polycom wanted to move away from it: it's not about the phone anymore, it's not a product or service just for Fortune 500 companies, it's not friendly enough. In exchange Polycom has gotten a logo that solves all those issues through a perfectly generic execution and ambiguously explained concept: The three rings that symbolize blah blah blah are uninspired and the Gotham book weight wordmark is one of a dozen things like it we've seen the past five years. For a company leading in innovation and entrenched so deeply with corporations one would hope that they would be more risky or innovative in how they portray themselves. This is just safe work at best.

Thanks to Roy Levitt for first tip.

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It's a Delez Monde After All

2012-05-29T11:10:57Z

In August of 2011, Kraft Foods announced plans to split its business into two separate companies: One, to remain Kraft Foods, the "high-margin North American grocery business" that will manage brands like Velveeta, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, and Oscar Mayer; the second, unnamed at the time of the announcement, the "high-growth global snacks business" to manage brands like Cadbury, Milka, Nabisco, Oreo, Tang, and Trident. In March, Kraft Foods introduced the name for the new global snacks company — Mondelez International — after an internal employee contest rendered 1,700 names for consideration. Earlier this month Kraft Foods confirmed that shareholders overwhelmingly approved the name change as well as unveiling the new logo. No design credit given.

Kraft Foods logo.

"Mondelez" (pronounced mohn-dah-LEEZ') is a newly coined word that evokes the idea of "delicious world." "Monde" derives from the Latin word for "world," and "delez" is a fanciful expression of "delicious." In addition, "International" captures the global nature of the business.
— Press Release (March 21, 2012)

It's no secret that I ~~don't like~~ hate the Kraft Foods logo — see spots 6 and 5 in 2009's Worst list — so I was very skeptical about anything good coming out of the same company. Even more so with a weird name like Mondelez and its, like, totes ridics pronunciation. I have to say: I'm extremely surprised by how nice the new logo is. It's bouncy, it's flowy, it's perfectly kerned, and it even manages to tie in to the Kraft Foods logo with those two teardrop shapes. I am a little troubled by the accent over the "e" which appears nowhere in the written communication — I understand this is meant to be an international company and perhaps a faux accent that is neither a grave accent nor an acute accent will confuse/comfort international business people, but it just seems odd to contradict the name. I wish "International" was center-aligned, but I can see how it would bump against the "M". Unfortunate but passable. What's important to remember is that this is a corporate brand, not consumer, so it serves to endorse the products it sells, which is something that usually leads to crappy, boring logos but this one will sit nicely in one or two colors in all those crazy brand packages around the world.

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Friday Likes 04

2012-05-25T11:29:35Z

Today I went with three selections from the winners of the 2011 Brand New Awards. There are plenty others I like obviously, so these are just a sampling. Plus: no beer-like this Friday.

Bluebeard Coffee Roasters

Anything drawn well in line-art will always get my attention and this handsome coffee-loving pirate, with his swirly beard with ball terminals, had me at "Ar." Designed by Seattle, WA-based Partly Sunny for neighboring Tacoma-based Bluebeard Coffee Roasters. You can see some applications at Bluebeard's site if you wait for the slideshow to play.

La Vittoria

La Vittoria is an annual fundraising gala dinner that benefits the Marie-Vincent Fondation. For this edition, it featured two guest chefs, one from New York and one from Paris. The identity, designed by Montréal-based lg2 boutique reflects the meeting of both worlds. The biggest feat here is not just designing a full identity with clear contrast in styles to define NY vs. Paris but it's actually like designing two whole identity systems. [More]

Volocopter VC1

I love animations where the logo appears as if from nothing or where it disappears into the ether. This animation does both. Created by Danny Warner of Pakaste-Warner Design for German upstart e-volo, this animation is as bad-ass as their VC1, a vertical take-off and landing aircraft — see it in action here.

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Gloves fit for the Six Million Dollar Man

2012-05-24T11:23:54Z

First produced for hockey players in 1999, Bionic is a line of specialty performance gloves for sports like golf, baseball, fitness (weightlifting), tennis, racquetball, equestrian events and others, as well as a very popular line of gardening gloves. The gloves are the invention of orthopedic hand surgeon James Kleinert for sports equipment manufacturing company Hillerich & Bradsby, which more famously produces the Louisville Slugger bats. In March, Bionic introduced a new logo designed by New York, NY-based CBX.

Bionic's updated logo captures the athletic spirit of the brand and feels more modern and iconic. Because Bionic Glove Technology focuses on gloves — and the hands that fill them — the symbol to the left of the logo is representative of both the letter "B" and a gripping, gloved hand. Its positioning at an angle adds a dynamic aspect to the logo that is reflective of Bionic's innovative approach to creating performance-enhancing gloves. The tag line "Super. Human. Performance." aims to clearly communicate the points of differentiation of the glove, including the premium quality and the patented performance technology that are the essence of the brand.
— Press Release

I liked the old logo, not because of its execution (obviously) but I find the idea of a — gloveless! — hand holding a bolt of thunder comical even though they were trying to be dead serious. I also appreciate anyone willing to italicize type beyond the usual 9 to 12 degrees; it was a staggering 36 degrees. The new logo is much more focused and clear: It's a gloved hand making the shape of a "b". It's smart and simple and the abstraction and simplification work well in communicating that this is a logo that has to do with sports and hands. Perhaps it feels too much like a hand holding a baseball, potentially neglecting all the other sports it covers — specifically golf, which they seem to be targeting more heavily. Tilting the logo 45 degrees was key in not making the logo look too dumbed down and being more overt about it being a "b". The wordmark is bionic-y without being a douchebag like its predecessor. The only gripe I would have is that — and this is assuming that the gardening market is still a big deal for them — the new logo doesn't feel appropriate for the lady with the green thumb who might think that there is nothing in Bionic for her. Nonetheless, a major graphic improvement.

Above and below, a couple of somewhat funny ads. Logo animation at the end.

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Brand New Conference, Registration Open

2012-05-23T11:25:27Z

Speakers, details, registration, and more is all now live for the 2012 Brand New Conference. A few things: 1) Early-bird pricing will only be available for one month, ending on June 29, 2) this is a small-ish venue, just under 500, and it fills up fast; between speakers and sponsor-reserved tickets there is already 56 seats taken, and 3) you can read all about the crazy "Brand Debris Quilt" identity here. Hope to see many of you there.

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Ring Around the Polish, a Pocket Full of …

2012-05-22T11:30:05Z

Established in 1803, PZU is is one of the largest financial institutions in Poland and Eastern Europe, offering property and casualty insurance, life insurance, and open-end pension funds. It is also one of the most recognized brands in Poland, with more than 500 retail offices. Earlier this month, PZU introduced a new identity, designed by Warsaw-based PZL — although Whitecat Studios also has some work — and a new campaign with the tagline "We are changing for good" featuring a generously eyebrowed character by the name of Moloch, who represents all the old, negative stereotypes of the company.

Previous PZU logos.

PZU refreshed logo refers to the sign, which was in force in the company from 1952 to mid-90s The new mark has become simpler and more readable. His ring was lit, which gave him and created a modern three-dimensional effect. The new visual identity highlights the changes in a consistent way of presenting the issues puts a logo on a variety of materials. The brackets, which are surrounded by advertising slogans and themes are taken from the rim of the logo. They symbolize protection and care that surrounds PZU their customers. The new identity will affect all companies in the PZU Group.
— Press Release (translated in Google)

Transformers-ey introduction of the new logo.

It's pretty obvious that no one involved here was looking for a revolution of the logo — and if they were, the logo history clearly determined that a circle was needed with the three letters placed inside and the "Z" bigger than the other two — so in terms of updating the logo to the twenty-first century this is probably as good (or decent) as it gets. The new, super thick ring is bold and visible for retail applications and the sans serif typography sits well inside it. Looking to give it some flair, the type has some quirky details like the spiky serif on the "P" and the angled edges at the top of the "U"; I'm not sure if they were needed but they at least break the monotony of the mark. In application, the identity relies on a pair of brackets taken from the ring, that encapsulate brand messaging — it's a little citibank-ish but it makes the company look contemporary and fresh. Overall, not a bad upgrade and Moloch is a welcome addition as an anti-spokesman.

TV ad featuring Moloch and logo animation at the end.

Thanks to Thomas Weidung for the tip.

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Telenovela-Red is the New Fire-Engine-Red

2012-05-21T10:59:56Z

Launched in 1954, Telemundo, a division of NBCUniversal, is a Spanish-language media company revolving around its television network that features "original productions, theatrical motion pictures, news, and sports events, reaching U.S. Hispanic viewers in 210 markets through its 14 owned stations and its broadcast and cable affiliates." At the upfronts this month, among announcements of more new original telenovelas than you can count unbuttoned men shirts, Telemundo introduced a new logo that will be implemented starting in Fall with the launch of the new TV season. No design credit given.

Telemundo announced it will launch its rebranding campaign complete with a new logo, tagline and on-air identity this fall. The network's new positioning platform aims to capture the duality of Telemundo's audience, balancing the strong connection to their Latin roots with their contemporary mindset of living in the U.S.
— Press Release

There is only the logo to go by at the moment, as there are no applications revealed yet, but there is potential that can be seen here. The previous logo was a little too generic with just a swoosh inside a "T", losing some of the mundo-ness (mundo=world) from older logos that at least indicated the idea of a global network — also in a cheesy and generic way, but it was there. The globe has sort of been brought back in a strange way; if you look at the 1997 – 99 version you can see where the two intersecting shapes of the new logo come from. They are, at once, awkward and strangely appealing, generating an abstract monogram that looks good at small and large sizes. It's hard to tell exactly what is going on with the textures, but it almost looks like the intention is for it to be like tinted glass and that's the new logo's most striking feature: its color. Moving away from the tame blues of previous logos, this one portrays some of that cliched, burning, Latin passion, and it definitely stands out. The typography is simple and out of the way. We'll report back in the Fall if there are any interesting developments with this brand.

Thanks to Marc Nijborg for first tip.

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Friday Likes 03

2012-05-18T11:08:55Z

Once again, beer makes an appearance, accompanied by the logo for a tennis player and a serious NGO.

Mikkeller Pale Spring Ale

Not quite a logo and not quite a full beer label system just a neat idea executed as briskly as crisp Fall air. Or something. This is a small batch, seasonal ale produced by Danish brewery Mikkeller and a label by Stockholm-based Bedow that is printed with heat sensitive ink — playing off the idea of the four seasons, the icon on the label goes from a snowflake when the beer is cold to a sun when the beer gets warm (or preferably when the bottle is empty). [More / Scroll down at the link]

Novak Djokovic Logo

For the record: I don't like-like this logo and the video above is borderline offensive. But, there is something immensely satisfying about the construction of this logo by PRpepper Agency for Novak Djokovic, the Serbian tennis player currently ranked number 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals.

Liberta

Perhaps inspired by Amnesty International, this logo by Sao Paulo-based David Galasse for Liberta (as in set free), an NGO in Brazil that fights against slavery in its country, uses its "L" to create an abstract barbed wire barb — it's a simple and strong solution. [More]

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TV Land: Time to Let Go

2012-05-17T10:39:10Z

As a refresher, from this January's post on TV Land: "Launched in 1996 and originally part of a Nickelodeon programming block called Nick at Nite, TV Land is a cable television channel aimed (according to owner MTV Networks) at the 40- to 50-year-old with a blend of original programming, classic and contemporary television series acquisitions, and movies." What has changed in the last five months since I last wrote about the on-air look of TV Land is the development of more original programming, bringing their total to five shows, and they also seem to be gunning for a slightly younger audience. Last week, TV Land introduced a new logo and on-air package designed by sixth-year collaborator Trollback + Company and new mnemonic and theme by CORD Worldwide.

Logos introduced in 1996, 2001, and 2009.

For the first time since the launch of the network 16 years ago, TV Land is unveiling a new and re-imagined logo plus re-designed on-air packaging and graphics, it was announced today by Larry W. Jones, president, TV Land. Gone is the logo with a classic TV screen and retro style. Instead, beginning Wednesday, May 9, viewers will see a fresh mark with a nod to the channel's roots, a change that reflects the evolution of the network itself.
— TV Land Press Release

The goal for the logo was to lose the retro feeling and make it more modern while maintaining TV Land's heritage. Creative Director Anna Minkkinen explains the strategy, "The new horizontal logo locks up with type neatly, allowing us to constantly reinforce the brand connection between the network and the shows."
— Trollbäck + Co Press Release

It fascinates me that TV Land is so attached to the atomic TV shape they have been using for 16 years — it was memorable and relevant with the channel's launch and early evolution but now it's just a visage of something that used to make sense. If ever there was a chance to let go, it was now. The shape in the new logo is barely there, now almost unrecognizable if you don't know what it is or where it came from. Not only is it not gone, it's there twice! But let's assume the channel's viewership and ability to generate well-received scripted series would collapse if the shape wasn't there: the logo is okay. "TV" sits nicely inside the shape, Gestalt-ingly completing it. Then, "land" has grown rather large creating a somewhat strange small caps wordmark that doesn't exactly work out, since the thickness of "land" is lighter than "TV" but not by much, and I wonder why it wasn't just equalized. I don't think the logo is the successful "re-imagination" the releases tout; it simply looks like one more evolution trying to hold on to something that I don't think has that much value anymore. Luckily, Trollbäck + Co has once again done what Trollbäck + Co does best: develop a catchy, happily contagious on-air package — I tell you, you could give them the word "potato" typeset in Helvetica and they would find a way to package it as the most exciting thing. The new on-air package brings to life the logo and highlights the new cast of characters with a great color scheme and the fun, whistle-y theme. I liked the last on-air system better, but this one still saves the logo too.

On-air montage. "The shooting style," explains Trollback + Co, "was also designed to express a fresh, dynamic energy. By using diverse talent shots and juxtaposing punchy imagery, the team was able to set a bold, fun tone against a rich color palette."

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Full-Court Press

2012-05-16T10:42:48Z

Established in 1994 (originally as Internet Wire), Marketwire provides "global press release distribution, industry-leading social media monitoring and analytics, and a fully integrated marketing communications platform for content creation, optimization, distribution and measurement." Many of the press releases we quote on Brand New come from Marketwire, as it serves more than 12,000 clients through 20 offices around the world. This week Marketwire introduced a new identity. No design credit given.

Update: Identity was done by Toronto, ON-based Compass360 in collaboration with the creative team at Marketwire.

Marketwire's new brand promise, Beyond Words, captures the power of combining content and conversation. It articulates a renewed emphasis on personal service, advanced execution through "powerful simplicity," exemplary performance and growth. […] Reflecting its new brand identity, Marketwire's new logo blends two intersecting shapes, representing the integration of content distribution and social media.
— Press Release

New brand introduction.

Not the most flattering or marketing-ready photos but they get the point across of the swag look.

The old logo was cute, in the way a helpless turtle turned on its back is cute, flailing legs and, um, legs — with its wi-fi signal coming out of the tittle and some default-looking sans serif, the logo had that naive early 2000s start-up look. The new logo manages to correct some of its predecessor's misgivings through a very simple icon that gets the point across — two entities (companies vs. the media/public) connecting — and some new nice sans serif, gently tracked and sized, that adds sophistication to a service working with many Fortune 500 companies. The icon works well as both a pattern, as seen on the website, and blown-up, as seen on the coffee mug which gives it a contemporary argyle-like look. The animation at the top of the post gets a little triangle-happy at points but there are some interesting visual moments and the animation of the logo itself is well resolved. Even though there is no groundbreaking originality this is a very commendable upgrade.

Thanks to Scott Misner for the tip.

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Raising the Bars

2012-05-15T11:24:40Z

Established in 2007, NYSE Euronext is the holding company of some of the most important and influential securities exchanges in the world, including the doubly eponymous New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Euronext, trading equities, futures, options, fixed-income, and exchange-traded products. With 2,993 employees and 8,000 listed issues NYSE Euronext represents "one-third of the world's equities trading and the most liquidity of any global exchange group." Yesterday, NYSE Euronext introduced a new identity designed by Interbrand.

The new icon — an abstract representation of the globe — visualizes the concept of unlocking the potential of our worldwide community. Simple yet impactful, the image conveys the dynamism of NYSE Euronext's markets, the connectedness of our community and the diversity of our people. Multiple color bars represent our broad array of product offerings, geographies and cultures, projecting a company and community in constant motion. The blue and green color palette reflects growth and optimism; the lighter hues convey our commitment to transparency, and the bolder colors recall our storied historical role in developing the world economy.
— NYSE Euronext's Brand-New Look

Brand video.

Upon the merger, NYSE Euronext inherited the NYSE double window logo, a mark more laden with equity than any memorable or engaging visual quality — and that logo appears as it will remain for the NYSE. The new logo goes for more visual excitement with asymmetrical, colorful bars that have an amazing range of rationalizations from forming a globe to representing offerings to portraying motion. It would be easy to call bullshit but it works. It's exactly the kind of corporate logo that sells well in meetings and sounds excellent in press releases. You might think I'm being sarcastic — I'm not — this is a very well played logo and identity. It doesn't mean it's the best logo we've seen all year, it just means it hits the mark. The colors go from corporate blue to sustainable green, making it lovable from all belief angles, and it works well on top of the black and white photographs. Not to leave any element without critique, the type in the logo is some unobtrusive contemporary sans serif that although it doesn't take away much attention I wish were smaller in relationship to the icon. Overall, a very appropriate redesign.

Time-lapse of the NYSE trading room floor getting decked in the new brand.

Thanks to James I. Bowie for for first tip.

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Printers for Award Books & Sponsors for Conference

2012-05-14T18:35:36Z

As the image above implies, we are actively looking for partners for three of the bigger projects this year at UnderConsideration: 1 & 2) An offset printer who would be interested in producing, in full or in part, either one or both of the FPO Awards and Brand New Awards books — 256 pages each approximately, 4/4. And 3) Companies with a product or service that would like to sponsor the 2012 Brand New Conference this September in New York — Presenting, Event, and After-Party sponsorships available starting at $3,000. Contact me to inquire about the perks, benefits, and other good things we offer in return for your support.

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Tu, Me, and Everyone We Know

2012-05-14T10:45:49Z

As part of Telefonica — one of the world's largest providers of broadband and telecommunications services, with main operations in Spain — Telefonica Digital is a global business division of its parent company with the mission to "seize the opportunities within the digital world and deliver new growth for Telefonica." Last week Telefonica Digital introduced TU — Spanish for "You" — a " new umbrella brand for its direct to consumer services" and has launched its first product, TU Me, a free global communications mobile app, that puts all calls, texts, shared photos, etc. into one simple timeline and as long as you are on Wi-Fi or using your data plan you can use it wherever you are. The naming, identity, and visual system for TU and TU Me have been developed by London-based SomeOne.

At first glance this new identity seems to target many popular trends, including subtle gradients, overlays, and geometric typography, making it easy to dismiss as one more app-ish looking brand, but there are a couple of details that make it stand out and help establish a visual structure for the main venture, TU, the first app, and all potential launches in the future. The main device that sticks out, which is also not that original, is the circle-with-one-square-corner — is there an official name for this thing? — that appears, first, at the intersection of the "T" and "U" in the main logo, in some of the characters of the custom alphabet, and on the icons of the app. The shape isn't groundbreaking but the way it is embedded throughout the identity is a clever new way of using it and establishing it as a key component of the identity. Also, of the many possible gradient executions, the ones used here are enjoyable — which are more fog-like rather than just transitions from one color to another — especially the orange to pink. Also, considering that this is a global app from a very large corporation for anyone who has iOS or Android, the identity is simple enough to appeal to a very large audience.

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Friday Likes 02

2012-05-11T11:48:07Z

A tasty edition that includes pretzels, beer (again), and lettering.

Sigmund's Pretzels

You can almost taste the salt and rub shoulders with Woody Allen in this identity by Triboro for New York pretzel maker, Sigmund's. [More / Scroll down at the link]

Dockside Brewing Co.

A micro brewery started by three Landor colleagues and designed at their Cincinnati office, Dockside's cans feature abstract-ish tiles of goodness that tell the story of each flavor. [More]

Rob Clarke

One of my favorite pieces of lettering to come out of the 2011 Brand New Awards, the logo by and for logo executioner, Rob Clarke. [More]

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The Czech Statistical Office's Czarts a New Logo

2012-05-10T11:20:22Z

Established in 1969 as a central body of the state administration of the Czech Republic, the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO) gathers, analyzes, and publishes data about the Czech Republic. More specifically, its mission is to "[yield] a reliable and consistent image about the state of the arts and development of the society according to developing needs of users of statistical service in conditions of changing environment." CZSO achieves this by publishing documents, hosting conferences, and engaging the public and the media. At the end of last year, as the result of a contest, CZSO introduced a new identity that is now being rolled out in full, designed by Prague-based Toman Graphic Design.

The new logo is based on the activities of the Czech Statistical Office. "Statistics reflect reality and helps to compose a comprehensive and readable picture of it. That is why we used the symbol of draft chart that accurately reflects the pattern of the name name. All materials are trying to emphasize and develop the main idea of supporting the Authority's mission: to acquire and process data for statistical purposes.
— Provided Materials

The old logo, designed in the mid 1990s, was a very cold and aggressive look for an office trying to provide some helpful information — but if someone had figured out the correct and even spacing for all the elements, the 45-degree-angle visualization of ČSÚ would have been somewhat interesting. The new logo is a simple concept, with a bar chart on the left mimicking the width of the type on the right. It's elegant, stately, and, for a government institutions, relatively playful. With so many contemporary sans serif typefaces available I always tend to question the choice of old standbys like Futura, but I guess it gets the job done.

In application, on what look like mostly prototype images, the logo has a very nice presence in all the materials, especially in things like the logo on the seam of the polo shirt, the division of the pen, or the spine of the publications. The bar charts used as a background or framing element work fine and provide a good and somewhat flexible structure to create a variety of materials. Overall, a lively yet serious identity.

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