...Did It Really Happen?
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If a logo redesign happens in a forest, and no one is there to see it, did it really happen?
Seems like there’s a constant buzz on the design blogs these days about this, that or the other logo being redesigned. (Or, more accurately, “ruined”.) But I’ve been wondering for some time now about why we’re only talking about a select few, while hundreds, if not thousands, of corporate logos are being redesigned in any given year. The newly formed “UNIFI Companies” and their related identity revamp never even made a blip on the collective radar screen.
On January 1, 2006, Ameritas Life Insurance Corp., Acacia Life Insurance Company and The Union Central Life Insurance Company joined forces under the UNIFI Mutual Holding Company umbrella. Operating as the UNIFI Companies, these life insurance companies and their affiliated companies offer a wide range of insurance and financial services to individuals, families and businesses. (I didn’t write that. Unifi did.)
Here was a collection of companies, with a wide variety of logos, which underwent a major identity overhaul, consequently abandoning all of those logos. (Sort of. They’re still using many of them as elements underneath the Unifi umbrella in a relatively confusing fashion.) This kind of bold stroke at Pepsico would’ve sent us all a flutter.
I would have considered that our lack of interest was because this is a small, insignificant company. But we’re talking about a corporation with $15.8 billion in insurance assets, working in every state in the Union. Most if not all of us have heard of Ameritas, and are probably even mildly familiar with their old bison logo.
However, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. There’s obviously no worthwhile drama here. No Saul Bass having a secret love child with Milton Glaser. Just a company doing what it feels is the strongest business move. Sure, we could spend days ripping on the new logo: the name and the logotype are both completely uninspired and absolutely forgettable. And while it’s probably a step backwards, it’s not like any of the ten old logos are exactly “put on a pedestal” caliber. And there’s apparently no big names involved; I know I couldn’t tell you who designed any of the original logos, or the new one, and Unifi is certainly not concerned about sharing their sources.
But this whole process leaves me wondering something. As designers, we say that we’re concerned about the business value of design; the fact that our thinking, not just our aesthetic abilities, can help organizations grow and prosper. Shouldn’t we be spending more time talking about the merits and drawbacks of the strategic/design decisions of hundreds of companies like Unifi, and less time condemning Interbrand for ruining one more of Paul Rand’s “last great logos”?
Comments (2)
JonSel said:
I agree completely that the strategic decision should be foremost on our minds when we discuss a redesigned identity. Kodak is a great recent example of using strategy to, hopefully, shed some serious baggage.
The challenge in discussing the strategic end is that most of us don’t have the background information necessary. Kodak is easy, because there’s been so much written about the potential demise of the company over the past 10 years. Their strategic issues have been played out in the business section of every paper in the country.
Who knows what Unifi is thinking in regards to their business? On the surface, using a masterbrand strategy can mean great savings, but it can also mean losing a beloved brand in the name of efficiency. It’s quite possible that Unifi is simply a holding company that won’t really be used in the marketplace. We just don’t know, so it’s hard to judge them.
Posted on February 25, 2006
Bennett said:
For the design world to talk about this identity it would have to be evident that it was even there. If I was hit by a bus that was wrapped completely in this logo, I still wouldn’t remember it. It is almost like it never “really happened”. It will be interesting to see if they actually put some money and support behind this logo. They are going to have to put a lot behind it, because it is so forgettable.
In the logo discussions on the major blogs, there is strategy peppered in most of the discussions. A lot of the comments might be purely aesthetic, but there are usually some good perspectives on the strategic woes and triumphs as well.
Posted on February 27, 2006