Posts Tagged ‘signaling change’
Life beyond Chapter 11: when should a company change its name?
By Alan Brew, RiechesBaird
One of the last things a company ever wants to do is change its name. It is disruptive, expensive to implement and, really, what’s so bad with the one you have? And what are the odds you will find a better one? It’s just easier to stick with the one you have, isn’t it?
In normal times, this view is understandable. For a company preparing to emerge from Chapter 11, the answer is not so clear cut. Although it is a positive step to emerge from Chapter 11 with a de-leveraged balance sheet and solid, motivated management team, Chapter 11 itself is not a panacea. It is a chance to start afresh. A critical element of that fresh start is one that is often overlooked by companies coming out of Chapter 11: the viability of the corporate brand. (more…)
Think twice before “evolving” your logo
By Rob Meyerson, RiechesBaird
Bill Marsh’s article in The New York Times a few days ago pointed out that a number of companies have recently redesigned their corporate logos, replacing “emblems of distant behemoths” with updates that are “non-threatening, reassuring, playful, even child-like.” The article includes a nice Flash click-through showing before and after logos. Marsh’s assessment is that these redesigns are aimed at addressing “the economy, environment, image repair,” and that while logos are meant to be differentiating, “there are striking similarities among recent redesigns.”
He’s right to point out the similarities, but the trend he’s seeing—which includes lowercase lettering, “softer” fonts, and lightened colors—began well before the recession. I first noticed it in 2005, while at Interbrand during the design of the new AT&T logo. Shortly after it launched, it seemed, Chevron and Allstate made very similar changes to their logos, incorporating lighter colors, rounder type, and highlights and shading that give the logos a 3D feel. (more…)