Mutt Media | Daily Bone 10.8.09 On the Duane Reade redesign

Photo courtesy of NY Times blog

These days I’m into branding. Logos. Due to the nature of what I get to do for a living and in pursuing my degree, I get to really evaluate things that maybe one wouldn’t stop to notice. I do it for work, for inspiration or sometimes, just because I have to.

This week I’ve been asked to look at logo redesigns that don’t work. It’s a pretty subjective concept at first blush, but when you begin to research any subject, you find that people usually come down pretty hard on one side or another. There are two ways to look at this.

1. Examine the logo and react strictly upon your impression and whether it works for you.

or

2. Ask yourself (objectively), “Does this image still represent the brand I’ve come to know and trust?”, “How does the redesign change the image of the company?”

I’m going with #2 for this assignment because a logo redesign doesn’t have to just look pretty or appealing. It’s important that all of the positive traits of the company still be exploited, while bringing a fresh, updated look. I’ve spoken here about the bomb of Tropicana’s redesign, when the public outcry resulted in a rush back to the old packaging. (See Daily Bone 9.3.09)

After a bit of research, it seems that DR undertook not only a complete redesign of the logo and signage but an overhaul of their overall brand, their offerings and their approach according to an interview I read on Brandweek with DR Chief Marketing Officer Joe Jackman. The firm DeVito/Verde was hired to spearhead the project. Just this week, the store introduced a new line of private label products called DR Delish and paired it with the new slogan, “Your City, Your Store”. By December, the goal is to have 100+ new items for sale under the DR umbrella – all being glueten free with no trans-fats, reduced calorie and made with natural ingredients. Some of these will (or do) include fresh sandwiches, new cosmetics and a Doctor on Premises program.

Example of new products/packaging:

DR Delish

Thus far, 30 of their 256 stores have been remodeled including a shift within the store of their products and placements of various inventory.

Personally and aesthetically, I like the new design as I think it looks more modern and simple. However, when I ask myself the questions above, I have to agree with the popular consensus that the redesign does not meet the objectives of brand recognition. I couldn’t find a good image of the new storefront, which is a complete departure from the two images shown here, using all grays and silvers, giviing a pretty futuristic and cold effect.

In my opinion the old logo was outdated and in need of a redesign, but the brand is going to now have to fight a bit to win back some great traction that they had with their customers. They should’ve kept a greater portion of the elements in the old logo, such as color or the interlocking letters.

What do you think? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Does the redesign make any sense to you? These are important questions when undertaking the branding of a company, especially one that has been around for 40+ years.

Here’s a link to a great article that was posted on Brandweek.com if you’d like to get some insights as to why the brand was redesigned and the philosophy behind their new offerings.

Jackman maintains that the campaign thus far has been successful, however I have found comments posted online by Duane Reade customers who have a different opinion, stating that the relocation of products within their store has left them confused. Another big complaint is that the staff at Duane Reade is not knowledgeable, friendly or willing to help when asked. Customer Service seems to be a huge complaint and now that consumers have many other choices such as Walgreens and CVS, they are inclined to go elsewhere. Those are items that no amount of “redesign” can fix but maybe their new products and look will generate enough buzz to bring people in and make them want to remain there.

Time will tell.

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 9.3.09 Ikea changes it's font typeface after 50 years. Will anyone notice?

Ikea changes font from Futura to Verdana

After 50+ years, the furniture store IKEA has changed it’s signature font from Futura to Verdana. For those of you who do not already know this (and why would you?), Verdana is a what we call web-friendly; this means that when you view it on your computer screen, it will appear as the designer intended and further, this will apply to all computer screens, using all browsers and operating systems.

With a font like futura, which was designed way before there was an internet, the words (or logo) will not look the same on the screen as it would in print. Then the designer must make a decision – what font would be a good replacement for the web?

Well, Ikea doesn’t need to worry about that any longer since Verdana is nothing if not consistant. Apparantly, this caused quite a stir on the internet. Google Ikea font change and you will see a host of articles from the Associated Press to Business Week and many assorted blogs.

Of course, I cannot present a piece of tech “news” without a little commentary.

While it seems on it’s face to be a somewhat insignificant news item, Corporate Identity is a really important component of any business. Ikea’s 50-year run with the Futura font has ensured that the logo and associated catalog, advertising and other printed media is instantly recognizable and associated with the Ikea brand.

Some of the online commentary has been in the vein of “who cares?” while others (typofile.com) proclaimed it “a bad day”. Change can be a very good thing, but when it comes to your corporate identity, you’d be surprised at how it can affect your customers and your bottom line.

Case in point – did anyone else notice the huge change in the Tropicana Orange Juice packaging? I did and I can say that it was lost on me. They have gone back since to get closer to their “roots” and it’s better now, but for awhile it was looking like the generic supermarket brand. Tropicana is a premium product and the package redesign simply did not reflect that. Consumers were in an uproar and so the decision was made to pull the plug on the new look.

Take a look and let me know which you prefer. No matter what your preference, we can all agree that the change was dramatic and the end result was not the desired one. No one wants their well-established brand to mistaken for something else.

A good lesson.

Re-designed Tropicana packaging

The preferred "oldie" version of Tropicana