Now will you buy more things?

The design world/blogosphere has been talking about this for months now... tough economic times = rebranding. The New York Times has come out with an article that simply summarizes all the changes we have been seeing in corporate branding for the past year or so.

The Times calls the rebranding “warmer and fuzzier— non-threatening, reassuring, playful, even child-like.” Silly, but true. A few interesting points from the article.


TONED-DOWN TYPE Bold, block capital letters are out. Their replacements are mostly or entirely lower case, softening the stern voice of corporate authority to something more like an informal chat.

FRIENDLY FLOURISHES Kraft Foods has joined Amazon.com and Hasbro, all represented by logos that smile. And to further lighten the corporate mood, whimsy in the form of sprigs and bursts has been appended to several big brands.

HAPPIER COLORS “The economy is the No. 1 influence this year,” said John H. Bredenfoerder, a color expert and design director at Landor Associates, the brand-consulting company that produced the new Cheer detergent emblem. Amid all the gloom, he said, “people need a little joy in their lives.”


Cue the new logos: electric blue type with accents in school bus yellow, red, purple, orange and green. Last year’s top influence, green for sustainability, remains; leaves still sprout across the corporate landscape