University of California

It turns out that some people like certain logos and not other ones. In fact, college students in particular seem to care a lot. The University of California tried to change its logo,

                         
"students, alumni and other members of our community" protested and the university back down.

http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_22193363/statement-from-uc-official-announcing-new-logo-has?source=pkg

Baskin Robbins

Who knew ice cream,the ultimate comfort food, could be edgy? Baskin Robbin's new logo certainly is. Below are the old ones, and then the new one. Same colors, very different type face.

    
                                     
                                   


                           

Microsoft

Microsoft's new logo combines a stylized version of the Windows four color box with a crisper, non-italic font. See below for the various transitions, as the type face gets simpler and more elegant.


While we're at it, let's take a look at how the Windows logo has evolved.

Wendy's

The hamburger chain has a new logo. The previous one had been in use since 1983.



The type face, the swirly design, and the girl's clothes and pig-tails all resonate with the "old fashioned" phrase. Very 19th century, perhaps even Western, frontier looking.

The new logo is modern, but in a casual way.



The company's press release notes that having the pigtails go outside of the circle make it more "dynamic". The font change makes a big difference. It looks the way people write these days (part printing, not really cursive) and has a casual, friendly look. The dress style is no longer visible, another way of acknowledging the past while moving forward. All in all, they've successfully tweaked and updated the design.

eBay

Start-up technology companies seem to feel free to have funky names and logos. More established companies move towards sleek, modern design elements. At least that's what I read into eBay's recent logo change from


to

3M -- two names, four logos

Founded in 1902 as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, 3M makes over 55,000 products but has kept its logo history straightforward: the original full name and location logo, and three increasingly modernized versions of  just "3M".

Northwest Airlines

                            
                
Not much continuity here. However, the last two logos have some clever design elements. If you squint, the capital N and the triangle make a W. Also, the triangle points to the northwest corner of the compass.

United States Postal Service

The eagle remains, but in a very streamlined style. Also note the change in font, which is less easily readable.

                          

Almost always Golden Arches

Only one McDonald’s in the world has turquoise arches. Officials in Sedona, Arizona, thought yellow would clash with the natural red rock.

                                           

J C Penney

Penney has just changed their logo -- again, the second time in a year. The new one features only the company initials ( or ticker symbol for us stock geeks), lower case letters, and a box that is supposed to remind you of the United States flag.


Last year's logo had some of the same elements: the box, the lower case letters, but the full name.



The logo before that was much more formal.



It will be interesting to watch the reaction to the new logo as it is quite a departure from the previous ones -- and I don't think anyone says "hey, let's go shopping, I need something at jcp".

Kelly Services

Kelly Services provides temporary help services worldwide.

The movie "Nine to Five" with Dolly Parton describes the business environment of the 1970s and earlier when men were management, women were secretaries and clerical help, and the glass ceiling was very low. This logo epitomizes that world; without a doubt, office temps were all women.

The company's current logo is either more politically correct or just reflects the modern experience. Women are CEOs of major companies like Pepsico and Hewlett Packard and office temps are sometimes men.

United Parcel Service

Prior to 2003, the United Parcel Service logo featured the "bow-tied package".


They kept the shield shape but the new one looks more modern and computer generated instead of hand-drawn. Like Caterpillar and Deere, UPS has done a good job of making a color synonomous with the brand.



When you think of UPS, its service and and its brand, "packages" and "brown" both work.