The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the retail behemoth, Wal-Mart, has redesigned the faithful blue-and-white logo. Reportedly to “update its once-dowdy image.” The new logo is now orange and white, the hyphen is removed, and a silly starburst is added. I, personally, am not a fan of this radical brand change for the following reasons. First, when you are the largest retailer in the world and 80% (and growing) of the U.S. population visits you every month, you have some serious brand recognition. The brand may be boring and mundane but it seems to have worked all these years. Second, the new logo doesn’t fix the PR ills Wal-mart may be facing. A corporate behemoth has no where to hide, not even behind a stupid orange and white logo. A logo redesign is a futile attempt to shift media opinions. Thirdly, I am never a fan of a radical logo redesign that doesn’t help the consumer ‘bridge the gap’ from the old to the new. The term “just noticeable difference” comes to mind. This change makes it seem like Wal-mart is hiding or abandoning its past. Fourthly, the color orange evokes images of Home Depot, loudness, or a construction area. Blue gives a cool, comforting and stable appearance. Finally, I believe the best course of action would have been an update or refresh of the blue and white brand, maybe incorporating the orange and starburst.

Article Tags: logo | Quantas Ginn | Walmart
Filed under: Branding, Personal Opinions, Quantas Ginn, Visual Identity