In 1934, what is now known as Canon launched a camera in Japan, which marked the starting signal for what the passage of time become a multinational company not only manufactured cameras, but many more things (after the Second War World, for example, they were especially known for their typewriters). The camera was then Kwanon christened in honor of a Buddhist deity, and the brand logo was designed from that point of inspiration. The firm quickly saw that it had to be changed: in the following years became Canon and eliminated the goddess of its brand image. They wanted to be modern. Today, 80 years later, no one would think of a Buddhist goddess to see the Canon logo with a stylized red letters.
The firm is one of the common when items are made graphic showing the evolution of company logos. It is not the only example. Microsoft, Nokia, IBM and even Apple logos have been as varied. Closer geographically, for example, can think of Telephone, the evolution of logos ranges from the distinctly retro medallion was founded in 1924 as the National Telephone Company and reaches the grainy 80s, culminating to regain full name and logo and make it disappear when he reinvented himself as Movistar. Although, of course, consumers will always remember and have in mind the graphic images of public phone booths or they had in their homes when they think of the brand image of Telephone.
Many of these logos that companies have changed over the years were well known and popular. Many have become the subject of a retro longing for consumers. So, why companies change their logos over time? If buyers increasingly value the authenticity and history of brands and products, why not keep that brand image of the past that connects to your path many times centenarian forever?
The natural life cycle of companies is just pushing firms to change their logo. This summer, for example, it made a few. The reasons to release a new logo and give up the tradition of the brand are quite varied.
The first – and one of the most common and obvious – is a change in the company. The company may face a name change, a change of concept (and this is very clearly in these firms of new technologies that started actually in other markets completely away from the tech, such as Nokia) or a change of property. One change of logo summer, for example, was the Abanca, the new identity of the merged Caixanova and Caixa Galicia (and had gone through several previous identities previously and had even created a parallel brand, Evo, which it worked with a different corporate identity).The savings banks have seen in recent years changed their functions and their owners and that has pushed the change logos (and names many times).
But not only have the structural changes of companies affected the logo: the branding of a brand also is seeing marked by the changing tastes of the times being experienced by businesses and changes between what is and what is not correct design. At brands us choice but to keep up with the current design is. Large companies have been changed logos when there are changes of taste: nothing to see the precious baroque style of the Belle Epoque with modern and simple lines of the 30 design often also changes in currents design also involve a change in what consumers associate or not to what brands want to convey. The image of modernity is not equal today than 20 years ago to 100.
And with this last point, you can connect with another of the reasons that push brands to change their logos: the process of rebranding is a kind of guarantee to make brands remain relevant. A new logo serves to revitalize the brand and to ensure that it continues communicating what to communicate (or the qualities that over time has made them more important).
And also not forget that over time changes also how society and beliefs or codes to accept work. Some brands have had to change their logos because the passage of time has made them politically controversial and have shown that they are offensive. He passed the Pontiac car brand, whose logo was the head of an Indian chief, or Conguitos, with its African air conguito clearly based on quite disparaging clichés.
When know that the time has come to change
Despite all this, change the logo of a company is a delicate decision. The logo is one of the hallmarks of the most important brand, so you cannot take the decision lightly. For consumers it is very difficult to accept a new identity when they are used to an old and especially when they have a special affection for her. Therefore before taking a decision must seriously think about certain key points (how consumers will feel, which will transmit the new logo …) to avoid making big mistakes and, above all, to have to not go back. A number of companies have already passed them; they have a change of brand image and have had to regain its old identity, as happened at the time to GAP.
What you have to keep in mind to know that the time has come to change the logo? An article in Forbes that question was made, assuming that it will be an expensive process (changing the logo of Tropicana few years ago went for millions of dollars and, worst of all, it was a failure that had to backtrack) and troublesome. The main reasons for changing the logo is that the logo begins to be technically problematic, that is passé, who have been changes in the structure of the company or a change will have a positive effect on the brand.
Some logos, remember, are timeless and work equally well regardless of the year in which they look. It happens, for example, with Coca-Cola.