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Marketing veteran here. Just like Uber and Instagram, they messed up big. They took something iconic and replaced it with something forgettable. The first sente

Marketing veteran here. Just like Uber and Instagram, they messed up big. They took something iconic and replaced it with something forgettable. The first sentece after they show it tells the lie: "Firstly, it’s not change for the sake of change." Unfortunately, due to the nature of company politics, this kind of thing usually happens because a new CMO or other exec comes in and needs to "mark their territory". Marketing in tech right now is having a big problem with people rising to the leadership ranks that really don't understand the basic fundamentals of the craft.

zapzupnz 8y ago
It's a shame, too, because the technical reasons they described were all completely sound — but are no reason for them to have thrown the baby out with the bathwater.
- ninefoxgambit 8y ago
  I felt like the technical reasons were also sound. But yeah the old logo was better, so go figure :/
stevewillows 8y ago
If I went in blind and saw the logo animation, I would have said it was something related to Google Home.
- sleepybrett 8y ago
  If the colors were in different positions I would have thought it were a microsoft product. Honestly for a second I thought, "did microsoft buy slack and integrate it with teams"
nikolay 8y ago
No, they did change it for the sake of change. The new logo is pretty ugly.
- SZJX 8y ago
  That's what the OP said: "The first sentece after they show it tells the lie"
iamaelephant 8y ago
I personally don't like the logo, but is it really fair to say Instagram and Uber "messed up big"? Because they're both wildly successful companies with highly recognised brands. Maybe the way you and I have been taught to think about logos and branding is.... wrong?
- jonathankoren 8y ago
  Instagram is a shrug. Uber's 2016 change was a clusterfuck. Uber went from a stylized Ü to the Chase Bank logo [0], as part of a grand brand strategy that fractured regular polygons that somehow supposed to make you think that they weren't just cab service. (Seriously, they called their 2016 suite of logos "Bits and Atoms" [1].) People literally lost the app on their phone. If it wasn't a mistake, they wouldn't have changed their logo to simply the word "Uber" in less than 2 years if it wasn't seen as a mistake. [0] http://fortune.com/2016/02/11/uber-new-logo-jpmorgan/ http://fortune.com/2016/02/11/uber-new-logo-jpmorgan/ [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx1-im6i8uk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx1-im6i8uk
- fugazithehaxoar 8y ago
  Yes, we do think about them differently. Uber and Instagram are wildly successful but not ubiquitous. The ultimate test is "will grandma use it?" Grandmas use Google, Facebook and Amazon but generally have not adopted Uber or Instagram yet. Winning over those kinds of customers requires a different GTM strategy and different marketing than your first couple million.
sleepybrett 8y ago
There is just so much wrong here. Can anyone explain why all the 'incidental' graphics on the website are printing press related (halftone dots, mis-registered colors)? What the hell unique lineage does slack trace to the printing press? Also how does that align with the new ultra generic could be any kind of business logo. And let's not even talk about that sweet negative space swastika.
- akiselev 8y ago
  > And let's not even talk about that sweet negative space swastika. Oh god, cannot unsee. Edit: It's not even negative space. I just see it as a swastika.
  - pvinis 8y ago
    Oh come on. There are other logos like that. Do you see a swastika on Google photos? Why not "look at that sweet negative space windmill"? Eye of the beholder, I guess.
    - coldtea 8y ago
      >Oh come on. There are other logos like that. Yes -- on asian temples...
    - agentdrtran 8y ago
      The google photos icon is obviously a windmill, there's not whitespace for lines.
  - valesco 8y ago
    The nazi swastika is counter-clockwise. But it was close.
- jackfraser 8y ago
  > that sweet negative space swastika. It's not facing the same way as the Nazi one, first off, and would you also say that's a problem for Sun, or for Columbia (bikes/outdoors)?
ken 8y ago
Has there ever been a case where a corporation when to a design firm, and the designers came back with "Your branding is already excellent, and we think your best bet is to not touch it"? (Call it the Miracle on 34th Street response.)
- blotter_paper 8y ago
  I personally know somebody who responded to a client in this way, but I don't know of any public documentation of this sort of response happening.
- snowwrestler 8y ago
  Yes but obviously these do not get written up as case studies by the client or firm. And you might be surprised by how often the client, rather than being reassured, simply takes it as proof that that design firm is not "with it" since they can't see what is (to the client) obvious deficiencies in the branding. Generally speaking, brand owners who are happy don't reach out to design firms, and brand owners who are unhappy won't suddenly become happy just because one firm told them the brand is fine.
IshKebab 8y ago
I like the new logo. The old one looked harsh and old. This one is friendlier. It is a shame that it isn't a hash anymore but eh. Nobody will care in about a week.
omouse 8y ago
>Marketing veteran here. Just like Uber and Instagram, they messed up big. They took something iconic and replaced it with something forgettable. The first sentece after they show it tells the lie: Yep; exactly. These companies are successful and their logos are recognizable. Google had the right idea, they become successful and then they tweaked their logo over the years: https://www.digitaltrends.com/web/history-of-the-google-logo/ https://www.digitaltrends.com/web/history-of-the-google-logo... >Marketing in tech right now is having a big problem with people rising to the leadership ranks that really don't understand the basic fundamentals of the craft Can't blame them; tech industry has been focused on tech and some business and of course people from other departments are starting to figure out they grow their career in leaps and bounds just by switching to a tech company rather than fighting in the highly competitive playgrounds of ad/marketing agencies and other companies. Better to be a big fish in a tech pond than a small fish in a marketing pond.
SZJX 8y ago
Yeah this seems to be pretty much the definition of changing for the sake of changing. Just somebody tries to prove their existence, prove that they've got something to do. Thought it is related to the design team but apparently the decision has to be made by the marketing team, and the design team is just the executioner then?

zapzupnz 8y ago

It's a shame, too, because the technical reasons they described were all completely sound — but are no reason for them to have thrown the baby out with the bathwater.

ninefoxgambit 8y ago
I felt like the technical reasons were also sound. But yeah the old logo was better, so go figure :/

stevewillows 8y ago

If I went in blind and saw the logo animation, I would have said it was something related to Google Home.

sleepybrett 8y ago
If the colors were in different positions I would have thought it were a microsoft product. Honestly for a second I thought, "did microsoft buy slack and integrate it with teams"

nikolay 8y ago

No, they did change it for the sake of change. The new logo is pretty ugly.

SZJX 8y ago
That's what the OP said: "The first sentece after they show it tells the lie"

iamaelephant 8y ago

I personally don't like the logo, but is it really fair to say Instagram and Uber "messed up big"? Because they're both wildly successful companies with highly recognised brands. Maybe the way you and I have been taught to think about logos and branding is.... wrong?

jonathankoren 8y ago
Instagram is a shrug. Uber's 2016 change was a clusterfuck. Uber went from a stylized Ü to the Chase Bank logo [0], as part of a grand brand strategy that fractured regular polygons that somehow supposed to make you think that they weren't just cab service. (Seriously, they called their 2016 suite of logos "Bits and Atoms" [1].) People literally lost the app on their phone. If it wasn't a mistake, they wouldn't have changed their logo to simply the word "Uber" in less than 2 years if it wasn't seen as a mistake. [0] http://fortune.com/2016/02/11/uber-new-logo-jpmorgan/ http://fortune.com/2016/02/11/uber-new-logo-jpmorgan/ [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx1-im6i8uk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx1-im6i8uk
fugazithehaxoar 8y ago
Yes, we do think about them differently. Uber and Instagram are wildly successful but not ubiquitous. The ultimate test is "will grandma use it?" Grandmas use Google, Facebook and Amazon but generally have not adopted Uber or Instagram yet. Winning over those kinds of customers requires a different GTM strategy and different marketing than your first couple million.

sleepybrett 8y ago

There is just so much wrong here. Can anyone explain why all the 'incidental' graphics on the website are printing press related (halftone dots, mis-registered colors)? What the hell unique lineage does slack trace to the printing press? Also how does that align with the new ultra generic could be any kind of business logo. And let's not even talk about that sweet negative space swastika.

akiselev 8y ago
> And let's not even talk about that sweet negative space swastika. Oh god, cannot unsee. Edit: It's not even negative space. I just see it as a swastika.
- pvinis 8y ago
  Oh come on. There are other logos like that. Do you see a swastika on Google photos? Why not "look at that sweet negative space windmill"? Eye of the beholder, I guess.
  - coldtea 8y ago
    >Oh come on. There are other logos like that. Yes -- on asian temples...
  - agentdrtran 8y ago
    The google photos icon is obviously a windmill, there's not whitespace for lines.
- valesco 8y ago
  The nazi swastika is counter-clockwise. But it was close.
jackfraser 8y ago
> that sweet negative space swastika. It's not facing the same way as the Nazi one, first off, and would you also say that's a problem for Sun, or for Columbia (bikes/outdoors)?

ken 8y ago

Has there ever been a case where a corporation when to a design firm, and the designers came back with "Your branding is already excellent, and we think your best bet is to not touch it"? (Call it the Miracle on 34th Street response.)

blotter_paper 8y ago
I personally know somebody who responded to a client in this way, but I don't know of any public documentation of this sort of response happening.
snowwrestler 8y ago
Yes but obviously these do not get written up as case studies by the client or firm. And you might be surprised by how often the client, rather than being reassured, simply takes it as proof that that design firm is not "with it" since they can't see what is (to the client) obvious deficiencies in the branding. Generally speaking, brand owners who are happy don't reach out to design firms, and brand owners who are unhappy won't suddenly become happy just because one firm told them the brand is fine.

IshKebab 8y ago

I like the new logo. The old one looked harsh and old. This one is friendlier. It is a shame that it isn't a hash anymore but eh. Nobody will care in about a week.

omouse 8y ago

>Marketing veteran here. Just like Uber and Instagram, they messed up big. They took something iconic and replaced it with something forgettable. The first sentece after they show it tells the lie: Yep; exactly. These companies are successful and their logos are recognizable. Google had the right idea, they become successful and then they tweaked their logo over the years: https://www.digitaltrends.com/web/history-of-the-google-logo/ https://www.digitaltrends.com/web/history-of-the-google-logo... >Marketing in tech right now is having a big problem with people rising to the leadership ranks that really don't understand the basic fundamentals of the craft Can't blame them; tech industry has been focused on tech and some business and of course people from other departments are starting to figure out they grow their career in leaps and bounds just by switching to a tech company rather than fighting in the highly competitive playgrounds of ad/marketing agencies and other companies. Better to be a big fish in a tech pond than a small fish in a marketing pond.

SZJX 8y ago

Yeah this seems to be pretty much the definition of changing for the sake of changing. Just somebody tries to prove their existence, prove that they've got something to do. Thought it is related to the design team but apparently the decision has to be made by the marketing team, and the design team is just the executioner then?