new UPS logo.

[Headcoat]

Anyone noticed it? They changed it from this classically timeless design to THIS cliched monstrosity.

What do you guys think?

[Bearflag70]

UPS Press Release.

UPS said the change reflects the significant broadening of capabilities that has occurred in recent years as the company expanded across the globe and introduced a portfolio of new supply chain services. The company will continue to use the color brown for its operations, but the logo change includes elimination of the package with a string bow atop the shield.

The most visible change to the UPS logo is the removal of the bow-tied parcel that appears atop the shield. Ironically, even though the small bow had become one of the most recognized features of the company’s logo, packages with string have not been accepted by UPS for several decades because the string can get caught in high-speed sorting machinery.

The logo now being replaced was designed in 1961 by Paul Rand, a renowned brand designer who also was responsible for the logos of IBM, ABC, Westinghouse and Yale University, among others.

[Orange Skinner]

My dad's a UPS guy, and he really doesn't like it; neither does my mother. She ardently supports the old logo, saying something to the effect of, "what's wrong with them, the original little box was so cute. What is that thing?"

According to some of the supervisors at the branch my dad works at, changing the logo on everything from every UPS guy's socks to the sides of every UPS truck, etc., is going to cost something like $23 million...and not all UPS branches have up-to-date trucks, equipment, etc. My opinion: I don't particularly care for the new one, liked the old one just fine--plus, it was established, and I think the money, (if that figure is correct) could probably have been much better spent.

[Orange Skinner]

Oh, and welcome to the boards, Headcoat!

[SmackFu]

What's so great about that Yale logo? I think it's hideous and out-of-date. Yale doesn't even use it anymore.

[mobo85]

Has there ever been a company that has never changed their logo, ever?* BBDO just recently changed theirs after 100 years or so.

Who will have more problems with the new logo, I wonder? UPS or the UPS Store (formerly Mail Boxes Etc)?

*After I typed this, I thought of at least one: the red triangle of Bass ale, Britain's oldest trademark. John Deere has used a deer for a while, with some slight modifications. And most of the major movie studios have never abandoned their logos, though Warner and Columbia tried to.

[mobo85]

And who can forget the most famous symbol of American capitalism, the golden arches of McDonald's? The placement of the company's name has moved around, but the yellow M itself hasn't.

[GuanoLad]

The new logo (and the web design) make them look like a petroleum company.

[Quiddity]

Well, I guess I'm alone here but I think it looks pretty cool.
Needless to say, it certainly isn't $23 million better.

[blowero]

I don't see any improvement in the new logo. What amazes me is that they decided to keep the awful dung-brown color in favor of changing a logo that didn't need to be changed.

[GUINNESS]

...anyone wanna buy some "vintage" UPS uniforms?....or new?

[ftg]

Logo changes like this are standard stupid Dilbert-world idiocy. They probably paid a consultant company some money to come up with ideas for image changes, it suggested the new logo, the company has to make the changes else it will appear to have wasted the money, etc.

Note that the old logo was "wrong" because they aren't just a package delivery business anymore. But the new logo has nothing to do with their business at all. That's Dilbert-world logic. Expect it to go away soon and a revamp of the old logo to come back.

Changing headquarters locations is also a sign of a badly run company. Founded in Seattle, moved to Atlanta a few years back. Absolutely no good reason.

[AHunter3]

BBDO just recently changed theirs after 100 years or so.

Yeah, from block letters spelling out "BBDO" horizontally to block letters spelling out "BBDO" vertically. The new vertical logo didn't fit the same space and required redoing all of their letterheads and forms completely from scratch.

I don't think they were using the old one for 100 years, though. They were "BBD&O" for a long time before they dropped the ampersand, and used the full names for a while before that.

[Alphagene]

Aw hell, I like it better. I think people associate the company with the brown uniforms and trucks rather than the string-tied box. They kept the color scheme.

And remember, their competitor FedEx, recently changed not only their logo, but their official company name. I doubt its a coincidence.

[NicePete]

It's kind of like the underwear gnomes...

Step 1. Spend $24 million changing logo
Step 2.
Step 3. Profit!

As for the brown, I think it would be insane for UPS to drop brown. It isn't really about aesthetics, it's about identity.

Ask anyone what company's color is brown and they'll know -- UPS. Not even which shipping company -- which business is associated with the color brown. That's good brand identification that it's taken decades to establish.

And the color scheme doesn't really relate to customer preference. Do you really choose a shipper based on their uniform colors?

[Munch]

Well, they recently bought out Mail Boxes Etc., and had to change out their entire stock of signs, uniforms, etc., so if they're going to make a switch, this was the perfect time to do it.

Changing headquarters locations is also a sign of a badly run company. Founded in Seattle, moved to Atlanta a few years back. Absolutely no good reason

Other than the fact that Boeing (based in Seattle) is undergoing some severe downsizing issues, and Atlanta is a major airport hub? I'm sure there's a very good reason for the move. As for the "Dilbertian logo change," I guarantee that UPS's sales will go up as a result of it. Why? Because we're not talking about FedEx right now. When's the last time there's been a news piece or message board thread about UPS? Change like this inspires short-term free publicity - which is probably worth a whole hell of a lot more than $23 million.

[jackelope]

The new UPS logo looks like it's got a bad combover.

My beloved Atlanta Falcons just changed their logo for the first time since the team was founded in 1966.

Old logo: Simple, tough, distinctive.

New logo: looks like every new expansion team's stupid logo

I'm not happy about this.

[Skammer]

Lots of reasons to move to Atlanta:
-- lower avg. salary for workers
-- closer to major population centers (east coast)
-- much bigger airport
-- cheaper land/facility costs
-- better weather (fewer related delays)

Plus, Atlanta and/or Georgia probably gave them big tax incentives.

[Gorgon Heap]

I agree about the Falcon's logo, but I don't see any big deal - aesthetically or not - with the UPS logo. Never paid it much attention. If I saw a big brown truck I knew who it was.

[Mars Horizon]

Originally posted by ftg
Changing headquarters locations is also a sign of a badly run company. Founded in Seattle, moved to Atlanta a few years back. Absolutely no good reason.

Correction -

Founded in Seattle, then moved the company headquarters to Greenwich, CT some years later (the 50's IIRC). Relocated to its present Atlanta location in the early 90's. The reasons given by Skammer for the move are all true, with the exception that the better weather benefits only the HQ staff, as the operational air hubs are located in Louisville, KY (primary hub) and Philadelphia, PA (secondary air hub).

Mars

[Casey1505]

The new logo is faster. Didn't you see the commercial?
see it here

[Nangleator]

FTG said:

Logo changes like this are standard stupid Dilbert-world idiocy. They probably paid a consultant company some money to come up with ideas for image changes, it suggested the new logo, the company has to make the changes else it will appear to have wasted the money, etc.

My company just used the same agency for the same Dilbert-esque reason. Funny thing is, the swoop on the shield of the UPS logo looks REALLY familiar.

Must be a coincidence.

[stolichnaya]

Everything's got a swoop now.

Eh, I like it okay. It keeps the equity of the old logo while updating the whole piece. I don't really like the arc, simply because it's overdone. The old logo was out of date, but not so egregiously that they had to go and do this. However, the MBEtc aquisition and the launch of a new campaign makes it possible to drop in a logo change, if they were ever going to.

When you figure that about a hundred people had decision making input on this, it starts looking a heck of a lot better.

WRT the falcons logo, no kidding. 75% of the new sports logos out there look like they were designed by the same person. I really liked the old Falcons logo, it was distinctive. It seemed very 80's for some reason, but I got no problem with that.

[White Lightning]

I can't believe anyone's complaining about the Falcons logo change. When I saw the new one I thought to myself, 'that's it?' It's the same logo.

I think UPS changed their logo because they were afraid of terrorists buying their old uniforms on eBay.

[ftg]

Why would Boeing's problems and Atlanta being a major air hub have anything to do with moving the HQ? There are the people in suits. Nothing to do with planes and such.

[GUINNESS]

..i like the new Falcons logo..you can see the F much more clearly..

[jackelope]

Originally posted by GUINNESS
..i like the new Falcons logo..you can see the F much more clearly..

OH. MY. GOD.

After 31 years of rooting for the Falcons rain or shine (mostly rain)...

After being such a dedicated fan that I've listened to many games on Internet radio on a 28.8 dialup because that was the only way to hear them....

I never, ever noticed that the logo was an F for Falcons.

That's incredible; thanks for pointing it out. I still don't like the new one though.

[Gozu Tashoya]

Me, I think the UPS logo is their way of displaying - publically, for a change - their shift away from giving a rat's ass about residential customers.

I always thought the package on their old logo was supposed to be a present. (Nothing more personal than a present, right?) The removal of the present, then, would indicative of their shift away from smaller customers and personal service to focusing all their efforts on corporate clients.

Hey, at least it's a theory consistent with their advertising and people's experiences with the company.

[Harvey The Heavy]

I like the new logo. I always thought it was overdue for an update. In a few years we'll have forgotten all about the string logo.

[KneadToKnow]

Originally posted by mobo85
the golden arches of McDonald's? The placement of the company's name has moved around, but the yellow M itself hasn't

You do know, don't you that the golden arches didn't always form an M, right?

See picture at bottom of page

[Jerrybear]

Yeah, McDonald's used to just have one golden arch instead of the two arches forming an "M."

As far as a company whose logo has not changed (at least not much) what about Coca Cola? The script "Coca-Cola" has not really changed all that much over the years.

Also, the Ford oval logo has not changed very much.