Xerox Unveils New Logo After 18-Months of Development
January 12, 2008 by Susan Gunelius
Filed under Marketing
After 18 months and 5,000 interviews, Xerox (NYSE: XRX) launched its new logo thanks to Interbrand’s creative team this week. Here it is:
Now, remember the old logo:
Here is what’s being said about the new Xerox logo around the blogosphere:
Over at the Dim Bulb blog, Jonathan Salem Baskin asks if the new logo is really just an afterthought to the rebranding Xerox has been going through for several years now, and on the Brand Identity Guru blog, Scott White asks if the new logo really leverages Xerox’s brand identity.
Here is what Xerox has to say:
Following is the explanation of the new logo taken from the Xerox press release announcing the new branding on January 7, 2008:
The new brand is designed to reflect today’s Xerox, a customer-centric company built on a continuing history of innovative ideas, products and services that meet the needs of businesses small to large.
“We have transformed Xerox into a business that connects closely with customers in a content-rich digital marketplace,” said Anne M. Mulcahy, Xerox chairman and chief executive officer. “Our new brand reflects who we are, the markets we serve and the innovation that differentiates us in our industry. We have expanded into new markets, created new businesses, acquired new capabilities, developed technologies that launched new industries — all to ensure we make it easier, faster, and less costly for our customers to share information.”
The new Xerox logo is now a lowercase treatment of the Xerox name – in a vibrant red – alongside a sphere-shaped symbol sketched with lines that link to form an illustrative “X,” representing Xerox’s connections to its customers, partners, industry and innovation, and designed to be more effectively animated for use in multi-media platforms.
“Our brand is one of our most prized assets and the value it brings to our business is immeasurable,” added Ursula M. Burns, president, Xerox. “Our customers, our employees and our shareholders connect the most with what the brand stands for — quality, innovation, customer-focus and a values-rich culture. Today, we’re strengthening all our attributes and giving our brand a contemporary look that is more relevant for business today – a bit less formal, a lot more lively with links to our heritage and a nod to the future.”
And here is what I have to say:
I think I should start out by saying I didn’t even make the connection that the white on the ball is supposed to be an ‘X’. With that said, I think the logo is definitely very web-friendly and an improvement over the old logo, but I’m not sold on its being representative of links to the Xerox heritage. However, it certainly is more modern than the old logo. Let’s put it this way. Do I like the new logo? Not really, but anything would be an improvement over the old Xerox logo.
And now for what you think:
Leave a comment and let Brandcurve’s readers know what you think about the new Xerox logo? Does it seem to accurately reflect the new Xerox brand as the company’s press release claims? Was it worth 18-months of time and expense?
Tags: Xerox, Xerox brand, Xerox new logo, rebranding, brand strategy, brand icons, logos, brand image
The new Xerox logo emphasizes and draws attention to “X” which to many people is still a mark for a wrong answer.
It looks like a ball of yarn. :P
Mark, It does look like a ball of yarn or a marble. That’s the first thing I thought of, a marble. I also thought of a super ball when I first looked at it. Customer-centric? No. How high does it bounce? Yes.
After looking at the ‘red ball’, I knew exactly what it looked like. It’s a “polite” rip off of the Comart logo, specifically the ‘red ball’ used in the printed Power of Integration campaigns.
Comart is an established Indian-based company specializing in integrated Premedia and Print – something i believe Xerox has been trying to do for a while now…
Check out Comart’s web address at: http://www.comart.in/Services_overview.htm
this xerox logo and the xbox logo are way way to similar. who stole from whom?
The font is too soft and child-like to me, remind me of a crayon … , the red marble or nerf ball just underscores the juvenile to my admittedly half-jaundiced eye.
Bill, I agree that the two logos are extremely similar. Makes you wonder – can’t they come up with something different?
Roberta, I hadn’t thought of the juvenile impression of the logo, but I can definitely see where you’re coming from. And I agree that the marble isn’t helping matters.