Inspiring Logo Redesigns

Pepsi: The relaunched branding and packaging for Pepsi and its flagship brands is quite the jarring change. The "Pepsi Globe" logo is supposed to now represent a lively and cute smile--an attempt to more directly connect the product with consumers' emotions. I definitely agree with Chris Glass' blog, which mentions how the design is definitely more feminine. Surely the thin san-serif lacks the testosterone that the Pepsi labels possessed in the past. And while I agree that this might not be a good or bad thing for Pepsi, I think it's smart that they are trying to create shelf recognition based more on an icon than type with a background pattern/image. Pepsi shouldn't need words to appeal to its consumers.

Museum of London: As a part of the museum's £20.5 million renovation (aimed to open in 2010), London-based firm Coley Porter Bell designed a new identity for the main museum and the Museum of London Docklands and Museum of London Archaeology. From a press release: "The striking new logo, designed by award winning agency Coley Porter Bell, takes the conceptual form of London's thumbprint. Coloured layers map the shape of London over time, reflecting the ever-changing, diverse and dynamic make up of London and Londoners, past, present and future. The brand mark has been crafted to create visual impact, and link the Museum venues." The new typography is modern and simple, and the integration of layers and topography is interesting. The brand extensions are beginning to work, but the "Docklands" and "Archaeology" seem a bit too off-kilter, especially in their lighter weight and darker colors. Like the London Olympic logo, I seriously question the main logo's new color palette. Couldn't they have come up with something a bit more classic to reflect the city itself?

Tasti D-Lite: The "frozen yogurt" that isn't frozen yogurt recently launched a redesign to be carried throughout all of its stores in New York City. I applaud the effort to make Tasti-D look as drool-worthy and seductive as a full-calorie banana split sundae. From the blog "Brand New": "Avenir is refreshingly light as a support to brand the otherwise slick and generic symbol. The lockup is proportionally top-heavy with the huge dollop of product floating over the loose type." The focus is now clearly on the product. Tasti-D finally realized it needed to raise the bar to compete with brands like Pinkberry and also to compensate for many people's innate aversion to mystery substances.