I rebranded Boots to evolve their identity to a point where it could last another 100 years. To make it modern and adaptable without losing its critical, trusted elements like the shade of blue it uses. To keep their renowned motto and their tone of voice, but to apply it to a new logotype which is versatile enough to feel at home on any media, be it on packaging, web, 3D, VR or mobile/wearable.
The current Boots logo is arguably over complicated and isn't ideal for scalable interfaces such as web enabled devices. Since the prevalence of online shopping is increasing to a rate which surpasses physical shopping, it's vital that Boots develops and maintains an online presence which is contemporary, efficient, easy to use and global.
By simplifying their logo and extended identity, their website can be made to load much faster and be scaled infinitely.
I started by looking at and analysing the success of the current Boots brand, then looking at competitors like Superdrug, then analysing online-only companies like Google to try and assess what makes a logo suitable for a major online presence. Simple, flat and geometric shapes are the most suitable and successful.
Even when the current logo is flat, the complexity of the type would make vector rendering take much longer to load the webpage
Their primary competitor Superdrug has a more simplistic logo, but the pink colour, the star symbol and the script/sans-serif hybrid type positions it as a slightly less upmarket store. Boots must retain its quality appeal by keeping its trademark blue and mature type.
Bright blue is a trend in contemporary graphic design, but I don't think it's appropriate to change their blue because of how essential it is as an element of their identity. It resembles healthcare, cleanliness and trust.
Helvetica and Akzidenz both appear too bold and aggressive, and simplistic for Boots. There is no friendliness or softness, which are both essential ingredients for their identity.
A circle doesn’t really have adequate relevance, even though it could represent all round healthcare or a service that covers everything you need. It doesn't have the contemporary sharpness that it needs.
Contemporary identities rarely employ ovals, and sharp edged shapes and elements are a design trend. I'd like Boots to follow that, but not blindly and without reason.
An angled and sharp edged rectangle plays to their long standing heritage of offering cutting edge medicines and healthcare solutions. The full stop gives a sense of power and competence.
By changing the colour of the 't', a standalone symbol or logotype could potentially be created. The colour distracts from the rest of the logo and loses some visibility, and Futura's 't' looks like a crucifix when it stands alone.
In the group crit I asked the following questions to assess the success of the rebrand:
How could Boots' identity be modernised without losing its long established reputation?
How does the circle symbol add value to the identity?
How could the typeface be modernised and adaptable without looking cheap or cliché?
No comments:
Post a Comment