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Black+Decker, The power tool company along with its sister company, Stanley, recently introduced its new visual identity created by Lippincott. The goal of the new identity was to communicate the brand’s unique ability to transform a daunting task into a feeling of accomplishment and ensure its products stand out on the shelves with a compelling and modern new image. The new identity is described as “simple, clean and powerful”. The inspiration for the new visual identiy was not engineering or hardware brands but Adidas, Uniqlo, Ikea and Muji – retailers that have a strong yet minimal identity. Both Black+Decker and Lippincott wanted the new identity to be purer, simpler and friendlier. So, gone is the ampersand in favor of the more modern plus sign. Typography moves to less condensed and more modern. Symbol is abandoned with a rounded box surrounding logotype. A little personality was lost along the way but the cleaner, simpler identity does allow the company to move to more modern and sophisticated product and packaging design, hopefully adding perceived value for the customer. While the hardcore tool guy may object to the changes, the bulk of consumers should embrace cleaner, more premium look. So, power saws for everyone…