A Fresh Pair of Shoes: Redesigning Our Logo and How We Did It
Change can be scary. Some people wear the same style of shoes for their entire adult life – even if they go out of style – and there’s nothing wrong with that.
But as a business, we have to adapt to change. Without this ability, we’d be left behind while our customers and competitors continued to evolve.
This is also true when it comes to logos. There has been a massive shift in design trends, and some of the world’s largest companies have changed their branding to keep up. Instagram, Slack, YouTube, Dominos, Starbucks, Mastercard and Visa have all updated their logos, just to name a few.
When asked why they had updated their logos, Mastercard felt modern simplicity was needed to stay in line with the digital age. Starbucks said their newest logo is more suitable for the future. Staying modern and relevant seems to never go out of style.
Whatever the motivation, the decision to update a company’s logo is never taken lightly – and with good reason. How a company is visually represented is key to creating a positive first impression. It also carries significant weight regarding customer commitment to a brand when they express a brand’s symbolic, functional, or sensory benefits.
So, how does a company go about making such an important change? At Global Bridge, we went through this process recently when creating a new logo to celebrate our 10-year anniversary. So, we sat down with designer Ben Lindsey to get an inside look.
GB: Ben, what’s your role at Global Bridge?
Ben: I actually approached Global Bridge to be a business English teacher. Even though I’m an accredited teacher, I’ve spent my entire career as a graphic artist. So, Garry brought me on as a product developer. I’m kind of lucky in that sense that I get to use my experience as both a designer and a teacher here.
GB: Tell us how you got started with the logo redesign process.
Ben: The first thing I did was ask Garry about the old logo. He explained that the dual triangles represented progress, as they both pointed up and to the right.
Learning about his goals with the original logo helped me understand how he wanted to portray the company.
Original Global Bridge triangles logo
Then I asked him what three words he would want the new logo to communicate to the world. This is a great question to ask the stakeholders of a company.
GB: What were his three words?
Ben: “Partnership,” “quality,” and “progress.” These were eventually whittled down to “progress,” as it’s the main benefit Global Bridge imparts on its clients – train with Global Bridge, and you will make progress.
GB: Okay, so the first step was an interview to understand the owner’s goals. What happens next in this process?
Ben: Sketches. Lots of sketches. This is probably the most difficult part of the process, at least for me. I might sketch for hours and hours without getting anywhere. But it helps me quickly see if an idea might work or not.
Global Bridge logo concept sketches
And then, I might sketch out something amazing, but it isn’t on brand. You could have a great looking logo, but if it doesn’t communicate the brand’s message, it simply won’t work.
Eventually, I was able to rough out about six or seven good ideas and present them to Garry.
GB: That sounds like a lot. How many designs did you go through?
Ben: Yeah, it’s not normal to pitch that many concepts. Usually, you only pitch about half that. But Garry and I had been working together for so long at that point, I knew it wouldn’t be a problem.
Out of those, we binned a couple and tried two or three new ideas. After the second round of development, we got down to five concepts. This is when I started to add in color.
GB: Speaking of color, did you have any kind of restrictions? For instance, did you have to use the colors in the old logo?
Ben: Yes, Garry loves the dark red color, so that was always a constant. But, my first graphics mentor told me that a good logo has to look amazing in black and white. So, whenever possible, I start the design process in black and white, then add color later.
Once we had five solid choices with color, they were sent to the full-time Global Bridge staff, who were asked to give their first, second, and third choices.
Two of the five concept logos from Global Bridge’s logo redesign process
From there, we did it again, reducing down to two choices with slight variations.
GB: So, in the end, the team chose the logo?
Ben: Yes. That’s one of the best things about working at Global Bridge – it’s a collective effort. Everyone has a voice here. It’s great. And once the team chose the logo, I mocked it up in a few different applications, like on business cards and such. The team then chose the version card they liked best.
Global Bridge’s new logo
Global Bridge new logo mockups
GB: So, how is “progress” represented with the new logo?
Ben: The new logo is a road going over a bridge toward a singular point, which symbolizes progress. I thought the older logo’s triangles pointing up and to the right were its strongest aspect so it was nice to be able to bring that over to the new logo as well.
GB: Are you happy with the results?
Ben: Absolutely. It evokes a feeling of progress. It’s modern and clean, but classic. And it definitely represents the company and brand visually. I’m very happy.
And it couldn’t have come at a better time. Global Bridge is turning 10-years old, and we’ve got a lot of exciting new products just on the horizon. It’s the perfect time to get a new pair of shoes and hit the ground running.
If you would like to get in touch with Ben or learn more about Global Bridge, please contact support@globalbridge.co.jp or call 03-3518-2620.