Not too long ago, consumers thought Old Spice was simply your father’s Aftershave. It came in a rather oddly iconic white glass bottle and anyone over 30 remembers seeing in their Father’s/Grandfather’s bathroom. It was cheap. It was potent. And supposedly, it was what “real men” smelled like. Strong, burly and handsome men. The kinds with hairy chests, that worked on ships and always got the girl. After all it was marketed, in all seriousness, as “The Mark of a Man.” But times change, the 80’s came and attitudes like that can only last for so long. The idea behind it became, for lack of a better word, cheesy, old and musky. And that will turn your hunky brand into a 90 lb weakling. So what does an irrelevant, stagnating brand do?

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This Spring, Chipotle locations around the country unveiled a new identity for the popular burrito chain. The brand has transitioned from it’s original retro-shaped black and white logo, to a ‘medallion’ logo mark which has now evolved into their current identity designed by San Francisco-based Sequence.

The new identity provides a more stylized pepper, brighter colors and a fun set of “food with integrity” medallions that provide a fun visual for Chipotle’s emphasis on fresh ingredients. Overall the new identity is a nice extension of the previous mark, but this leads us to ask ourselves, since the Chipotle brand is so strong- do we even care what the logo looks like?

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Like it or not, as long as great work is being created, someone is always there to rip it off. Just as the Obama digital campaign was awarded The Titanium Grand Prix at last week’s Cannes Lions advertising festival, a Maine Republican candidate unveils a website that is… down right comical.
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Is America in need of a redesign on dollar bills or is it just internet fun? From Barbie Doll and Superman notes, to rainbow bills and even marbles, the Dollar ReDe$ign Project, has brought a lighter side to the current economy. Creative strategist Richard Smith launched this creative free-for-all with the intent “to rebuild our country, revive our economy, redesign the Dollar bill. The Dollar ReDe$ign Project is open to anyone who wants to redesign the US Dollar.”
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OfficeMax has recently been running a fresh, bright and colorful TV campaign that is aimed directly at its female customers. With the closing tag, “Life is Beautiful. Work Can Be Too,” the campaign takes the focus of the buyer away from what they need, to what they can have for their mundane workspace. An empowering message that hits a sense in the female workforce that says “Yes. I am entitled to a pretty cubicle!” Aren’t we all?

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