Ebay means business
Posted by Kamil Michlewski on September 14, 2012
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Changing logos of well-known companies is always fraught with danger. We’ve recently seen Microsoft update theirs for the first time in their history, and not that long ago Starbucks changed theirs, foregoing ‘coffee’ from their name as it chases a bigger vision for the business.
The experience for some brands has been pretty humbling. Famously GAP was forced by its customers to revert to their original brand logo, after what they described as an irreversible decision.
Today it’s Ebay’s turn to enter the danger zone. They have just announced that they are changing their playful and personable logo with chunky, overlapping letters to one with straight, slim-down typeface where letters have been ordered to behave.
It will be interesting to see how the consumer reaction unfolds, after all Ebay is perhaps even more than other brands owned by its customers and users due to the nature of the business.
In my opinion the logo now expresses a brand which is less characterful, less joyful but more structured and generic. Is this what Devin Wenig, President of eBay has in mind for the new positioning of the venerable brand? I, for one, hope not.
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