Although not often, this sometimes happens in the world of visual culture that a design that seems outwardly good and interesting turns from a direct image and sincere creativity into a formal adherence to design and technical canons and loses its former childish naivety.
This is what happened with the Laithwaites brand. It is a wine subscription service that offers a huge selection of wines delivered to your door.
Manchester-based creative agency Love has been rebranding. Precisely because the company has acquired a half-million army of subscribers in 50 years of the wine business, the company now seeks to innovate and maintain a leading position in the market.
A new look at the brand – the use of texture, hand-stroke, iconography, unpretentious handwriting, and sophisticated lettering – marked a new chapter in the brand’s biography.
The initiators of the rebranding shared a new conceptual idea – the idea that Laithwaites becomes “a compass to the world of wine adventures.”
The logo, which is made in red tones, had an interesting graphic design, different letters A in the name, denoting the originality and exclusivity of the brand, in the current situation acquired a very elongated geometric sharp font of the same tone. As if painted, childishness, flirting left the brand.
Formalism, pompous seriousness, authority – this is what is seen in the new type logo.
Although it was through the rebranding, the company wanted to emphasize the spirit of fun, focus on the stories of wine discovery to draw a new generation of wine connoisseurs to the origins and increase brand awareness.
Also, designers created a new identity to emphasize the connection of times, the dialogue between the client and the brand, to reinforce the idea of inclusiveness, not elitism.
Surprisingly, the new logo has a diametrically opposite impression. Of course, the association and perception of brand identity as a whole is a purely subjective matter. Still, it should be noted that the company has questioned customer loyalty with its new design.
Yes, it is quite possible that the brand will remain recognizable and will be popular. However, it will still be perceived as a “wine snob,” moreover, the organizers of the rebranding were trying to avoid this broadcast idea.
It will be a shame if such thoughts come to consumers when they see a new design.
Naturally, every business, every brand needs to adapt to the changing times, adapt to the operating conditions, try to understand the different generations of customers for which their products are designed. But it seems that that openness and soulfulness have evaporated from the brand.
Perhaps the designers just went down the wrong path, mixing minimalism, elegance, and authentic hand-made illustration in the logo.
The idea that the old design was better than the current one is only the subjective opinion of a dissatisfied consumer. Still, if such an idea nevertheless arises, the brand should think and listen to the point of view of those whose opinion is overvalued for them – to the opinion of dear customers.
