There’s a New Logo in Town | Beneath the Brand

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There’s a New Logo in Town

By: Janet Kalandranis

Seventeen years using the same logo is not unusual at all. It’s the first representation of a brand and usually the thing customers remember after a brand is introduced. Many brands opt to keep their original logos for their history and iconic value. Then there are brands that want to grow with the times, update, and renew or even re-introduce a brand. These are the brands that think “new logo, new logo, new logo.” The words “new” really take on a very broad meaning — it can be a simple update to a full overhaul.

ebay took the leap and updated its logo after 17 years. That’s a long time for anything, and change can be good, but there’s also something built on that 17-year logo. There’s an iconic value that customers attach to seeing the brand’s logo. Luckily for ebay, the brand went down the road of updating; they understood that the lowercase letters, specific colors, and touching lines were all important parts of its brand logo. These represent the brand’s ability to connect a diverse audience for anything they need.

Timing is also important when updating or creating a new logo for a very well-known brand. ebay took this opportunity to create an unveiling with its customers and let them know the purpose behind the new logo. Although the core elements are still visible, the change of logo also represents where the brand sees itself in the marketplace. It wants customers to know that it’s not the original ebay of 17 years ago and that the brand is updating and evolving to bring better solutions to its customers. What better way to do that than with a new logo?

The brand also took the opportunity to pre-promote the launch and get customers excited and maybe even reinvigorated with the brand. ebay’s new logo symbolizes the start of a new era for the brand — it will focus on customization and tailoring shopping to each customer’s individual needs. So instead of simply unveiling a new logo, ebay is creating an updated brand...and getting customers excited, one new colored letter at a time.