OUGD403 - Rebrands: Co-op

The Co-op or the Co-operative has recently undergone a major rebrand which returns to the use of their 1960's clover-leaf shaped logo. The project to redesign their logo began in 2014 and after considering an entirely new identity for the company, it was decided that what the company needed was a return to their historic logo and the roots of the company, suggesting that "it is a symbol and a wordmark and that's impossible to beat for a graphic designer. It's never dated".

Fig. 1. Co-op rebrand.

However, many designers believe that returning to a previous identity is something of a radical act, as it brings an element of history back into the present world where it's historic and symbolic meaning could be changed. But some designers think this is a good thing as it suggests a modern brand for younger and future generations to come, whereas 'The C-operative' logo can be seen as too formal.

Fig. 2. Co-op before 2014 rebrand.

I personally feel that the decision to return to it's original logo is a wise one, as I feel it attracts a wider range of customers, starting from those who would be old enough to remember the original logo as well as appealing to a younger audience to whom the logo would look more contemporary than it's previous. The small aperture within the letter C and way in which the bowl of the letter P is not fully enclosed keeps all letterforms in sync with each other. The close kerning and short descender on P links back to it's suggested layout of being a clover leaf but as a result also avoids problems of illegibility if the letterforms were touching. The use of type is more playful and not as serious as 'The Co-operative', but also works better in it's colourful packaging designs, which seems to make the products look more 'fresh'.

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