Episode 242
Every great brand has an origin story — and sometimes, a very different first draft.
Nike wasn’t always Nike. The company traded for years as Blue Ribbon Sports — until Phil Knight told a design student he might rename the shoes after a Greek goddess, and asked her to sketch up some symbols. She drew the goddess’s wings, turned them upside down, and there was the swoosh. Nike was born.
Three roomates in Austin TX, Brian, Joe, and Nathan noticed conference-goers complaining they couldn’t get a hotel room in town, so they rented out the air mattress and gave their place that cozy Bed and Breakfast feel. Those loving touches were codified in the heart-shaped “belo” logo that instantly identifies AirBnB.
Mercedes was a rebranded in the early twentieth century to express their ambition to make engines built for land, sea, and air – hence the three-pointed star.
And Walt Disney, whose brand was just his signature in 1923, grew to include Mickey, but it took over thirty years for what we know as their symbol to emerge. Their expansion to theme parks stretched the cartoon brand too far. But in the run-up to opening Disneyland in 1955, Walt gave it a centrepiece inspired by a German landmark known as Neuschwanstein. He called his the Sleeping Beauty Castle castle and it’s been in their brand ever since.
None of them would have reached such success without a rebrand. So whether you think it’s a good organizational move, or your once-revered icon or mascot has been anachronized and you have no choice but to rebrand, at some point you need to know how to get through one.
What does it actually take to rebrand right? That’s exactly what we’re digging into today.
Since becoming a Registered Graphic Designer in 2002, my guest has worked in-house and run his own design agency, across organizations ranging from large not-for-profits to small startups. He’s taught design for over fifteen years at Algonquin College, and for the past five, he’s run Kern Unit, a UX boutique studio. On the side, he’s always got some project on the go that puts his photography and illustration chops to work.
Let’s go talk with Travis Gobeil.
People/Products/Concepts Mentioned in Show
