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Ironically, that was about the same time actual arches were disappearing from stores, as the company expanded and remodeled old stores. Most arches were gone from McDonald's locations by the end of the 1960s, but the Golden Arches of the logo remained. In fact, they've become such an icon that they've hardly been altered since 1968, and are easily recognized globally. "As a symbol, it's simple and sticky," says Adamson, the branding expert. "Show the logo to kids without the word and they'll know it's a hamburger and French fries." GAP: LOST IN TRANSLATION Not every logo is a hit, of course, especially when a company tinkers with a beloved one. In 2010, without any announcement or warning, Gap Inc. changed its white type-on-navy "blue square" logo, which it had introduced more than a decade earlier. The new logo had a lowercase "gap" with a blue box in the right hand corner. Officials revamped the logo at a time when the retailer, which had brought khakis to the masses in the 1990s, had lost its fashion edge. Sales were slipping. Gap officials were hoping the new logo would communicate to customers that it was updating its image with more modern designs of jeans, pants and other clothing. But that message was lost on customers. After the new logo was out, Gap fans voiced their discontent with it on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. A fake Twitter feed, (at)GapLogo, even was created to lampoon the move (it currently has more than 3,600 followers). "Our Creative Director just quit, the ACD is in a corner drinking and muttering to himself and Jenna the intern is softly crying. JUST GREAT," the feed tweeted humorously the day after the flap. About a week later, the retailer decided to reinstate its old logo. The lesson? It's tempting for a company with a well-known logo to want to tinker with the image to boost a sagging reputation. But that's often a mistake since logos become more recognizable, and thus more valuable, the longer they've been around. And of course, a logo change can't solve all of a company's problems. "We remind clients that a logo is not going to change people's minds, but it can stay in the mind and burn into memory," said Sagi Haviv, a partner at Chermayeff & Geismar, a firm that designed the Chase bank logo, among others. AETNA: CHANGE CAN BE GOOD Sometimes, though, a revamped logo is just what a company needs. A new logo can be critical when a company is trying to get the word out about a new message. For instance, when the industry has gone through substantial changes or there are different company services being offered. "If the character of the mark no longer jibes with the positioning of the company or product then it makes sense to change," says Haviv, from Chermayeff & Geismar. Aetna, the big insurer, revamped its logo in January to address changes in the health care industry. Health care legislation that is likely to be phased in over the next several years includes a system in which consumers can by insurance through new online marketplaces. For insurers like Aetna, that means they will have to more actively market their products to consumers
-- not just businesses. In order to do that, Aetna decided it would need a more consumer-friendly logo. "We are much more focused on consumers and consumers have a much greater voice," said Belinda Lang, vice president of Brand, Digital and Consumer Marketing, for Aetna. "The logo needed to be effective in a digital, mobile and social environment." Aetna worked with branding firm Siegel + Gale to revamp its logo: a blue wordmark or logo that is only text, with a stick figure of a person. The result? The new logo is a purple wordmark with a lower case font and linked letters. The stick figure is gone. The company says the response to the logo has been positive. Lang says the logo has gotten good reviews in the design community and employees, an important group to win over, have said they like the new logo. "I continually get emails about how much they love pulling out their new business cards," she says.
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