Benoit Wiesser, senior strategist with consultant Corporate Edge, casts an eye over some household names
Housing Associations

North British Housing Group and Places for People
"The [previous] NBH logo is quite an old-fashioned looking symbol. You could read certain positive things into the logo: the idea of collaboration with two strips crossing, the optimism of the yellow and maybe the triangle could be seen to be a roof.

"But it's a fairly unremarkable design – anacronyms tend to be devoid of personality. To me this sounds like a remote, cold, personality-free organisation."

"The new name is much better – to me it alludes to human values, it gives a strong signal that the organisation is about homes for people rather than about buildings alone.

"The navy blue is a popular colour in the financial field – if anything I'd say that the typeface and colours are quite formal in comparison with the 'touchy-feely' approach of the actual name.

"By highlighting the word 'for', you get the impression that the staff are there to serve the community. Internally, this is a reminder to staff, too."

Affinity Homes
"This is an up-to-date, modern image. Both the name and design are trendy – but the logo gets across the idea of empathy and community."

The Private Sector

Royal Mail and Consignia
"The name Consignia was contrived and frankly a bit too weird. Royal Mail chose the name because it wanted a more international image – which meant choosing a trademark that would work in lots of different countries.

"But, firstly, made-up words don't mean anything, and secondly, by the time the rebranding was done their business strategy had changed and they didn't develop overseas business – so the need for an 'international' word was redundant.

"This is a lesson in making sure your strategy is still in keeping with the image you're trying to create."

Cellnet and O2
"The key driver in the O2 change was that the company wanted to make the name as international as possible but also convey the fact that it offered wider services – sending pictures and accessing the Internet on mobiles.

"The name is upbeat and dynamic, it's trying to be about lifestyle, bringing fresh air into your life."

Source

Housing Today