New ‘Bou

Next Monday, Caribou Coffee is going to launch it's new Brand Identity. It contains a hidden coffee bean, more scripty font, and "C" in the antlers as well as changing the secondary color from black to brown.

I find this interesting as I would’ve never thought that was a brand that needed an overhaul.  Thanks to an old friend who works there and gave me a heads up on the rebrand,  I was able to see  some of the materials that are being passed around to employees.  Here is some of what they are saying…

Caribou is undergoing an exciting transformation…we’ll be introducing a new logo, look and feel to the guests.  These new elements reflect the optimistic and energetic spirit of the Caribou brand.

In addition, we are launching new product platforms that will give guests even more reasons to love the Caribou brand. Specifically, we’re taking a huge step forward with our tea platform, re‐invigorating core hot and iced teas, and launching new Tea Latte Fusions.

So, apparently they are going to be making a big push into the Tea space. This could be a really good move as no coffee shop is really pushing expertise in the Tea category.  Though if that is the main reason for the rebrand, I would’ve suggested changing the name to “Caribou Coffee & Tea“.

What do you think?



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Posted by: Craig Johnson on February 24th, 2010

10 Comments

"I really don't like it. I love the attempt of simplicity, always good intentions, but the mark becomes generic and ambiguous for me. Also I could see some issues with the readability of that script type at small sizes. I don't see how this new direction helps with the "tea" focus at all... especially with the coffee bean shape in the middle. However, my biggest concern is not the new logo design, but the decision to rebrand at all. Sometimes I feel like stagnate brands use it as an attempt to gain momentum when its not the logo that needs fixing- its the business."
- Blake Howard
""it's interesting." that was my first thought. i agree with blake i like the attempt at being simple but i don't see how this reflects their new push into the world of tea. i wonder how many people will see the hidden symbols in there too. i also think that the script may be hard to read for some people.
it will be interesting to see how other people react to it."
- ruthanne burch
"First of all, nice scoop Craig. Has this been released anywhere else? Secondly, I don't like the new logo at all. If anything, given these two identities without knowing which came first, I would think the original would be the appropriate rebrand, which says that a) it's more appealing and b) it fits the brand better. I agree with Blake also."
- Brittany Thoms
"Craig and Blake hit the nail on the head! Muddled messaging from Caribou. I echo Brittany...nice scoop Craig!"
- @austinklee
"I agree (although I really don't know what I'm talking about). They reinforced their coffee focus with the 'bean'. The overall feel seems generic. Oh, oh! I got it... the blue backdrop is a teabag! Aha! (remember I don't know what I'm talking about?)"
- Ross Gott
"I don't like it either. The two spoons that come together to form an abstract coffee bean screams "first week at art-shool" project. It's also got that wanna-be 1955 feel and not in a cool retro way. It just doesn't work. They went backwards instead of forward. To put my money where my mouth is, I mocked up my own version... http://danalmasy.com/snapshots/dancaribou.png"
- Dan
"That's excellent Dan! I love it. Much better."
- Craig Johnson
"[...] Caribou Coffee’s Brand Redesign [...]"
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"not a big fan of the rebrand for most of the same reasons that have all been stated above. Dan, I commend you for mocking up your own but I think yours looks mean… Like the Caribou will jump out and kick me in the face is I dont choose the right drink :) Good work though."
- Nate

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