As we’re getting ready for an exciting change of location here at Alstin, it’s not merely the walls and building exterior that are taking on a new look. There are lots of little details that need to be updated. Though we’re able to take our email addresses and phone numbers across the street, taking our physical address was not a possibility. That means a lot of new print runs that cover business cards, invoices, stationary, envelopes, etc. It also means updating electronic signatures in emails, quotes and faxes. Busy, but simple, right? Not so fast!
One element that tends to be taken for granted because it’s supposed to be an unchanging cornerstone is the company logo. You’d think that after all that goes into expressing the character of a company through a graphic mark, the logo would be safe, but it seldom is. Alstin is no exception.
Sometimes companies will make radical changes that scream “I’ve been updated!” – think back to 2003 when UPS updated their logo.
Others might simply alter the font so subtly that only typographers will notice. But some tread even more gently than that. Perhaps the color is going to change from a dark green to a dark blue. Maybe you’ve added a trademark symbol or updated your tag line or even decided to include a tag line where there wasn’t one before!
One problem with updating the logo is making sure that everybody knows about it and is on the same page regarding usage. We’ve learned that it’s not enough to simply label a file “NEW CompanyX logo”. We put dates on them, and label them to reflect their proper usage. Then we put all the older logos in a folder called “Old CompanyX logos-DO NOT USE!” – but we don’t trash them as it will be inevitable that as soon as they are trashed the old logo will be requested by someone! (When UPS – an Alstin client for a series of projects – originally updated their logo, we started using it right away. However we were ultimately asked to go back to the old one for a few weeks until the new one became more recognizable.)
So as we move into our new location, I’ll be busy making sure I update everything that needs updating in the most consistent, company approved manner possible. Then I’ll move the older, improper logos that I should never use again into a new folder. And trash it. 
- j
