NOTE: This is an archived version of the first incarnation of Brand New. All posts have been closed to comments. Please visit underconsideration.com/brandnew for the latest version. If you would like to see this specific post, simply delete _v1 from the URL.
Originally founded in 1968 as a small alcohol counseling agency, the Swanswell Charitable Trust has since grown into an organization with more than 100 employees across the English Midlands, with headquarters in Birmingham, and a handful of £millions in operation, that helps people with their drug and alcohol dependencies. With growth had come brand confusion as well, with many initiatives taking on different names and Swanswell worked with Brand Guardians to establish a new brand positioning and most importantly adopt Swanswell as the main name for everything. After that phase of the project, the identity design went to johnson banks, who got their crumple on.
When the trust approached us last year with their chosen, legacy name, we were a little unsure at first until we began to see that the “well” at the end of the word could be of use. Various typographic experiments followed, before the discovery that a piece of paper, crumpled at one end, could act as a suitable metaphor for someone’s life smoothing itself out.
— johnson banks Project Description
The six degrees of “crumple.”
The concept alone on this identity is remarkable, and the execution is visually engaging not just in the logo but in the full range of elements. It is also fairly easy to execute by Swanswell without having to engage a design firm for all their needs, and it seems like it could be scaleable and expandable for various years. The typeface used is Doric, which is a nice alternative to the ever British Gill Sans, and while it doesn’t look like much of a winner when you see it flat online, Doric looks quite nice crumpled.
Business cards come bound in a little pad, which are removed and crumpled individually.
A family of words and phrases to produce posters, ads or leaflets.
There are a few more applications at johnson banks’ and you are encouraged to go visit. This is a great system for a great organization.
Jump to Most Recent Comment
Adam Haase’s comment is:
It makes me think they're going green.
The look just doesn't appeal to me.
I like to scrunch instead of fold but this just doesn't cut it for me.
On May.19.2009 at 08:57 AM
obse.’s comment is:
This is what I call edgy.
I absolutely love it.
Jeff’s comment is:
So inspiring. Pretty ballsy. Rats off to ya!
On May.19.2009 at 09:16 AM
Keli’s comment is:
The concept is definitely interesting once explained but without explanation its all lost. Unless they are expecting it to be a conversation starter... that could be a possibility.
On May.19.2009 at 09:18 AM
Dale Campbell’s comment is:
Soooo,
Are they supposed to just crumple part of the business card to make sure the metaphor of their entire identity stays in tact?
I think it's a ballsy move as well, but I do not agree that crumpling of any kind should be the major "effect" of an identity. Unless the company is for crash test dummies or something.
Keep well,
Dale
Scott Messner’s comment is:
Interesting concept which might work but it certainly doesn't scale well to different physical formats.
On May.19.2009 at 09:31 AM
Ryan Adair’s comment is:
I like the concept. I understand it completely after the long-winded explanation, but I can guarantee that nobody will get that upon first glance. Which is fine, but I'm just saying, it's a hard sell. The scaling is going to be very hard.
I love the idea of doing things differently. Plus, who can disagree that it's an improvement over that abomination that they were using.
On May.19.2009 at 09:50 AM
Elliot’s comment is:
A related concept, although with a more straightforward execution: Mind, the UK's National Association for Mental Health:
Elliot’s comment is:
The image seems to have dropped off my post - have a look here instead: http://www.mind.org.uk/
On May.19.2009 at 09:54 AM
Daniel Bertalotto’s comment is:
I like this. The business card idea as a touchpoint is a bit playful considering the seriousness of their brand expression, but it's still viable.
I've not reviewed the other ways the logo is reiterated, but I think the overall idea is smart.
On May.19.2009 at 09:54 AM
Josh’s comment is:
I like it. But I also keep reading it "swan-swell"...
The execution makes sense for the biz card, since the folks getting one will be encouraged to ask about it or will already know the services. Having to explain it isn't necessarily a bad thing in this case. I also don't see the "going-green" aspect in the new identity nearly as much as the original. Aside from being green, there's not much else to take me that direction, so it doesn't strike me as such.
On May.19.2009 at 10:05 AM
Von K’s comment is:
I don't know about the people saying this is "ungettable."
As soon as I read what Swanswell does, the partially crumpled logo made sense--no press release needed.
Having no previous knowledge of Swanswell, I wanted to find out what these wrinkled logos were all about. Seems to work fine, IMO. I like the strong concept & simple execution of the card in particular.
On May.19.2009 at 10:14 AM
Sanjay Basavaraju’s comment is:
I feel this is the best re-branding of a service that I have seen on Brand New. It is witty, engaging, and appropriate. Although the shift of image is drastic, oh boy, it speaks. At the same time it makes me know more about the service. The concept of transformation achieved through the form works.
If you look at the posters, the fact that the child's image is crushed may seem negative. It may be perceived as harsh and maybe ignored after the first glance.
Proverbial Thought’s comment is:
Their logo is garbage? I mean, crumpled up pieces of paper that someone else obviously didn't want? I love the idea of the phrases; but... c'mon; crumpled up paper? Just looks like another unwanted piece of flair that you pick up at all of the social service events I have been to in my life; except this one looks like it has already been discarded previous to me grabbing it.
very close to being great IMHO, but falls short for looking like garbage. ANd when I say garbage, I am not talking asthetically; that is not a knock on the quality of the work which I think is otherwise good. I mean it looks like LITERAL garbage.
On May.19.2009 at 10:25 AM
jRod’s comment is:
"so, here's my business card... hold on... i need to crumple it first..."
im sorry, but i would get to feelin' kinda stupid after the first 50 cards or so. the logo itself is a great concept, but i have to agree with Ryan... scalability will be really tough unless they vectorize it, and i don't envy the poor guy (bloke) that has to do it.
still, its nice to see organizations take chances like this.
On May.19.2009 at 10:49 AM
Ethan Allen Smith’s comment is:
Absolutely love this. They managed to move beyond logo-centric branding while still maintaining control over the symbolic imagery. Swanswell now "owns" crumpled paper (the way Twitter "owns" blue birds). Completely brilliant.
On May.19.2009 at 10:52 AM
Felix S.’s comment is:
It's one of those cases where the concept was great, but the design execution might require some more thoughts....
To me, it doesn't seem to look like a finished design. Without the explanation of the concept, everything seems lost.
On May.19.2009 at 11:00 AM
Stephanie’s comment is:
I like it. The fact that they use bright colors makes it feel upbeat, yet at the same time the harshness of the crumbling (esp. on photos) is appropriate for an organization that tackles serious problems associated with drug and alcohol dependency. It might feel negative but that's the point, these problems aren't supposed to be taken lightly.
Even though a part of me likes the whole gimmick of crumbling everything...it can get quite tiresome after a while if you use it too liberally. I agree with others that the business card shtick isn't really necessary.
On May.19.2009 at 11:08 AM
Doug Bartow’s comment is:
needs better kerning
On May.19.2009 at 12:26 PM
David H’s comment is:
Why does this brand get a pass on the "black and white version" test? Other logos have been criticized for their use of gradients and abundant colors, since they wouldn't work well in smaller sizes or in black and white. How is this logo any different?
On May.19.2009 at 12:32 PM
Glenn Sakamoto’s comment is:
Love it. A real home run.
On May.19.2009 at 01:01 PM
Anonymous’s comment is:
the new logo is too generic, it can be used for anything.
On May.19.2009 at 01:23 PM
Chad Kaufman’s comment is:
@David H: It can be applied in BW because it is essentially a monochromatic photograph–just imagine the crinkled paper being grey. And the best part is, take a look at the business cards, the origin of the logo is just a solid box with a white wordmark in it.
@everyone: I am not sure why there are so many haters of this logo. It is a genius idea that is infinitely scalable (depending on the piece of paper you can find to apply the mark to it, similar to the business cards). And as far as the business cards, how many times do you get a crisp business car and it gets destroyed after you put it in your wallet. No pre-crinkling necessary.
On May.19.2009 at 01:31 PM
Alec’s comment is:
Simple work with great idea to hit target audience's thoughts.
On May.19.2009 at 01:40 PM
Calvin Buchanan’s comment is:
Love it. The concept is great. Once I knew what Swanwell was the concept, images, and language made me really appreciate what was done for this brand. Great job.
On May.19.2009 at 01:43 PM
koyo’s comment is:
Excelent concept. Very good work. Brilliant
On May.19.2009 at 03:09 PM
Ryan K’s comment is:
I don't agree with all the comments about the concept being "lost" without explanation. As soon as I read what they do I got it!
It's spot on, I really like it. Nice metaphor inclusion!
I'm not so sure about the ad/poster that someone posted. It's a bit disturbing having families wrinkled. But I guess drug/alcohol abuse it disturbing and devastating to families, so...
I'm a fan, I like the font choice too.
On May.19.2009 at 03:49 PM
Keli’s comment is:
what if you're not a good crumpler and you crumple them too much, of you have too big of hands and you can never just crumple part of it and then the whole thing is crumpled! Then the concept is definitely lost.
Just kidding, kind of.
On May.19.2009 at 04:18 PM
Derrick’s comment is:
Well, nobody will care if it can embroider because they can just pin the business cards to their shirts.
Nice doesn't even begin to cover the awesomeness of this identity. Isn't it great when creativity and execution align?
On May.19.2009 at 05:21 PM
Nate’s comment is:
Not sure why so many people like this. When I first saw the image I thought it was a joke, both logos look like they were done by a 4th grader.
It looks like they dropped slightly opaque text on top of an image of crumpled paper, which in my eye looks unpolished. Plus, I think everyone is giving it too much credit, it feels more like a gimmick than anything.
On May.19.2009 at 05:24 PM
author’s comment is:
It's simple and brilliant!
On May.19.2009 at 05:53 PM
Johnny’s comment is:
I guess I had the exact opposite reaction to everyone here:
1) I immediately got what the logo was going for -- the progressive smoothing of the paper indicating improvement -- and that was without first reading the description of what Swanswell is.
2) I didn't love it.
3) I think Doric looks ever so British too. :P
Not immediately enthused, but I think this could grow on me over time.
On May.19.2009 at 07:31 PM
artisan54’s comment is:
i think the concept is great.
it simple, to the point, and everyone can understand it.
the only thing i think of is does it have a 1 color, 2 color, or 3 color version. all the ads and examples are 4 color.
but i think its fantastic
On May.19.2009 at 09:28 PM
Tim Gengler’s comment is:
I like the logo quite a bit, but am not a fan of the implementation.
The business card hand-crumpling is silly, and the lines of text are overkill on the styling, but what really doesn't sit well with me is the crumpled photo extension. I understand that the abuse hurts families, but to have a picture with the kid/spouse crumpled and the guy smiling comes off very, very strangely.
I'm all for the try at something different for the logo, but I think they should have gone more conventional with the rest -- single, smart photos paired with that logo would be pretty darn strong.
On May.19.2009 at 09:46 PM
Kyle’s comment is:
I love the concept of the logo "becoming well", but I think there are other ways of expressing that other than crumpled paper. The over all finished feel looks like preschool craft day. For instance, the "get well" "feel well" "do well" "be well" reminds me of Dr. Seuss One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish... can't be taken seriously.
I do commend Swanswell for going with something different. Maybe that difference stands out from others...
On May.19.2009 at 10:41 PM
Rusty Shackleford’s comment is:
The new identity doesn't really work for me, either. It says "paper company" to me. Granted, I'm being very literal, but I'm guessing that "Swanswell" isn't a familiar company to a great many people, particularly being as relatively small a company as it is.
The company could've expanded on the old identity (which definitely needed work, too...poor, anemic swan), perhaps using the ugly duckling-to-swan fable as an allegory for the transformation from "unwell" to "well".
On May.19.2009 at 10:52 PM
damon’s comment is:
I too don't understand how people don't get this direction. It's clear as day.
I don't particularly like the typeface to be honest, I feel like it's a bit awkward and unflattering, but certainly could have been worse. I think I would have liked to see something with a bit more character.
I really like the idea of the crumpled to straight concept, but perhaps that execution could have been done WITH the type itself so that you get the same logo each time, it has the same message, and is scaleable across all platforms.
the crumpled paper could also have been used in conjunction with the crumpled wordmark to create a system, rather than scanning stuff each time you needed to do a new piece of collateral.
aside from that suggestion though I think the concept is smart, and the execution isn't too bad either.
On May.19.2009 at 11:34 PM
Mongoose’s comment is:
I rather like this. The old logo had a nice effect with the 'S' for a swan, but that's a frequent enough device.
The new one is.. new, striking, different. That's the first time I've seen a crumple effect like that, and it's frankly both clever and gorgeous. It gives them something excellent to play off as a visual metaphor, and the business cards designed to be crumpled are silly but grand.
I'm biased towards lower case white type in a green rectangle, admittedly. (Old design there, but mine.). The font works nicely, and I like that chunky tail on the 'a' something fierce.
I give it an A. They kept their company color, and have done something so radical and yet so clear a direction, so tied into their metaphor.. this is both design-snob lovely and should be widely accessible. And hopefully, it'll help them reach the people they need to.
--Mongoose
On May.20.2009 at 12:16 AM
Artémis (TheMem) Psathas’s comment is:
Really nice. The concept is amazing, and the whole supporting campaign is very effective!
Now this is what I call an update/revamp!
On May.20.2009 at 05:07 AM
Gary’s comment is:
I like it, but also read "swell" rather than "well."
Conjures up the image of a bloated cygnet.
On May.20.2009 at 11:47 AM
Bill’s comment is:
Having done some identity work for crisis/survivor organizations, I can say you'd be surprised by the heightened sensitivity, almost hypersensitivity, with which the clients approach their logos. i.e. red, while attention grabbing, is also the color of blood; images of bridges, while symbolic of transition or bonding to most of us, are also, let's face it, the things people leap from.
The challenge here was immense, considering the sensitivite issue involved. And I think it was handled brilliantly and boldly. The concept is immediately "gettable" in my opinion-- acknowledgment of a problem in the construction of the mark and the promise of hope in the color scheme.
As for the crumpled family and the unscathed addict not working for some readers? Well, unfortunately, that's kind of how addiction works.
Excellent work.
On May.20.2009 at 04:39 PM
Able ’s comment is:
I don't think this is Doric, unless it comes in bold or they put stoke on the letters.
I only see one weight on MyFonts, tho.
What am I missing?
On May.20.2009 at 06:39 PM
Armin’s comment is:
Able, Michael Johnson told me it was Doric. VEry possible they put a stroke around it, or the effect of printing and then photographing it made it look thicker.
On May.20.2009 at 10:05 PM
Melissa Lyford’s comment is:
I'm so surprised that people don't think this design holds up without the explanation! I completely got it... "Oh, it starts out wrinkled, but smoothes out by the end signifying getting your tattered life in order."
I like the physicality of the crumpled business cards, but you could just as easily print it to look crumpled which would be a little more consistent and would maybe seem more purposeful then actual crumpled cards? Just a thought... not as edgy maybe.
I this it's a great redesign and excellent work.
On May.21.2009 at 10:24 AM
James Re’s comment is:
I love the concept, great ideas etc all the positive stuff from all the previous comments.
Its the name that sucks Swan Swell what the hell... really? The designers did okt with a flawed starting point... maybe a slight space between the words or an italic to differentiate.
But the crumpled concept is awesome smothing your life out and such. nice.
On May.21.2009 at 11:07 AM
Benigno’s comment is:
Maybe the concept is not understood by itself at once… but at least you get a feeling that something is not right… like most of the people dealing with this health addictions, and in early ages, even with the ones surrounding them (Things feels sort of ok, but you are able to see or feel this crumpled situation).
The system is clean, and gives them great opportunities for good color palettes.
But surely they can come with issues in some applications.
Emily Brackett’s comment is:
@Melissa Lyford: My hesitation is that it's not something crumpled that's smoothing out, it's actually something smooth that's getting wrinkled. That's especially the case with the business card.
I love the concept and I love that this is so edge-y. But I do get stuck on the fact that it was a nice piece of typography on a green square, and then part of that square got crumpled. It seems like the action should suggest the opposite, something messy getting neater, in which case maybe the right hand side looks like it was crumpled but has been smoothed out? Like when you smooth out a piece of paper?
On May.21.2009 at 12:36 PM
TFHackett’s comment is:
The first thing I thought of when I saw this was the splash screen for Dreamweaver 8:
Yussef Cole’s comment is:
I think the concept is wonderful, this strikes me more of something that'd make a great thesis project. As a scalable logo however, not so much.
On May.21.2009 at 04:03 PM
Anil Garg’s comment is:
Hi,
Crumpling as an identity can also be a visual delight. As in the case of contemporary painter "Vishnu Sonawane" who does large oils/acrylics on canvas to give the image (usually portraits) a crumpled look. His works are awesome and have created a unique identity for the artist.
--Anil
On May.22.2009 at 05:45 AM
Devin Gonzales’s comment is:
Wonderful logo. I nearly skipped this because the name was unfamiliar. Then I had to go back, to find out what that crumpled paper meant. I got it after the first sentence. How hard can it be to crumple one end of a piece of paper when you hand it to someone? Not that you have to do it everytime. The ad in an earlier comment really works for me.
On May.22.2009 at 02:51 PM
Devin Gonzales’s comment is:
Another thought for those who complain the execution is not stellar. Its accessible. Who want's to give their money to an agency who's logo makes them look like a corporate behemoth when they just want to feel well. A modest and humble execution is appropriate.
On May.22.2009 at 02:57 PM
.’s comment is:
"I think the concept is wonderful, this strikes me more of something that'd make a great thesis project. As a scalable logo however, not so much."
=========
I could not agree with this more, not to mention that nobody will understand this logo until it is explained to them.
Ideawin.
Logofail.
hofd’s comment is:
I think the idea and execution is fresh. The only thing I have a problem with is the crumpling of the photographs in the poster.
I can see how that could be read as some sort of negative statement/gesture toward the people who are unfortunate enough to be stuck in the crumpled part of the photographs.
On May.25.2009 at 08:45 PM
ArthurF’s comment is:
But.... what was the point about the Swan that the original logo deemed so necessary to have as a profile that becomes the "S"? I would have hoped to hold onto whatever that was about, rather than rationalize it to what is essentially a one- dimensional concrete approach. Can't imagine crumpling billboards. The gesture of a represntative crumpling their card is totally off -negative to the idea of the service, their job is not to crumple in front of you anything, but to straighten out.
So I do like it as autonomous design, but don't think it is thought through and certainly not applicable to the specific business. There are so many companies that this applies to, repair services of all kinds, that it seems to have foregone branding a specialty for flash and quirkiness.
Does such a business actually NEED that? If I'm going to search them out, I doubt I was attracted to such a pop-reading of being "straightened" out. Should a doctor's office go back to having the object of their specialty on their shingle again? I would have been curious about the Swan.
On Jun.12.2009 at 10:49 AM
Debbie Bannigan’s comment is:
Wow, you guys really have lots to say!
As the CEO of Swanswell, I can tell you that I absolutely adore my crumpleable business cards. I thought I would feel a bit of a plonker crumpling the card, but everyone I give the card to just totally gets it.
I love the fact that it starts a conversation - but the main conversation is "who did your design for you? Where can we get something as amazing as this?" then they apologise for giving me a plain old uncrumpled business card back. With a genuine look of sadness for their inadequate business stationery.
The design looks great on everything we put it on website - stationery - signage (big signage on our premises)- mugs - posters. The simple "feel well, do well, be well" is just the start - we have "work well" "live well" "stay well" - you name it - if it can be well for you, we can say it.
The other images are very powerful - Michael worked with our service users (clients) on the design so we know that they are meaningful in very many ways. We're not using them just yet - but we have some awesome ideas for how we are going to.
We wanted something edgy and different. I wanted the brand that my talented team and inspiring service users deserve. I think we got it. I know we got it because so many people tell me so.
So, I am one very chuffed client - thanks Michael and thanks to Jonathan at Brand Guardians too.
Dan’s comment is:
Simple and clever. Some people just don't get the idea of purifying and distilling, and not trying too hard. It's lovely and it works.
I may be stirring the pot a bit, but I'm guessing most of the negative comments (and there would be negative comments if you posted up the original Rand UPS logo on here... *sigh*), are coming from North America. There is a lot of sophisticated, clever and edgy design on this continent, but there is a lot of bad, bad stuff resulting from the perceived meritocracy that exists here (ie. that anyone can do it!).
The truth is, any North American organistion similar to Swanswell would never have a gram of the nerve that a British one would. Trite, fluffy and schmaltzy is what I'd expect. I'd love to be proved wrong.
On Jun.12.2009 at 12:48 PM
Comments in Brand New, V1.0 have been closed.
