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MeadWestvaco, a global supplier of paper products, packaging and chemicals (and subsequently a resource used by many designers… for the paper, not the chemicals) on March 24th unveiled a new brand that shortens the company moniker to “MWV,” introduces a new ribbon element that is animated in a cheesy Flash presentation on the corporate website (more on this later), and incorporates the presumptuous tagline “How brands take shape.”
According to chairman and CEO John Luke, Jr., “the new MWV brand identity… clearly states to customers that MWV… is uniquely positioned to help their brands take shape.” Really? On their own, the letterforms of the new mark communicate to me that the company has given up its rich heritage as the combination of the Mead Corporation and West Virginia Paper Company (and its many highly recognizable consumer brands such as At-A-Glance, Day Runner, Cambridge, etc.) for a more generic acronym that when rendered, resembles more of an old-fashioned telephone cord than anything else.
The new ribbon element that MeadWestvaco (sorry, MWV) uses is graphically interesting, and is a definite improvement over the much-dated look of the typeface ITC Eras that constituted the old logo. Because it is set in all caps, however, the new logotype sacrifices readability in favor of the clean and modern look of Helvetica… as a result, “Mead” is virtually indistinguishable from “Westvaco.” This is probably an intentional part of the redesign given the press release and CEO comments. The other aspect that bothers me is the extreme horizontalness of the brand; I am curious as to what a stacked version of the logo might resemble, and if it would be as effective.
In the promotional video introducing the new brand and explaining the positioning “How brands take shape”, the ribbon flies across the screen to New Age “space sounds” music, twisting and turning at right angles as it moves between foreground and background, and around short blurbs of text shown in perspective. For a moment I had flashbacks of the movie “Tron”, with all of its cheesy, “cutting edge” CGI graphics and animation (which was really cool back in 1982!).
The new positioning tagline for MWV is “how brands take shape.” While on the surface this proposition seems harmless enough, as a practicing designer (and a member of their target audience), something about it rubs me the wrong way—perhaps it is my conviction that brands are more than just great logos or clever packaging… or perhaps this blanket statement seems too arrogant for me. In the end, though, it is not necessarily what I think about this new MWV/MeadWestvaco brand, but about how customers perceive it.
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xavier dayanandh’s comment is:
check out this logo of a famous movie launched in india 6 months back
http://www.utvworldmovies.com/
On May.06.2008 at 08:44 AM
felix sockwell’s comment is:
well, i know Jonsel just barfed up his sandwich treat.
(we worked on MWV 5 years ago while he was @ Landor)
brands take shape in minds.
budgets get spent on paper.
the video and new logo certainly are lacking in the elegance dept. the logo an improvement, sure. the old was so irritating... it may as well be set in Optima... thats how bad ITC Eras is- surely one of the worst faces ever designed.
paper houses are getting killed these days... its kinda surprising they would dump cash right now on a redesign. clients and designers are feversishly cutting budgets, not trees.
On May.06.2008 at 09:48 AM
Rob’s comment is:
While I agree the type in the original needs some updating, I don't see how this new mark improves the brand. They've got equity in the MeadeWestvaco brand and that is what most people I know call them. MWV means little if nothing.
It's easily read as the M and WV, which is the standard abbreviation for the State of West Virginia (meaning people read the M and WV separately at least for me, since I have some familiarity with that state).
And why use both the logotype and the ? Are they hoping to drop the Meadewestvaco all together and live the rest of their CEO's corporate life as the acronym MWV? Curious what research was done on this project.
On May.06.2008 at 09:53 AM
JonSel’s comment is:
well, i know Jonsel just barfed up his sandwich treat.
That treat was tasty both ways... So, yes, I definitely had one of those cartoon moments with the eyes bugging out a foot from my head. Considering this is the project that pretty much drove me from that job, I don't have the best perspective. But, positioning themselves as a "packaging company" is a much stronger idea than being a "specialty paper company", which is more of less what they were 6 years ago. They also had the considerable challenge 6 years ago of integrating two VERY different corporate cultures in Mead and Westvaco. Hopefully they've solved that by now.
The Meadwestvaco name was always a tough chunk to say, but MWV has the same number of syllables, so I'm not so sure of the verbal benefit. At least it helps solve the "we were two merged companies" angle. That horizontal lockup shown above is probably not the main version, but it is on the website.
And just so I'm clear, are those some Sockwell original illustrations in MWV's '07 annual? Glad they had a better budget for you this time! VSA did the annual. Did they do the ID as well?
On May.06.2008 at 10:11 AM
Ty’s comment is:
That video is atrocious! Soooo cheesy. I agree with Ryan, when I create a brand, packaging is just one thing on a list of many, so to assert that packaging is how brands take shape is a tad ambitious.
Although, it might be a play on words. Because packaging is physical rather than electronic or conceptual, I can see how maybe they mean that they are a means for which brands literally take shape, in packaging.
On May.06.2008 at 10:44 AM
Daniel Bertalotto’s comment is:
I just wish it was more relevant. Ambiguity isn't a strength. It seems they wanted to sell their stock listing more than their brand.
On May.06.2008 at 11:24 AM
Andrew’s comment is:
Thanks to GDUSA, I recognized that as the popular Foldover Logo Trend: http://www.gdusa.com/issue_2008/04_apr/feature/foldover.php
On May.06.2008 at 11:27 AM
Darrel’s comment is:
I thought the tagline was an obvious play on words, but maybe not everyone did.
On May.06.2008 at 11:47 AM
Mr Posen’s comment is:
I find both names hard to pronounce, and the MWV logo hard to read, I have to stop and think before I say it, annoying!
They should have just simplified their name to:
Me-WV
On May.06.2008 at 11:51 AM
Mike’s comment is:
I like the clar design of the new logo.
But I agree the MWV logo is not easy to read. A new name could help...
drewdraws2’s comment is:
@Andrew: This has to be the worst result of the foldover trend I've seen so far.
@Darrel: I didn't get it. Nothing in this identity made me think of the double entendre until Ty mentioned it.
On May.06.2008 at 12:03 PM
schwa’s comment is:
nouns are verbed.
content is old.
promos are ignored.
Darrin Crescenzi’s comment is:
I really feel like the 'W' and 'V' letterforms could be redrawn to lessen the enormous white triangle that is prying them apart. Formally, I find the whole lockup odd.
On May.06.2008 at 12:38 PM
Gabe Ruane’s comment is:
This is one of those rare situations where the full name is actually shorter (counting syllables) than the abbreviation. Strange call there. And the Flash piece could have been acceptable with anything else for a soundtrack. Anything.
On May.06.2008 at 01:07 PM
Eric Heitz’s comment is:
Worked for Mead before the Mead and Westvaco merger and from that day on we always commented on how the name is hard to read or say. Mead's history of the Trapper Keeper and Five Star products, I feel has been lost in this name.
Was waiting for their new logo to show up here. My friend, still employed at MeadWestvaco in their consumer products division, didn't even know of this new logo until released on their website.
The day Mead let their paper line go, is the day the true Mead was lost.
On May.06.2008 at 01:17 PM
JonSel’s comment is:
Another thing I find interesting (possibly only to me) is that when we worked on the initial Meadwestvaco post-merger logo, we considered lots of MW monograms. We never once considered an MWV. Sounds to me like that initial combo evolved internally over the years and the designers just ran with it.
On May.06.2008 at 02:57 PM
Andrew’s comment is:
How brands take shape:
The passive voice is used.
Carl’s comment is:
I'm glad you mentioned ribbons.
I saw the new Chevron logo and wondered wtf was up with the ribbons and was hoping you might be able to shed some light on their newly "ribbon-effected" identity.
Please tell me there's more to it than just the ribbon effect.
On May.06.2008 at 03:38 PM
Prescott Perez-Fox’s comment is:
@Andrew, yes I too noticed the immense overuse of passive voice. If I may borrow a line from Buth/Cheney/Rumsfeld, "mistakes were made."
In my view the worst part of this is the name. Clearly this is one case where 1+1 does not equal 2. This is a great example of when a merged company should bust out with something entirely new, or at least let one company dominate.
On May.06.2008 at 09:06 PM
ScottS’s comment is:
I think using all caps is a poor choice--it makes it hard to read an already challenging combo of words. I also question the name itself...before they were "MeadWestvaco" and now they're "MWV MEADWESTVACO". Is that supposed to be simpler/more memorable?
The tagline "How brands take shape" seems a bit presumptuous to me, considering brands encompass a helluva lot more than a package with a logo stamped on it
The ribbon/foldover trend is just that--a trend. And in this case, though I can appreciate the meaning of the folds as relating to boxes/packaging, it just has a clunky old-school look to it that doesn't smack of originality or creativity. My three cents.
On May.06.2008 at 09:55 PM
Bjorn’s comment is:
An over used "mobius strip" device paired with over-arching, over-reaching, overly branded "statements", and put them together into a flashy video! Don't get me started me the music!
In a climate where even oil companies are trying to be environmentally friendly (or at least seem like they are), its a surprise to see a paper company projecting themselves as a BIG COMPANY, munching away at the last of our trees..
On May.06.2008 at 09:59 PM
lodenmuse’s comment is:
"When likewise with talent blessed, take shape YOU will not."
~Yoda
On May.07.2008 at 12:31 AM
Nick’s comment is:
eghh...sad what does it look like in a one color option or when it is faxed...I can only imagine more horrible than it is now...AND when DID a packaging coming start having the GUSTO to talk about brands! Consumers make brands NOT companies
On May.07.2008 at 08:04 AM
Joel’s comment is:
I'm with Darrin - the optical spacing between the W and V is so much greater than that between the M and W. It hurts my eyes. Almost as much as it hurts my mouth to say the acronym.
On May.07.2008 at 12:51 PM
emily’s comment is:
Why on earth would anyone elect to change from the equitable, pronounceable "West" to a clunky initial like "W" ??
On May.07.2008 at 01:59 PM
Joshua Levi’s comment is:
A video (that's far too long) full of clichéd
business statements? I'm blown away by how
differentiated they are...
Agreed with most of the above-
Just because the name is a bit of a mouthful,
doesn't mean it's a good idea to turn it into
an unpronounceable acronym--then set
that acronym next to a new wordmark that
makes this difficult name MORE difficult to
read. The heritage is in the name, and
that's been diminished.
Disappointingly, It would seem one of the
'goals 'of the rebrand must have been to
appear more modern, fresh, more technological,
etc. In these efforts, the visuals seems
to fall short in conveying this, instead
appearing generic and clinical.
I could see a scenario where these graphics
would appear more relevant, and they might
actually sing with stellar copywriting to
help 'get' what the ribbon is all about.
Michael’s comment is:
Although the new identity is an improvement, it is remindful of the Waste Management logo...
http://www.scribemedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/waste-management-logo.jpg
On May.11.2008 at 02:12 AM
Michael’s comment is:
Joe di Stefano’s comment is:
This is exactly what Michael Scott had in mind when corporate aproached him about working on a new commercial for Dunder Mifflin. The soundtrack is outrageous.
On May.12.2008 at 01:50 AM
Anonymous’s comment is:
Scott Auch’s comment is:
The Wendy' Arby's Group created their new logo, plagiarizing MeadWestVaco's logo. Not just a bad branding solution, but unoriginal as well. See the comparison: http://www.sagecreative.com/images/mwv-wag.jpg
On Oct.23.2008 at 12:22 PM
Mark’s comment is:
you're all behind CBC NewsWorld did the 3D swirly snake-y thing first. XD
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