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Guest Review by Chris Thorpe
Since 1968, Dick Smith Electronics has provided Australian consumers with a wide range of electronic products, from transistor radio kits and cables to computers and cameras. Founded by entrepreneur (and more recently aviator) Dick Smith, it used a series of marketing gimmicks (including creating a fake iceberg and sailing it into Sydney Harbour) to raise its public profile until it was sold to Woolworths in 1980. As part of Woolworths’ recent rebranding, the identity has been changed to reflect the updated style of the rest of the Woolworths Group. It is also an attempt to counter general perceptions of the company as a budget retailer, along with absorbing Dick Smith Powerhouse and Tandy Electronics, creating a unified electronics store for the Woolworths Group under the name Dick Smith. This logo, designed by Hoyne Design, is part of an attempt to move the retailer towards a consumer electronics brand, and also includes substantial changes to the store displays and graphics.
Here’s a statement from Dick Smith’s spokesman:
Dick Smith is a successful business and brand but we needed to ensure we are relevant to modern consumers. The objective of the rebrand was to make the Dick Smith brand relevant in today’s market and support the business moving from electronics to technology. Research conducted over past 18 months confirmed the Dick Smith Brand was dated and considered old fashioned. The word electronics had us stuck in the 1970s. We’re in the technology and entertainment business and we realised we needed a contemporary brand to match that.
Our new branding invites customers to come talk to us — after all we have been talking technology for 40 years. We are solution providers and we are about humanizing technology and making the category exciting not daunting — that’s why we like to call ourselves Techxperts!
And we have also received some insight from Hoyne Design:
To Dick Smith their predicament was obvious. Their brandmark featured the head of a man no longer connected to the business. They were famous as suppliers of electronic components but their current product range featured more desirable modern gadgets such as mobile phones, iPods, laptops and plasma screens. Their target audience thought of them as “geeks.” So how do you reboot a 30-year old icon?
Fast-moving technology can be confusing and intimidating. Hoyne capitalised on Dick Smith’s “geeky” reputation by repositioning them as trusted specialists, with the new tagline, “Talk to the Techxperts.” Hoyne’s new strategy included a decapitated brandmark, featuring a “d” styled like a speech bubble, a friendly, quirkier communication tone and new-look stores that have increased visitation and are expected to save Dick Smith over $3 million in fit-out costs.
Sales at Dick Smith’s 33 newly refurbished stores grew 11.7%, outperforming a major competitor’s 101 bigger-format outlets.
Given that the literal image of its founder was so central to the branding for Dick Smith Electronics, the choice to remove his grinning, omniscient head is a little strange. Admittedly, the old logo looked a little dated and cheap, but this newer logo, while more contemporary, seems unresolved. The typography is unbalanced, and even though I can see the idea behind the speech bubble “d” working well, it doesn’t fit with the rest of the typeface—it feels a lot thinner, particularly when compared with the ascenders of the other letters. The difference in sizes across the counter forms creates a logotype that feels unfinished. The use of what looks like an unmodified version of The Sans, combined with stacking it under “Smith” only serves to unbalance the logo even further. And what is going on with that “s”? The type does express the technology angle of the store well, but the tag line is just too questionable; I keep getting stuck on how I’m meant to pronounce it. It appears as though the tag line was crafted before the logo, and that the designer was told to integrate their design with it.
In spite of these criticisms, I think the redesign makes sense — the company has appeared dated for a long time and was overdue for an update — though I can’t help but feel that some of the qualities that made Dick Smith unique have been lost.
Chris Thorpe is a Melbourne based graphic design student and freelancer. He is also to be thanked for first tip.
Jump to Most Recent Comment
Josh’s comment is:
A couple of thoughts:
1. The justification for removing the iconic head was because Smith was no longer involved. So why not take the next logical step and rename it if that's the issue? Removing the iconic part of the brand doesn't seem to make a lot of sense.
2. Speech bubbles, bubbles everywhere... it seems "let's talk" is the branding trend of the last year or so and Dick Smith just got on the bandwagon. I do think it's a witty idea, but it's not really helping them stand apart in a world with a hundred other talk bubble logotypes. It would be like adding a marble. I can appreciate the sentiment and the thought behind it though.
3. I feel awkward about the techxperts part, but techsperts and texperts both look more awkward. Eh.
On Apr.03.2009 at 07:23 AM
John McCollum’s comment is:
I can't fault the removal of the Dick head, but I don't think it was necessary to justify it based on the fact that Dick pulled out.
Also, until I read the explanation, I didn't see the D as a talk balloon. Unnecessary, at least in its description. What's wrong with it just being a cool typographic quirk?
As a simple typographic detail, it indicates confidence. As a talk balloon, it communicates the opposite -- a desire to be trendy.
And what's wrong with just spelling out "Tech Experts" that's how you're going to pronounce it.
On Apr.03.2009 at 08:02 AM
R Berger’s comment is:
"…that Dick pulled out."
Nice one John.
On Apr.03.2009 at 08:22 AM
Lucas Human’s comment is:
–John McCollum said, "And what's wrong with just spelling out "Tech Experts" that's how you're going to pronounce it."
Well John, I guess it could be worse… they could have gone with Electronicxperts. ha
On Apr.03.2009 at 08:34 AM
Erik at Logo Critiques’s comment is:
Nice modern clean design. I like it quite a bit. The stylized 'd' and 't' look great.
On Apr.03.2009 at 08:35 AM
Saylor’s comment is:
I would probably pronounce it \TEK-spurts\. But I also feel a bit awkward about the way its spelled.
Despite an unfinished feel, I do enjoy the way the "t" works. Gestalt. It's nice.
On Apr.03.2009 at 08:39 AM
Adam’s comment is:
I agree with Saylor on the pronunciation. My first read was TEK-spurts as well. Still looks funky though.
I like the new typeface, but I agree that the 'speech bubble' D is a bit of a stretch and doesn't fit. The only thing I can imagine is that future ads and promotions will incorporate the use of the speech bubble some how, since they want us to 'Talk to the Techxperts"
On Apr.03.2009 at 08:54 AM
Jonathan’s comment is:
Immediately reminded me of Duffy & Partners. Yet another logo from all caps to all lowercase.
On Apr.03.2009 at 09:03 AM
koyo’s comment is:
"the removal of the Dick head"
hhohohoho
On Apr.03.2009 at 09:07 AM
Armin’s comment is:
Alright boys, that's enough with the penis double entendres.
On Apr.03.2009 at 09:33 AM
Josh’s comment is:
This is also the first thing I thought of.
Lucid’s comment is:
Oick Smith...
The bubble thing... Not working, don't see it
Gestalt... Not so much, to me anyway, because the design as a whole is not working.
If it where me I would have at least pushed to keep the head in some way shape or form, or even the colors... The new logo is just to far a departure from the original... My 2 cents
C+/B-
On Apr.03.2009 at 09:51 AM
TFHackett’s comment is:
If that "d" is a speech bubble, it's inverted. Is Dick "talking down" to us?
Being on the other side of the world, I have no familiarity with the brand, but I prefer the older logo only because disembodied heads in logos make me smile:
Harris’s comment is:
It's pronounced tex-perts, like experts with a t in front. They should have just made the name of the company Techxperts.
On Apr.03.2009 at 10:00 AM
Andrew Sabatier’s comment is:
As dated, cheap-looking and naive as the original brandmark was, at least it had all the fundamental criteria for a successful brand identity. It had a quirky, distinctive and memorable personality.
You can't get more generic than Dick Smith if you tried. However, the name has huge equity locally and this is a strong position from which to move the brand forward. But add another generic idea no one would recognise unless they're told what it represents isn't going to charm anyone. And express an already lame name with a relatively generic and poorly drawn typeface drains any last gasp attempts at uniqueness.
Times have changed, the market has changed and a new more relevant strategy needs to be made experiential. No surprise. All successful and forward-looking organisations need responsive and relevant positioning strategies...
... but to present a new strategy so poorly is a fat fall-on-your-face fail.
This rebrand smells of a design-led strategy that when horribly wrong. Either it was designed by designers who think they know something about marketing or marketers who aren't very creative or able to express distinct ideas. Someone somewhere along the line got very stressed and very confused. The result demonstrates this in a painfully obvious way.
A.
Permalink: http://digg.com/u16Ei
Dale Campbell’s comment is:
I have to agree with Josh - the first thing that I thought of was Duffy.
I'm sort of over the whole "quote bubble" thingy in logos. To me it seems like some sort of designer's last resort when all else fails because at the very least, as a company that offers consultancy, a quote bubble MUST be the solution...
As a designer, I prefer to go into more depth than that... but that's just me.
On Apr.03.2009 at 10:34 AM
Philip’s comment is:
White and yellow text on a black background. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to hell.
On Apr.03.2009 at 10:46 AM
Camryn’s comment is:
They need to keep the head somehow. They've moved increasingly into selling own-brand devices (as opposed to just branded devices and own branded components) and I can see how you would not want a Dick-Smith head on a camera or wireless router... but the head does work as the logo of the actual store.
On Apr.03.2009 at 11:34 AM
Dale Campbell’s comment is:
@ Phillip
As one who actually uses that color scheme, could you explain how this is hellish?
On Apr.03.2009 at 12:38 PM
Mongoose’s comment is:
I agree it was absolutely time for all-caps and the head to go. Charming, destined to be worn on hipster t-shirts in ten years, but sadly dated for a store. I agree that 'Electronics' probably should have been dropped.
The new logo seems to be.. mmm. trying a bit too hard to be clever. I don't like the speech-bubble 'd', I don't like the 'th' in combination so close to the 'm', and just because you move away from all-caps doesn't mean you need to be all-lower-case. I get the feeling a capital D and S would've set things off more nicely.
"Talk to the Techxperts". Enhh, not bad of a tagline, though the yellow type does nothing for me, and a more matching font might've been found. Still, it's a bit snappier a design than the old one.
I give it a C+ for mild improvement and thorough modernization.
--Mongoose
On Apr.03.2009 at 12:58 PM
kirk’s comment is:
a blacksmith, forges metals, an arrowsmith makes arrows... what does a dicksmith do?
On Apr.03.2009 at 01:27 PM
Bill Dawson (XK9)’s comment is:
What is a "dicksmith"? A urologist? A specialized masseuse?
Removal of initial caps, the tight word spacing, and removal of the portrait. It all adds up to this reading like one word. And the puerile public (like me) will first read this as something other than a name.
Techxperts is just stretching too far for a slogan that Dick can hang his hat on.
@TFHackett, "Is Dick "talking down" to us?"
I thought the same thing. But I think that most people won't even see the "d" as a talk bubble. And then when they're told, they will be talked down too.
On Apr.03.2009 at 01:27 PM
tom’s comment is:
Perhaps I am to freudian or something, but I don't feel like something that can easily be seen as a phallic symbol, put ON the word "dick" is much of a clever decision...
That said, I also find the new logo horrid, yet way better than the original one.
On Apr.03.2009 at 01:37 PM
Nathan McKinney’s comment is:
Armin, I feel you are overthinking this one. While this isn't the greatest rebranding of the century, I can totally see removing the face from the logo as a forward movement.
I read Techxperts right off the bat. (Turning around and spelling it is another story, as I just discovered when I tried to type it, but I guess that the customers won't be asked to know how to spell it.)
While the word bubble thing HAS been done a lot, I it reads more as a fancy "d" to me. And I think it integrates pretty well with the font. It's subtle enough that it isn't sticking out and saying "Hey, I'm a talk bubble that doesn't do anything." When used in the logo, it's just a "d". If they find a way to make that "d" do something in advertising or the store environment, then it's purpose will then speak for itself.
The techy approach to the font choice seems a bit dated, but at least I read electronics from looking at it.
As to the comments about eliminating the name "dick smith". It totally hinges on the brand equity in the name. If there was none, then change away. Dick Smith is a fairly memorable (if crude) name for an electronics store. If people recognize it and associate good things with it, then they should stick to it.
The color scheme stands out from other tech stores, and is hard to miss, so I can't see fault there.
Like I said, It's not the best ever, but I have a hard time picking on this.
On Apr.03.2009 at 02:13 PM
Kim’s comment is:
Trying to pronounce the "ch" and "x" sounds together in "Techxperts" makes me cough up phlegm.
On Apr.03.2009 at 02:20 PM
Armin’s comment is:
Nathan... I didn't think anything. Chris Thorpe did.
On Apr.03.2009 at 02:21 PM
jRod’s comment is:
yeah, i hate the fact that the head had to go. certainly would have helped with the personality.
On Apr.03.2009 at 02:47 PM
Jonathan’s comment is:
Dale - I think Phillip meant that white and yellow text on a black background is hell for printing... And I believe him :)
On Apr.03.2009 at 03:20 PM
Darrin Crescenzi’s comment is:
I have to agree with Bill Dawson on this one… removing the initial capitals on a wordmark that happens to be somebody's name is just strange and unnerving — especially when both the first and last names stand alone as individual words with other meanings, and have yet a third meaning when read as a compound word. It's like a brand identity trainwreck.
This type of thing seems to happen when designers get too involved with a project, and fail to step back and look at it from 10,000 feet. You could have easily updated this branding and positioning without opening the door to a dozen other quagmires.
On Apr.03.2009 at 03:22 PM
John’s comment is:
The d looks like an upside down closed captioning symbol.
On Apr.03.2009 at 03:31 PM
kirk’s comment is:
I read techxperts "tek ex perts" at first.
and if Dick Smith is a known brand name. Roll with it, dont make it say 'DICKSMITH' and logo it up like its some high-tech sex toy or something.
I could see a classic signature script type for the logo placed with a techxie™ looking icon or something.
or just keep the dude's head, if your gonna keep the Dick name, you might as well keep the Dick head. (i couldn't resist)
On Apr.03.2009 at 04:23 PM
Nate’s comment is:
Josh, nice pick up on the Duffy swipe. Maybe there's a little homage going on there.
Speaking of homage, I personally think the store should have kept some semblance of the Dick Smith portrait if they kept the name.
Those horned-rimmed glasses would've been a great element to keep. Something in-line with the Geek Squad, Techxpert deal.
Hell, they could've played that out to no end. Best Buy does it already with a stupid ticket-shaped logo.
On Apr.03.2009 at 04:33 PM
Mark’s comment is:
hehe the old logo looks funny!
the new one looks more serious and is much more clearer.
On Apr.03.2009 at 05:34 PM
Gavan’s comment is:
Penis entendre is not really an issue. Dick Smith is a house hold name in Australia to the extent that you could letterspace this wordmark however the hell you wanted and it would never be confused for Eurology or otherwise.
Furthermore, at times Dick Smith has himself used the Penis entendre to his playful advantage. This is an empire with the clout to market a product called Dickheads. I don't think the odd teenage dick joke is going to worry them.
(There are Dick Smith stores in NZ I believe, but not in America anymore, amiright?)
I notice that despite the months of new advertising, catalogues, plastic bags and store fitouts, the old mark is still featured very prominently at the top of the dockets.
On Apr.03.2009 at 08:19 PM
Gavan’s comment is:
* An 'empire' in the sense of the word that Joe Public doesn't care that Dick Smith does not own Dick Smith anymore, anyway.
On Apr.03.2009 at 09:08 PM
Adam Haase’s comment is:
This "new" logo which i'm not a real big fan of actually came out in around October-November of 2008.
The slogan "Talk to the techxperts replaced the previous "Humanising Technology" slogan.
As was stated in the description, Dick Smith Electronics is a subsidiary of large Australian company Woolworths Limited which is listed on the ASX or Australian Securities Exchange formerly Australian Stock Exchange.
I'm thinking of the new logo as looking like the old Corbis logo.
I may not like it, others may like it but it's a step in the right direction in my personal opinion.
On Apr.03.2009 at 09:56 PM
Bryan Redeagle’s comment is:
I think they could have done a better job if they just kept the head and used maybe a grotesque face next to it.
I really like the head. It just kind of screams "this guy knows computers".
On Apr.03.2009 at 10:01 PM
Camryn’s comment is:
DSE (as it attempted to brand itself for a while) is in NZ too.
As I've known the old logo my whole life, I can't say I ever thought it was too bad. Not Verizon-bad anyway.
On Apr.03.2009 at 10:22 PM
adzski’s comment is:
The 'new' logo also replaces this 'old' logo: PowerHouse stores (which are larger format) will now just be known as Dick Smith, same as the smaller stores.
The old PowerHouse sure was hideous, but I just wonder about using the one name 'Dick Smith' all stores (both the smaller 'Dick Smith Electronics' stores, and larger 'Dick Smith PowerHouse' stores). There is a crucial different between these types of stores, and now customers will just be confused.
I happen to think this rebrand is brand suicide: the thing people know Dick Smith stores for is being 'nerdy', but that's not a bad thing! Now they will just be the same as every other big box electrical retailer.
On Apr.03.2009 at 11:16 PM
Nathan Adams’s comment is:
One of the main issues with the old logo, was the completely inconsistent application. The store near my apartment alone has three different looking versions of the Dick's head on different bits of signage (they haven't updated to the new brand yet, except on their Point of Sale material).
I've always associated DS to be fairly cheap and a bit cruddy - especially their own branded products. The new branding feels a bit more trustworthy and solid to me.
On Apr.04.2009 at 02:18 AM
Lindsay’s comment is:
Fairly boring 'standard lowercase sans with a tech spin' update, also the letters feel extremely unresolved. The tag line is really poor.
I think most people refer to it as 'Dick Smith' so the removing of the electronics is fine.
Their own products generally are of similar quality to other lower end electronic products, but suffer from poor packaging and are often branded with a half-hearted attempt to rebrand as DSE.
The iconic head is something that needed to be kept in my opinion as it is part of the charm of the brand. Or at least the "nerd" glasses.
Dick jokes have been said so many times by traveling comedians.
Also the 'Techxperts' hardly ever give you help when you walk in Dick Smith
On Apr.04.2009 at 09:22 AM
nic’s comment is:
saw someone had tried to do a kfc rebrand in a print catalogue earlier last year, just changing his face to a more youthfull dickhead + adding more rounded sans type (kinda wish i still had it).
should've just used DSE as brand. now they're just DS? or do they sell DS's? sticking with old domain or what? stupid move. rebrand again.
On Apr.05.2009 at 12:50 AM
tez’s comment is:
As a kid I remember how much I hated the original logo for both the use of the head graphic and the fact that (for a 5yr old here) that it had a rude word in its name. Sorry but thats what I thought as a kid. Now that I'm an adult I think the new identity is a huge improvement on the old..despite the appendage. Also Techxperts is pronounced TECHsperts. I think it works. So snaps to Hoyne design for giving us a vastly improved identity for such an iconic electronics retailer. And yes the typeface is really nice I think it works on many levels.
On Apr.05.2009 at 07:40 PM
Serviceburo’s comment is:
From a typographical standpoint, I like the new logotype better, the "t" and "d" elements are nice little touches that are done with enough subtlety to not look like someone has a man-crush on David Carson, but I do think that the tagline is difficult. The public seems to be pretty alright with artificially compounded words, but this one doesn't really flow for me and I don't thing that Joe Public will be all that fond of it either.
On Apr.05.2009 at 07:56 PM
Peter’s comment is:
Expert techxpert choking smokers,
Don't you think the joker laughs at you?
ken c’s comment is:
From a typographical standpoint I think the typeface is pretty bland, there is not much variation or interest within the letter forms themselves. The 'd' helps gives the mark a unique ownable element, which it badly needs, especially considering Colonel Dick has been removed.
The san serif tagline (myriad?) is stylistically mis-matched.
I miss you dick already.
On Apr.05.2009 at 11:23 PM
Peter’s comment is:
Having Dick Smiths in New Zealand as well makes me wonder if we will see the new livery anytime soon.
I quite like the form that the D has started but it seems like this wasn't taken further to create a more unique and ownable font. Maybe they could have taken the little D ascender and used this to truncate the bar in the T and the ends of the S & C.
My feeling is that the name could almost be grouped and said as one... it rolls off the tongue. Especially for us kiwi's who bastardise a lot of our language.
On Apr.06.2009 at 01:26 AM
Nathan McKinney’s comment is:
Armin- Sorry bout that.. I noticed after I hit post that this wasn't one of yours.
On Apr.06.2009 at 09:59 AM
Jeff’s comment is:
John McCollum’s comment might be the best comment I've ever read. LOL!
John McCollum’s comment is: I can't fault the removal of the Dick head, but I don't think it was necessary to justify it based on the fact that Dick pulled out.
On Apr.06.2009 at 01:04 PM
tez’s comment is:
So, folks what part of the original posting did you not understand? Dick Smith the person is no longer the face of Dick Smith electronics. Needless to say that his face should be removed from the logo. The name is virtually a trade mark, hence why the name should stay. It also pays homage to the history of the company. It makes sense to me why they did it.
As for Kirk's comment about Dick heads. The real Dick Smith a few years ago began a grocery business and just so happens to sell "Dick Heads" matches as a play on another famous brand of matches - red heads.
On Apr.06.2009 at 07:18 PM
the.stooge ’s comment is:
Firstly, ill position myself as an avid reader of brand new first, and a long time employee of Dick Smith over here in Australia second.
It was great to see this rebranding covered, as it was quite a monumental redesign. (I mean, how could you not notice that giant, glowing, grinning face missing from your shopping complex??)
Also, because it was about dam time the old, tacky and cheap looking logo was thrown away. But the new logo, and more specifically, the awkward tag line, has even DSE employees stumped!
I thought it was one of good old Mr. Smiths practical jokes, but no, Woolworths would much prefer their staff to get tongue tied every time they answer the phone. "Thanks for calling the techxperts, how can we help?"
JM’s comment is:
Tez said: "So, folks what part of the original posting did you not understand? Dick Smith the person is no longer the face of Dick Smith electronics. Needless to say that his face should be removed from the logo."
Well the same could be said of Cornel Sanders, though KFC understand that their mascot is an essential part of their brand and so transcends the individual.
Dick is the company, whether he like it or not.
On Apr.07.2009 at 12:15 PM
Tez’s comment is:
Touché JM. Although the difference is that colonel Sanders is the dead face/legacy of the company and the company isn't named after him, although appears to be the embodiment of everything he worked for.
Dick Smith is alive and has nothing to do with the company any more. As he sold it to make a tidy profit and move on to other ventures as smart entrepreneurs do. And no Dick isn't the company, his name is.
and that is where I'll leave it.
On Apr.07.2009 at 07:28 PM
Glenn Sakamoto’s comment is:
I miss the "personality." Now it looks like just another generic electronic store.
On Apr.08.2009 at 11:35 AM
Morgan Smail’s comment is:
reminds me of the Paulringo logo
JM’s comment is:
tez said:
"And no Dick isn't the company, his name is."
...and what is his name? A brand.
Arguing that the company should divorce itself from the image of man, though keep his name is confusing to me.
On Apr.08.2009 at 02:03 PM
earl’s comment is:
I can't trust electronics unless a floating head has specifically given its seal of approval to them.
The new logo is very loudly telling me "I'm hip with it... what ever 'it' right now is...someone tell me... please..."
On Apr.09.2009 at 07:45 PM
web agentur bonn’s comment is:
Love the font, love the colors, love the concept.
On Apr.11.2009 at 03:20 AM
StellaW’s comment is:
hmmm.... looks nice and clean, esp the T is pretty cool, looks like a Tetris block.
However, the redesign/upgrade went too far ahead. They still should have kept Mr. Smith's head as he is the founding father of the store and its brand today.
look at Mr. Lee Noodles redesign in Norway a few yrs back. This is the direction it could have gone and still kept its brand image and loyal clients and appealed to a new clientele too.
On May.06.2009 at 03:39 AM
smartc@hotmail.com’s comment is:
Just a Duffy Partners ripoff! A studio like Hoyne would know about the Duffy logo too beforehand which is pretty pathetic!
On May.18.2009 at 01:09 AM
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