A B-Side BY Armin

Simmons Bedding Company

Established in 1870, Simmons Bedding Company is one of the most well-known mattress producers, manufacturing an assortment of different mattresses. They introduced a new logo in January and are a planning their first big ad campaign. Story here. Review: OMG, really? From bad to bad-erer.

Thanks to James I. Bowie for the tip.

Opinion BY Armin

Gaga for GooGoo

First sold in 1912 and claiming to be the world’s “first ever combination candy bar”, a GooGoo Cluster is a rocky mound of caramel, marshmallow nougat, roasted peanuts, and milk chocolate produced by Standard Candy Co. in Nashville, Tennessee. The GooGoos are as much an icon of the city as its music and have an app of their own to locate stores across Nashville that sell them. They are also quite popular in the Southern part of the U.S. with devotees as far North as Canada. A logo and package redesign by Atlanta, GA-based Green Olive Media was introduced last year — as part of a larger effort that included spinning off GooGoo Cluster into its own company and a new recipe — but with the centenary of the candy in full swing, there is more GooGoo Cluster fever than ever.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Post Foods

Established in 1897, Post Foods is a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of branded ready-to-eat cereals like Honeycomb, Pebblers, and Golden Crisp, along with their own branded Bran Flakes and Raisin Bran, and others. A revised logo has recently appeared on their website and commercials.

Thanks to Tom Culton for the tip.

Opinion BY Armin

With Windows Like These Who Needs Enemies? [UPDATED]

Gearing for its latest OS release — after a couple of lackluster and user panned versions in Windows Vista and Windows XP (and continued mockery from OS X users) — Microsoft has been slowly releasing previews and developer versions of Windows 8, a complete rethinking of one of the most frightening computer-using experiences. Based on Microsoft’s “Metro” design language, Windows 8 adopts the user interface currently in play on the Windows Phone OS. By the end of February, Microsoft will release a consumer preview (don’t call it Beta) of Windows 8 and its new logo was recently spotted. Update: This post has been revised with design credit to Pentagram partner Paula Scher and text from Sam Moreau, Principal Director of User Experience for Windows; scroll to the bottom.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Nature’s Path

Dating back to 1949, Nature’s Path produces and sells organic cereals and granola. Last November they introduced a new logo and packaging (shown below, or after the jump). Story here.

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Opinion BY Armin

Dr. Quaker and Mr. Quaker

Established as the first trademark for a breakfast cereal in 1877, Quaker Oats has been providing cereal to America and parts of the world for more than 135 years. That’s a lot of cereal, people. Now owned by Pepsico, Quaker offers a broad range of products, from cereal to granola bars to oatmeal to tight little bundles of rice crackers — more than 40 different sub-brands in total. And this expansion is starting to show some confusion. Without any press releases or information, Quaker has introduced two new logos in the past two years, both operating in parallel while the original logo remains in play across non-updated products, and has just started messing with a bunch of its most popular cereals.

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Guest Opinion by Richard Baird Posted BY Armin

Dulux Colors the World

Dulux, owned by Dutch multinational conglomerate AkzoNobel is an international brand of paint with a history dating back to 1931 which, during its lifetime, has been sold by Dupont and former British chemical company ICI. Initially aimed at wholesalers and decorators the brand moved into the retail market during the 1950s and delivered a significant (and memorable) advertising impact with the introduction of the “Dulux dog” as part of a 1960s advertising campaign which continues to be used today. Following a decision to resolve the international variations of Dulux into one premium paint brand, October 2010 saw the initial launch of a new global visual identity system created by London-based Design Bridge across Canada, China, India, South East Asia, the Pacific and the Netherlands with other regions to follow.

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Opinion BY Armin

Meet Mr. PIP

Established in 1983, Belkin designs and produces a broad range of consumer electronic products, from routers, to mobile accessories, to a perplexing but always life-saving range of USB and cables — or, as they so eloquently and on-brand put it, “Belkin products connect the dots between people and technology.” To coincide with, CES, the biggest electronic show — and with the return of Belkin founder, Chet Pipkin (pay attention to the name) — Belkin has introduced a new identity designed by Wolff Olins.

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Opinion BY Armin

Hörst gets Hot

Hörst Dusseldorf, as its name implies, is a German brand — sold and distributed by a Canadian company based in Montréal — of high-end clothing for men that includes shirts, suits, pants, and other accoutrements to make a man feel more man than slob. (Their site seems to have broken down in the last hour or so). This past December, they introduced a whole new look designed by Montréal-based Lg2boutique.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Gildan

Established in 1984, Gildan is a “marketer and globally low-cost vertically-integrated manufacturer of quality branded basic apparel.” From socks to t-shirts to fleece, over 30,000 employees worldwide push this good-enough brand. A revised logo appeared last Fall.

Thanks to Michael Smith for the tip.