Vitamix Logo Review
Note: What follows is an opinion piece on the strengths and weaknesses of current Vitamix logo. Insomniac Studios did not design the current Vitamix logo.
Last year the blender broke. Having replaced it three times prior, the decision was made to upgrade to a Vitamix. The Vitamix is a great product with attractive support materials printed in matte black. However, day after day, the Vitamix logo looked more and more out of place amongst the high-end print support materials.
Bringing the current Vitamix logo into Illustrator revealed several design issues. The V-shape elements in the logomark's swirl lacked consistency, which caused the logo to look less premium, even amateurish, and out of place against the high-end luxury look of the brand's print support material.
Vitamix Logo Insight
Sometimes, a logo only needs a slight refresh rather than a full redesign to accomplish its goals and elevate the entire brand. What follows is the result of the analysis and a proposed revision that can strengthen the Vitamix logo and better align the product with its premium market position. The results of this logo analysis and redesign project were shared with key Vitamix staff.
Presently, Vitamix uses the tagline “loved for lifetimes.” A blender solidly built to be passed from generation to generation deserves a timeless and enduring logo.
The idea behind the proposed logo revision was to create a timeless and classic mark that never looks dated or out of style, even after the blender has passed from one generation to the next. The goal was to create a mark that does not alter the core Vitamix brand, yet distinguishes the product as an upscale and premium product and sets it apart from lesser cost or lower quality competitors, all of which use the same modern sans-serif typeface wordmark.
The blender images used in this critique depict Vitamix products and are the property of the Vita-Mix Corporation, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. Images were sourced from the company's media relations page, where they are available for use.
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Current Vitamix Logo
The current Vitamix logo lacks geometric consistency. When a grid of concentric circles (second image below) is applied to current Vitamix logo, the design issues facing the current Vitamix logo are made apparent. The curves in each of the four V-shaped swirls maintain little or no geometric relationship to the curves of the other three V shapes or the negative space between them (A). Line widths change at random with little reason (B). The four V shapes create a spiral vortex, emulating liquid in a running blender. The negative space between the four V shapes rightfully tapers inward, however, their irregular width cause fluctuations in the negative space’s width as it tapers from the outside edge to the vortex’s epicenter. These issues are slight, but negatively affect the logo’s overall quality and subsequently diminish the brand’s equity and premium-market status.
Navigate: Current Vitamix Logo | Proposed Vitamix Logo
Proposed Vitamix Logo
The logo revision below provides consistently even line widths (D) and symmetrical negative space between the four shapes (E). The change is subtle, but elegant. Combined with a new typeface, the revision distinguishes the Vitamix brand from lesser cost and lower quality competitors and establishes the brand as a premier product. In addition to revising the swirl logomark geometry, the proposed Vitamix logo revisions is paired with a traditional serif wordmark. The change establishes the Vitamix brand as timeless classic, worthy of the brand’s reputation and price tag.
Navigate: Current Vitamix Logo | Proposed Vitamix Logo
REferences
Vitamix Website
New Vitamix Logo Press Release (2010)
Vitamix Media Relations Images
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