Nokia just unveiled a new wordmark logo after decades of using the same one. The company wanted to distance itself from its past image as a phone company and remind the world that they do so much more. The new logo is sleeker and features five different shapes coming together to spell NOKIA. The classic blue color is gone and has been replaced with a variety of colors depending on how it is used.
(Image credit: Nokia)
The new Nokia logo shows sharp, "slashed" letter styles, following in Kia's footsteps, in an effort to move away from its old branding and company reputation as a phone company. Pekka Lundmark, CEO and President of Nokia, explained in a press conference that they built on the previous logo's heritage but made it more contemporary and digital to reflect their current identity. Now, they are looking to enter the new digital era with the aim of transforming the digital space into more than just phones.
“Today we share our updated company and technology strategy with a focus on unleashing the exponential potential of networks – pioneering a future where networks meet cloud. To signal this ambition we are refreshing our brand to reflect who we are today – a B2B technology innovation leader. This is Nokia, but not as the world has seen us before.” [Pekka Lundmark]
If you’re old enough to remember the flip phone era, you’ll know that Nokia used to be the biggest cellphone company around, but then it fell behind Apple, Samsung and other smartphone makers. In 2014, they even sold their mobile phone business to Microsoft in a deal that went pretty sour. Microsoft ended up taking a huge $8.4 billion write-down the following year. Ouch!
In their brand rebrand, they outlined the new company strategies that will guide them into this new technology age and will reflect who they are today: a B2B technology innovation leader realizing the potential of digital in every industry.
While they'll be rebranding, they also have mentioned they will continue to use their old logo and branding as Pekka also announced three new phones in the press conference.
While I understand their reasoning for rebranding, the new logo isn't appealing to me. I'm a bit nostalgic so I'll always love their old logo, but I'll be watching to see what they do with their new branding!