CorpComms Magazine

Xerox spent a long time rebranding. The data management company, in partnership with leading consultancy Interbrand, conducted global research on employees, customers and partners for nearly two years, a process that led to the biggest overhaul of Xerox's corporate image for four decades.

The multimillion-dollar new look has been designed to reflect how the company has gone beyond its copier machine roots, with the 'X' representing Xerox's connections to customers, partners, industry and innovation. Xerox president Ursula Burns describes it as 'a contemporary look that is more relevant for business today - a bit less formal, a lot more lively, with links to our heritage and a nod to the future.'

Even the choice of font, FS Albert, is significant, according to an internal memo, which reads: 'I am FS Albert. I am a modern and approachable font. My rounded corners make me more human and less technical.'

But not everyone is impressed with the results. Armin Vit, editor of Brand New, a website that discusses corporate rebrandings, is particularly critical of the fashion for taking flat logos and making them three-dimensional. He believes the trend started with UPS, the American delivery firm. 'Its old logo had a package with a bow in the middle, forming the top of a shield,' explains Vit. 'When it rebranded in 2003, the logo was changed so the shield jumped out of the page.'

Vit believes that since then, 3-D images have been used to make up for the lack of a solid concept or idea. 'It has become a fad for companies hoping to be seen as global, interconnected, and so on,' he says.

Interbrand denies it is following a fad, however. Creative director Loid Der insists that in Xerox's case, the addition of the symbol made good business sense. 'It demonstrates the global marketplace that Xerox is part of, and the way the lines connect represents how Xerox provides marketplace solutions,' he says.

Interbrand is also dismissive of online criticism. Senior director of brand strategy Maryann Stump says blogs do not always represent people's true opinions. She points instead to the response from Xerox's 57,000 employees and customers. 'We have seen some of the comments written on blogs,' she says, 'but for us, the most important and satisfying thing is the way the logo has been embraced and genuinely loved by Xerox employees. Delivering the brand starts with those employees.'

Due to Xerox's size, it will take around 18 months to roll out the new brand across all parts of its business. Whether the hard work will pay off remains to be seen.

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