For this rebrand project, our class was responsible for choosing a well known brand and redevelop potential ideas for a new logo. My design team of three chose Columbia. Each of us was responsible for creating our own logo mark and ideas, and my idea was a more playful approach to rebrand.
“Wherever snot freezes, we’ll be there.” A quote from one of Columbia’s marketing posters that inspired this design solution to a rebrand for this well known brand.
I took a fun, creative and playful approach to the rebrand and after some ideation sketching, I landed with this multifunctional mark. It explores a very organic human form when flipped vertically while also representing the “c” in Columbia when it’s laid on its side.The logo functions as a sustainable tag (imagine a plexiglass or thin wood material) with its design cut out with the intention for customers to bring it along on their exploration journeys.
I thought this tagline could be a potential rebranding marketing campaign: #CYouInColumbia
Let’s imagine for a moment to explain the idea behind the tagline and the tag itself. Imagine exploring the world in your Columbia gear. You just walked up a mountain side and see another snowcapped mountain in the close distance. You remember the multifunction of the Columbia tag and pull it out along with your camera. You hold the tag up to your camera lens as a "filter" and snap a photo. You upload your image to social media and use the hashtag (#CYouInColumbia) with your post. This not only globally connects Columbia the brand, to their customers, but also to each other, expanding the Columbia community.
When considering the opportunities to stand out from competitors like Patagonia, who are practicing sustainability and are globally known, this logo solution could be what puts Columbia ahead.
The future of Columbia could change with just an organically shaped human, traveling the world.