Featured cases

2008


old logo

This is a common story... the company you never heard of because it saw no need to be known, and was perfectly happy flying under the radar.  It had a logo, to be sure, probably because its first annual report looked better with one. Nothing especially wrong with it, except that it was more appropriate for a bar of soap than an oil and gas company. 

But success, exponential growth and a ton of acquisitions made "under the radar" an untenable branding strategy. Devon is now one of the world's leading independent energy companies, an important presence in its Oklahoma City home community and in global policy and finance communities. Its employees and its leaders wanted it better known, respected for their achievements and for Devon's new importance.  Fortune 500 in 2002, NYSE listing in 2004 -- the time had come to look like a leader.

An even more important driver was expressed by the internal slogan "27 to 1." In the twenty-seven companies Devon had acquired, many employees still related to their old brands, most of which were more appropriate (and possibly better-designed) than the "Devon" that now ruled them. To build one proud and coherent team, Devon would need a better flag to salute. 

Landor was retained, and provided a straightforward wordmark-based design solution that capitalizes on the simple, distinctive Devon name, incorporating a three-bars graphic device for visual impact and (by evoking geological strata) conceptual relevance. The bars also provide forms for a dynamic visual system, clearly evident in the www.devonenergy.com home page.

The new tag, "Commitment runs deep," is primarily internally directed, as was the low-key launch event, appended to a quarterly employee 'town hall' meeting. We were told that the new advertising campaign, which builds on this 'commitment' message, was actually directed at employees "with the public listening in." Several months later, when management was more confident with their new look and greater visibility, advertising was extended to broader audiences.

Sidebar:  CEO Larry Nichols was hosting a meeting with analysts in the HQ boardroom when a crane lowered the old Devon logo past the window. Their natural question... "Is there something you haven't told us?" drew a response something like "No, I was just tired of the old one."

Counsel and design: Landor (SF)

Submitted by: Tony Spaeth, 20/03/2008
Status: Confirmed by Tim Langenberg, Creative Dir., Corp. Communications, 15 April 2008
Category: Oil & Gas Producers
Country (HQ): United States