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For forty-six years, Xerox has struggled with its name's overpowering association with "copier." Previous rebranding efforts failed to broaden the meaning of the name. Almost by default, Xerox then reverted to the proudly corporate posture of its classic presence, the 1961 Lippincott logo (as redesigned by Chermayeff  & Geismar in 1968). The "copier" problem remained.

 According to brand officer Richard Wergan,  "Our business had evolved; our brand, a $6 billion asset, had not. Our visual system, although well designed, was designed for print media; customers now access us via the Internet. We needed a brand we could protect and leverage in the digital environment, the key to the future of Xerox." 

Employee attitudes were as important as the public image, if not more so: says Wergan, "It is absolutely critical. The external image is delivered internally, by the brand experience delivered by employees every day. It does play a really important role in galvanizing and focusing employees on where we're going." 

This rebranding was not rushed. Interviews, planning, design and deliberation took a full two years, with CEO Anne Mulcahey "engaged and supportive."  In the end, a new mark with a symbol was chosen "to disrupt the mental model," and in hopes of finding a more emotional connection with employees and customers. The symbol itself, a monogram disguised as a ball, was rounded in part to enhance its 'button' utility. Its x-crossed lines (called "the connectors") provide the basis for the wavy-lines graphic device that dominates a new visual system (which also features "one of the broadest color palettes of any Fortune 500 company").

In addition to the design changes, there is a reshuffling of communicated units, nomenclature, and the signature system (which remains largely monolithic, with strategic exceptions). But there is no new corporate tag line as yet: "The Document Company" is neither formally retired nor felt to be broad enough for the evolving Xerox.

A worldwide employee event was staged to launch the new mark, 30 minutes before it was released to the press; it then anchored a sustained new advertising campaign.

Counsel and design: Interbrand
CEO: Anne Mulcahey

Submitted by: Tony Spaeth, 17/02/2008
Status: Confirmed by Richard Wergan, VP Advertising & Global Branding, 15 Feb 2008
Category: Technology Hardware & Equipment
Country (HQ): United States