Brand Identity System
Believe it or not, Macy’s never had a published set of brand guidelines. It was the wild west, and there were as many different reds as there were versions of the logo. I helped establish logo standards, do’s and don’t of using the iconic star, a refreshed color palette, photo guidelines and copy/voice direction. The goal of course was brand consistency, but also a warmer identity that positioned Macy’s as an optimistic and friendly brand.
Role: Created VIS from concept to delivery
How does a new brand identity come to life?
BEFORE:
AFTER:
BEFORE: AFTER: As part of the overall brand cleanup, my team took on many redesigns of internal and customer-facing programs. Below are 3 examples of how I applied the new guidelines.
The logo lockup broke 2 major brand rules: using “Macy’s” without the star and using type inside the star. Plus the thin type was nearly illegible in digital formats.
The updated lockup is consistent with the Macy’s style guide, and the type is bold, graphic, and easily readable whether it’s a tiny YouTube watermark or a giant step & repeat.
Without a corporate system in place, the Macy’s Employee Resource
Groups had gone rogue. Each one had created their own logos, made their
own t-shirts (green?!) and nothing looked like Macy’s.
A system, yay! At first the ERG leaders were reluctant to lose their uniqueness,
but we convinced them that aligning with the Macy’s brand helped legitimize their organization
and gave them access to all of the brand recognition and love associated with Macy’s.
