Brief
Recently the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) refreshed their logo. The new logo was supposed to represent a more modern approach, making the organisation more approachable for an Australian audience that predominately sees them as a little boring.
The refreshed logo did as it was asked but it unfortunately looked very similar to another well known brand, CISCO2 (which refreshed its logo in 2006). Because of the similarity of the names (only one letter difference) and the similarity of some of their research (Wi-Fi and technology) it has caused a lot of negative press.
Obviously this is not a great situation for CSIRO and could lead to a ‘cease and desist’ letter from CISCO where they would be forced to take down any reference of the logo. They need to move quickly to divert attention away from the slip up and back to the original needs of the refresh: more modern, more approachable, less boring.
CSIRO IDENTITY REBRAND Rationale
MAY 2016
The final design for the rebranding of CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation) came together with the spontananity that a child would have. My reasons fore this is that science is something that isn’t overly interestiag as a child, sure children go through pocket fazes however in order to include children as apart of the target market the logo needs to look fun. Fun can come in many forms, as in symbols and colours, which have both been included within the final logo.
However, to capture the older target market, the use of the full name of the company will be shown on the bottom. This logo will be best shown on banners and even web. The recognition betweeen the acronym, the colours, and the symbols will also aid in the rememberance of the full name especially in children.
I found that just symbols would not work in this logo due to the long name of the company, in turn I found a harmonious balance between symbols, acronym and the length company name. I also found that the colourful logo is extremely different from the intial single colour, however the colourful logo for the rebrand captures attention and promotes a fun experience.
Not only does the colour promote the interest of children but also differs greatly from their competitors who have aimed for a highly scientific and single or two colour logo.
The rebrand for CSIRO would benefit the company by broadening their target market and standing out from the rest.
