In 1902, James Cash Penney started a dry goods store in Wyoming called the Golden Rule (an ethical code that says to treat others as you wish to be treated). That small store grew into the American retailer J. C. Penney. In the 1960s, this was its logo:
In 1971, the logo took a major step into design modernity:
Fast-forward forty years to 2011. The chain has more than 1,100 locations, and its long-lived catalog business still serves smaller markets. Company execs decide that it’s time for a logo change, so they solicit ideas from outside agencies, in-house designers, and two art schools, the University of Cincinnati and Rhode Island School of Design.
Out of more than 200 submissions, they choose one from a third-year graphic design student at the University of Cincinnati, Luke Langhus:
The company calls it a “bold new logo”. While it is indeed bold to risk the company brand on a student creation, rather than shelter behind the big name of a major design agency, the redesign doesn’t qualify as bold. It’s… fine. It’s a lot like the store’s merchandise, in fact: middle-of-the-road, serviceable. And it’s close enough to the previous logo that it doesn’t throw away 40 years of brand equity.
But that’s what I think. How about you? Share your opinion by clicking the word “Comments” below this article. Just please remember the original name of James Cash Penney’s store and practice the same civility you would want others to use when discussing your work.
This article was last modified on January 6, 2023
This article was first published on February 24, 2011
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