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For an interesting discussion of this logo redesign, see our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/CreativePro
Terri Stone
Editor in Chief, CreativePro.com
Not bold, no, but stable. It is consistent with who they are and already have been for a long time with the red box and simplicity. In fact, I would never have known it was new. That’s the secret, I think. Whether it is a makeover for a house, person or brand, make it so that it looks like an updated, more genuine version of who are already are. That’s where success in redesign comes. :)
All I can say is why fix something that really, was not broken?
Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I will never understand the new acceptance of lower-case names. It gives the impression that they are not important enough to have capital letters in their name. It looks juvenile, like they can’t be bothered with capitalization, or don’t know any better. That is what I think when I see people use lower case, and I think that when I see this logo. To me it’s not modern. It’s lazy, like text-speak.
I believe the logo in this case points to the domain name of the company as well as the company, as it is a subtle reminder that you can shop online at jcp.com.
Well, it’s not as bad as other logo/branding redesigns you’ve showcased lately. But that’s about all that can be said for it.
Don’t care for it. I like the one it is replacing better. I would just have make the JCP bold.
It looks too much like a copy of the Gap logo.
I’m reminded somehow of the Gap redesign debacle. Someday all logos will incorporate squares.
it reads to me as 2 different thoughts
It looks to me as if they ignored all the criticism that Gap and Myspace received for their logo changes and followed exactly the same style as was used for the other two. I do believe the logo would be fine though with out the word penney spelled out, its unnecessary and actually competes with itself visually. “Bold” would be to allow JCP to stand alone as its own identity. I am a senior design student at Baylor so perhaps My opinion isn’t quite valid, but I would like to know why I never heard about the opportunity to redesign this companies logo.
Colt
The lowercase treatment says today without being too obvious.
The treatment of “jcp” reminds people of the online presence as well as the nickname that people call the company.
The use of the knockout against the red rectangle has already been used in the TV advertising although I have some quibbles with how it is being used. (Reversing where the red rectangle is and then switching it around.)
Regarding the word “bold” to describe it, it depends on how staid and conservative the committee that reviewed the logo is. The lowercase letters probably freaked them out.d
I have this feeling I’ve seen this before (but where?)
The most obvious shortcoming (of many that will crop up as conversion rolls out) is the “jcp” graphic butted up against the “enney” copy. Can “jcp” stand on its own as a simple graphic? Don’t think so, as the balance is disrupted where the lc “p” bleeds off into whatever background it appears against.
Considering the cost to implement against the benefits of modernizing, somebody has some explaining to do.
John Siebenthaler
siebenthalercreative.com
Yes, the red field is larger and more encompassing than was the Gap square, but it is a sans face and and a square. Bold? No. Functional? Yes.
Incredibly amateurish, awkward and poorly done. The only thing “bold” about this design is that JCPenney isn’t apologizing yet for their poor lack of judgement. Unfortunately, it look like a third year student design – the one bit of honesty in the whole exercise.
The Golden Rule is actually a Biblical instruction, not just an “ethical code”–the difference being credit to God, rather than humanity.
Sorry, I don’t get it, particularly with the edge of the white “p” bleeding into white space. A major miss.
Dumb. Better off just jumping right now to JCP because that Enney is just hanging there begging to be somewhere else…
Ah, the loss of upper case. Seems to be the trend these days with e-mails, FB, texting and Tweets (sorry, tweets) being the major form of communication. I mean why spend the little-finger energy on the shift key? I scolded someone (one of the owners of my company) trying to put upper case letters in his e-mail address on his business card, as if to make it more recognizable. I am one for convention. I left his e-mail address all in lower case – function over form there. I’m not a designer but someone who got into desktop publishing by default (I hear the designers cringing) for our small company. I’ve always been fascinated by what people consider good logo design ever since Socony Mobil changed from their Flying Red Horse (Pegasus)to their 48-year-old MOBIL with the red O. (My dad worked for Mobil his whole working life)
So, I noticed the change in logo right away on Oscar night. I didn’t jump up and down and say “look at that, JCPenny changed their logo”. I think the logo change worked with the style of the ad which I would characterize as more Target-like, up-beat, contemporary and not hucksterish as their their typical zanny “2day only” ad campaigns. I get the sense though that this logo is an interim logo, conditioning us to something even simpler like “jcp” in a box. Congrats to the Cinci design student. I think it will serve as a door opener to a career, but probably not more than that. – ReynoldsAdGuy (I know, I know)
The tv commercials are reminiscent of Target. Red and White. Is it JCP or JC Penny. Never cared when one letter is used for two words.
Or The Gap logo box.
Offense taken by the apparent method they used to get “ideas”, none intended towards Luke. To me, the concept has promise or at least some interesting aspects, but looks unfinished. I’m not surprised this was the best “idea” they found, as it sounds like a solicitation for spec work. When I think of the thousands of dollars they’ll spend when they begin changing their signage and stationery, etc., I can’t help but wonder why they decided to short change the design part. There does seem to be a growing trend to undervalue logo design – it’s sad.
David Schenk
What’s an “enney?”
And isn’t this just the new Gap logo, but in red?
I’m surprised no one has commented on the ethics of a “golden-rule”-committed corporation that holds a “contest” to design its new mark. Starting with the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and the Graphic Artists Guild, every professional design organization on the planet decry “design contests” as unethical and exploitative.
I wonder what the student “winner” received in remuneration for surrendering all of his or her rights of copyright to JC Penney. Maybe a life-time supply of underwear?
Comments or further information about the “prize?”
Its not a big difference really. Design-wise the first is more in balance. JCP in big capitals shrunk to little small letters now in the new one, why? Not enough turnover? The new logo would make sense only, if the company plans to use the red cube with jcp alone beside using it complete. Otherwise the name Penny is quite minced in the new logo to ‘enny’ . Who is ‘enny’?
usmo
Now this is what I call a perfect evolution from an already great logo, thus taking it a step further into modernity while retaining the clean look that has worked so well for over 4 decades. Nice job!
I think the new logo is fine. Having said that if it were my choice I would go back to the original logo from the sixties. In todays market place there seems to be a trend to go back to the simple but stylish designs of the sixties. Love Creative Pro keep up the good work!
Rick
love it!!
it’s a fresh design and still leaves you with the old feel…
Being an Aries, those white letters being off-center inside that red box are driving me crazy! Needs even spacing – at least left and right if anything… ;-)
In its official press release, the company gave only the barest details on how they got this logo. I don’t know if it was a contest, nor whether everyone — or anyone — who submitted ideas was reimbursed. I sent a request for more information to JC Penney public relations but have yet to hear back.
Terri Stone
Editor in Chief, CreativePro.com
Well, I suppose it accomplishes its goal of letting JCP think it’s hip because they have a “bold new logo” while at the same time giving them something corporately safe. However, I would have made the “jcp” reversed text in the red box such slightly larger so it wouldn’t end up looking like it was a smaller font size than the “enney”.
I don’t like it at all. The spacing is horrid and drives me nuts just to look at it, but also makes it look and feel disconnected from the ‘enny’. Oh, I really don’t like it.
I heard about the “new” logo from a JCP email and wondered when I would actually see it. Turns out the new logo was on the email. It’s so similar to the old logo, it didn’t even register as different. And certainly not “bold.”
Paula L. Johnson
paulaljohnson.com
what’s with all lowercase letters? never understood that fad.
Wow, way to go JC Penney! Why invest in an agency with a proven track record when you can just take advantage of some student? And the real bonus is that, instead of helping to put food on the table for some professional designers and their families who’ve worked hard to pay their dues, you were probably able to get the work for almost nothing which will surely give your corporate execs cash for new cars or vacations or maybe just money to burn for fun! I think instead of shopping at your stores, I’m going to just try and find some fashion design students to make my clothes for free.
looks like we have a bunch of pretentious designers here trying their best to sound sophisticated.
the logo is fine, it’s casual, stable, and doesn’t look ‘new’ which suits the jcp crowd if you ask me.
it’s fun to nitpick, but most of the time its unnecessary – what exactly are you going to accomplish with it anyway? pretty much nothing.
What’s the point if it doesn’t look new? It doesn’t look like JCPenney to me and if I saw it I would be disappointed in them. This is nothing like the Nike logo, another famous student-designed mark, which is brilliantly well thought out, symbolic, aesthetically pleasing, meaningful, and now recognizable. That student was paid $35 for their design. Did the student for JCPenney get paid? They deserve at least some remuneration. The design profession has been struggling for years to assert its validity against the mainstream of desktop publishing. There are vast differences in the two and it behooves us to educate our public. This is not pretension, it is a profession. Asking students to take over and do professional work for free is demeaning to the profession, the student, and the corporation. I don’t think I would even call this a logo. It is a type treatment.