JOSH JACOBS ART 305 BRAND BOOK, LOGO PROJECT
THE
HOME DEPOT
BUILDING BETTER, TOGETHER.
TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION ONE
Company Overview & Background
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SECTION TWO New Brand Identity
Greeting & Welcome from the CE0
2
8
Logo Comparison
Our Vision, Mission, & Values
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9
Stacked vs. Linear Orientation
Company History
4
10
Clear Space
Our Brands & Their Meaning
5
11
Sizing & Scaling
The Role of Brand Identity
6
14
Logo in Color
How to Use This Guide
6
15
Typography
Contact Information
6
16
Incorrect Logo Usage
17
Design Process
GREETINGS & WELCOME Hi, I’m Francis Blake, Chairman and CEO here at The Home Depot. Over the past 35 years, this company has grown from its grassroots origins in Atlanta Georgia to being one of the largest home improvement chains in the world, and I am incredibly proud. From the start, associates were able to offer the best customer service in the industry, guiding customers through projects such as laying tile, changing a fill valve or handling a power tool. Not only did store associates undergo rigorous product knowledge training, but they also began offering clinics so customers could learn how to do it themselves. The Home Depot revolutionized the home improvement industry by bringing the know-how and the tools to the consumer and by saving them money. And we’re continuing to revolutionize today. With this rebranding, we at The Home Depot hope to modernize the face of our company while maintaining our promise of helping people to build better together. We hope that this guide offers investors, staff, and others insight, wisdom, and more on how may be changing our look, but our values remain, unwaivering.
FRANCIS BLAKE
CEO, THE HOME DEPOT
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OUR VISION, MISSION, & VALUES VISION
The Home Depot continues to revolutionize the
home improvement industry by bringing the know-how and the tools to the consumer and by saving them money.
MISSION
The Home Depot is in the home improvement business and
our goal is to provide the highest level of service, the broadest selection of products and the most competitive prices. We are a values-driven company, with out eight core values working as the cornerstone of our business model.
VALUES
Our values are as follows:
• Excellent customer service • Taking care of our people • Giving back • Doing the “right” thing
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• Creating shareholder value • Respect for all people • Entrepreneurial spirit • Building strong relationships
COMPANY HISTORY The Beginning The Home Depot was founded in 1978 by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank. Along with investment banker Ken Langone and merchandising guru Pat Farrah, the founders’ vision of one-stop shopping for the do-ityourselfer came to fruition when they opened the first two Home Depot stores on June 22, 1979, in Atlanta, Georgia. The first stores, at around 60,000 square feet each, were cavernous warehouses that dwarfed the competition and stocked 25,000 SKUs, much more than the average hardware store at that time. Empty boxes piled high on the shelves gave the illusion of even more product. According to Bernie and Arthur, the customer has a bill of rights at The Home Depot, and this entitles the customer to the right assortment, quantities and price, along with trained associates on the sales floor who want to take care of customers. Their philosophy of customer service – “whatever it takes” – means Cultivating a relationship with customers rather than merely completing a transaction. As Bernie says in Built from Scratch, “At the end of the day, we’re in the people business.”
A Story of Growth The Home Depot is the fastest growing retailer in U.S. history. In 1981, the company went public on NASDAQ and moved to the New York Stock Exchange in 1984. The 1980s and 1990s spawned tremendous growth for the company, with 1989 marking the celebration of its 100th store opening. The company arrived in Canada with the acquisition of Aikenhead’s home improvement centers in 1994, and it began flying its flag proudly in Mexico in 2001 through the acquisition of Total HOME. In 2006, the company extended its reach to China by acquiring The Home Way, a 12 store chain. From the beginning, The Home Depot developed strategic product alliances directly with industry-leading manufacturers to deliver the most exclusive assortments to customers. Through a combination of national brands and proprietary products like Ryobi® tools, RIDGID® tools, BEHR® paint, LG® appliances, and Toro® and Cub Cadet® lawn equipment, the company sets the standard for innovative merchandise for the do-it-yourselfer and the professional contractor.
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BRAND & ITS MEANING WHAT IS OUR BRAND? IT’S OUR PEOPLE
In the retailing business, the customer shopping experience – the products, the environment and the service – determines a retailer’s success or failure. In the home improvement retailing business, the service element becomes even more critical, since many of our customers walk in with a problem without knowing the solution, or with a dream not knowing if they can make it a reality. Therefore, our associates are the links that hold the shopping experience together, and the high level of service they deliver to our customers sets us apart from the competition. We firmly believe that the home improvement business is much more a feel-good business than a look-good business, and our associates prove it every day by providing answers, solving problems and making home improvement dreams come true.
IT’ S OUR CULTURE
Underlying our strong customer service ethic is a set of core values that make up our culture. The values center on respect for our fellow associates, our customers and our communities. This, in turn, fosters an entrepreneurial spirit, which allows our associates to take ownership for their pieces of the business and makes it easier for them to respond more quickly to our customers’ needs. Our associates live the culture every day, not just because they understand its importance to our past and future successes, but because they believe in it.
IT’ S OUR REPUTATION
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Put it all together – Home Depot associates, a strong company culture and a positive shopping experience – and you’ve got a reputation for leadership and excellence in the home improvement industry. In building on this reputation externally, The Home Depot strives to associate itself with partners whose values or goals closely match our own. Our sponsorships of the United States, Canadian and Puerto Rican Olympic teams link us with groups whose spirit and philosophies mirror our dedication to teamwork and excellence. In addition, our status as the Official Home Improvement Warehouse of NASCAR® , as well as our partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing® , teams us up with the fastest growing sport in the United States. Through these and other associations, we can continue to build the brand and extend our reach to more home improvement customers. It’s just one more way to enhance our leadership position in the industry.
THE ROLE OF BRAND IDENTITY A note on brand identity; The Home Depot brand is something that we all carry as a team; through corporate, distribution, and most importantly retail, we are constantly trying to improve the way we interact with people as whle A mjor part of tis is maintaining a cohesive experience as well as a cohesive image, and all that starts and ends with you. Yes, you. Without you, there would be no brand, so we ask that you use this manual as a sort of brand maintainance guide; refer to it when creating novelties, generating workflow, or interacting with guests, as the cohesive nature of our image depends on you. Thank you, and good luck!
CONTACT INFORMATION 1-800-HOME-DEPOT
The Home Depot The Corporate Office 1-800-466-3337 2455 Paces Ferry Rd NW Atlanta, GA 30339 www.homedepot.com 770-433-8211
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SECTION TWO
NEW BRAND IDENTITY
LOGO COMPARISON
When recreating the logo for The Home Depot, there were alot of things to take into consideration. We wanted to create a logo that was more modern, as well as an embodied an idea that better reflects the values of our brand. The final product, above, accomplishes that in a few ways; the sample strip idea lends to a diversity of products as well as develops a sense of community, and is brought together by our new slogan, Building Better, Together. Where the old logo was strong but dull, the new logo embodies well the values on which this company was built.
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STACKED VS. LINEAR ORIENTATION The linear version of the new logo (right) will be the primary implementation of the logo. because the positioning and size of the type is balanced with the logo itself, it lends to a more squarish shape and thusly has more applications such as use on letterheads, paperwork, aprons, et cetera.
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The stacked version of the logo (left) plays to the strong vertical nature of the logo, lending less focus on the type and more focus on the logo/concept. This form of the logo has various different potential uses, from implementation on the web and other social media; basically, anywhere that can accomodate for its length.
CLEAR SPACE
When using the logo, it is important to give an appropriate amount of space surrounding it; for this implementation, the chimney of the house serves as the guide for the size of said space, giving it sufficient room to breathe.
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SIZING & SCALING
LINEAR
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The best thing about this logo is that despite its size, the idea of the same strip is more or less conveyed at any size. However, be cognizant of resizing it, as the slogan will be lost at too small an instance. If you must use such a small implementation, please use the version without a slogan.
STACKED
The Stacked version of the logo has the potential to lose the detail of the wording when minimized, so please be careful of this fact. If you must minimize to such a size, try to use the linear version of the logo, as it conveys the information in a more whole formation. However, this implementation still retains its concept when minimized.
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LOGOS IN COLOR PANTONE 7506 C CMYK C0 M15 Y25 K0 RGB R254 G220 B189 PANTONE 713 C CMYK C0 M30 Y50 K0 RGB R252 G188 B134 PANTONE 157 C CMYK C0 M45 Y75 K0 RGB R248 G158 B83 PANTONE 165 C CMYK C0 M60 Y100 K0 RGB R245 G130 B32 PANTONE BLACK C CMYK C0 M0 Y0 K100 RGB R0 G0 B0
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A NOTE ON COLOR There are three different implementations of color, each with their own unique purpose. Firstly, there’s Pantone; Pantone is a spot color process, which means that unlike the other processes, the colors used are pure colors, not mixed, making it a more affordable method of printing. Secondly, there’s CMYK, which is short for Cyan Magenta Yellow Black. This process is a four color process, meaning the printer uses all four of these colors to create the final product; use these combinations when cost efficiency is no issue. Lastly, HEX/ RGB, or Red Green Blue, is a color cobination process which is used for publications online. When using the new Home Depot logo, please be cognizant of these differences, and be sure to use the appropriate color version of the logo when creating things for our company; for example, for modifications of the website please use the HEX/RGB version of the logo, but don’t use that version if you need to go to print with something, and vice versa.
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TYPOGRAPHY FRANKLIN GOTHIC BOOK ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz FRANKLIN GOTHIC DEMI ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Though many fonts were considered when creating this logo, we narrowed it down to the Franklin Gothic family; specifically, Franklin Gothic Book & Frnaklin Gothic Demi. This is a strong, sans-serif font family which we hope will help to bring our company into more modern times. Demi is great for headings and featured text, whilst Book is better for content, such as this.
INCORRECT LOGO USAGE
Please don’t incorrectly scale the logo; it’s proportions should always stay the same.
Please keep to logo at the correct orientation. No turning, flipping, or the like.
Be sure to never move the text to an incorrect poition; it’s there for a reason
We’d like to think this logo is colorful enough as it is; that said, please don’t add your own colors.
It is very important that the weight of the font remain as it is in the finalized logo.
Please refrain from using the logotype by itself; it was built to function side-by-side with the logo.
THE
HOME DEPOT
The addition of the stroke distorts the nearby color, disrupting the cascading value effect.
Please maintain all capital letters in the logotype; lowercase letters don’t give off the same impression.
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“
At the end of the day,
we’re in the people business.
- Francis Blake, CEO
”
DESIGN PROCESS
DESIGN PROCESS
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STORE VISIT
Walking through the store, I knew that no matter what, I had to include the orange in the new logo. Its presence throughout the store was overwhelming and anything besides orange would completely unbalance everything they’ve worked so hard to achieve.
DESIGN PROCESS BRAND ATTRIBUTES We were tasked to come up with, as a group, a list of attributes which best described The Home Depot. Together, we compiled each person’s list into one big group of words, then systematically sorted it down to the ideas we best felt represent The Home Depot. These are the words that we came up with:
THE COMPETITION Before the new logo was even a twinkle in the eyes of the creative team, We had to take into consideration the works of our current main competitior, Lowes. Whilst crafting the logo, we made sure to stear clear of the warehouse or modern house look that Lowes was fronting and tried to creat a unique and modern identity that would help capture the new and unique properties that so well define our brand. 21
CHARACTER • CONSTRUCTION • CORPORATE PATIENT DO-IT-YOURSELF HELPFUL SKILLFUL FRIENDLY EXPERIENCED HONEST VARIETY CARING WAREHOUSE HUMBLE AFFORDABLE GENEROUS ECO-FRIENDLY AMBITIOUS SAFETY CREATIVE ONE-STOP-SHOP CONSCIOUS GARDENING RELIABLE KNOWLEDGEABLE
INTERNATIONAL ECO-FRIENDLY SUSTAINABLE POWERFUL PROFESSIONAL PHILANTHROPIC LEADERSHIP TEAMWORK PROGRESSIVE RESPECTFUL COMMUNITY
INITIAL SKETCHES
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DESIGN PROCESS
INITIAL SKETCHES 23
When creating the initial sketches, we tried to center them on the attributes of our brand that we found to be the most important. In the end, we chose Helpful, Do-It-Yourself, Creative, Variety, Internation, Safety, Warehouse, Teamwork, Professional, & Family Friendly.
After initial sketches were done, the pages were passed around and the classmates were to select the ones they felt were the most strong. These were the highest voted logos.
DESIGN PROCESS
the home d e pot
HOME DEPOT
THE
HOME DEPOT
Having selected the three sketches we wanted to begin working from, initial renders were made. First, the concept of the paint strip sample was found to represent alot of the values well; community, diversity, and variety. The second logo, called henceforth the ‘Home’ logo, was a little more straightforward in regards to concept; it said “We are The Home Depot, and we have everything you need.” Lastly, the ‘Gentleman’ logo represented the do-it-yourself aspect of our brand, and hoped to accomplish a very strong sense of pride.
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INITIAL RENDERS
HOME DEPOT Inital criticism said alot of things. In regards to the sample logo, the original implimentation of the ‘Code” typeface was disconcerting, and didn’t work well with the overall design. The Home logo needed simplification; it’s overly illustrative nature would be a problem throughout the process. Feedback was none to kind to the Gentleman logo; though he does reflect the values of the company, implimentation of type was not successful, and it was difficult to place him in the world of The Home Depot. This logo was scrapped in favor of more work on the other two.
SECOND DRAFTS
DESIGN PROCESS THE
HOME DEPOT
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THIRD DRAFTS
THE
HOME DEPOT
THE
HOME DEPOT
As mentioned earlier, it became obvious during the initial walkthrough that implementation of any other color besides the official company orange would be disquieting, so when adding color this played a significant factor. The addition of the roof to the sample logo brought a whole new meaning to the logo, and combining that with the low contrast of color and alternating pattern created a very unique visual effect. The Code typeface was eschewed for a more professional and usable one, Franlkin Gothic Demi. In the House logo, the addition of color didn’t help much, as at the prblem with this logo wasn’t in its composition but in the complexity of its execution. Combine that with the typographical failings of the Bebas font family, eventually this logo was tabled to further explore the Sample logo.
DESIGN PROCESS
HOME DEPOT
THE
HOME DEPOT
The fourth set of edits played around with a variety of elements. Firstly, we wanted to see if there was a way to make the logo more stout so that it could be fit onto more things. Secondly we tried to impliment a more effective set of typographical rules by moving the type to a stacked position. Ultimately, though the stout logo was more manueverable, ultimately the original implimentation was more successful. The stacked orientation, as it would occur, turned out to be a failure, and we would everntually revert to a more linear layout.
FOURTH DRAFTS
DESIGN PROCESS THE
HOME DEPOT THE
HOME DEPOT
THE
HOME DEPOT
The final round of edits saw the implimentation of the Franklin Gothic Book font face, which was found to really compliment the Demi face. Initial renders of this implimentation focused the Book font on the HOME with Demi working for THE and Depot, but ultimately the Book font would be solely applied to THE whilst HOME DEPOT would remain Demi; this implimentation made more sense as far as weight and foces were concerned. Text would be moved to the left of the logo to make for an easier right-edge alignment, and the addition of a slogan, “Building Better, Together.� on the bottom served to bring the concept full circle.
FIFTH DRAFTS
THE FINAL PRODUCT THE
HOME DEPOT
THE
HOME DEPOT
BUILDING BETTER, TOGETHER.
LOGO
MAIN LINEAR LOGO
STACKED