SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES: From Universal Foods, a big change

A use of identity, by a leader

New: Name and logo

Launched: November 6, 2000

Story in brief:
For sheer drama, the rebirth of Universal Foods as Sensient Technologies, an imaginative act of corporate leadership on the part of CEO Kenneth Manning, takes the year 2000 honors. Manning was stuck with a largely obsolete image—in this case, the image of a commodity-food company that had instead become a leading supplier of flavors, fragrances, and colors for such applications as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and even inkjet inks, as well as foods and beverages.

The direction Manning provided was “Get us out of food, into technology, and make us gigantically visible.” He chose the evocative name “Sensient” and a straightforward wordmark embellished with a swoosh-like wave.

Credits:
C.E.O. - Kenneth Manning
Identity design - Corporate Branding

First Impressions:
Great name. Very strong graphic... a good example of design that manages to be distinctively creative without trying too hard. But I think it works better in black than in color, where the swoosh becomes a bit decorative and a bit less integral to the mark.