SEAGATE: Hard discs, waves and change

A use of identity, by a leader

New: Seagate wordmark & "The Wave" symbol

Launched: October 30, 2002

Story in brief:
Seagate was the declining world leader in hard disc drives, and to retain leadership required "continued self-renewal" (e.g. a turnaround). Why not use an identity change, to signal (and accelerate) its new vitality? "Just as our company has evolved, our brand has evolved" says Chairman Steve Luczo; "The new identity will act as a visual signal to all our constituents that Seagate has changed." Foremost among constituencies were the employees themselves, who Luzco depends on to secure the turnaround.

Credits:
C.E.O. - Steve Luczo
Identity design - Landor's SF office

First Impressions:
Good job. The sea-green curling wave is also a literal representation of the company's focus on "rotating storage media," a clever double play.
It's amazing how dated and unimportant the old Seagate logo suddenly looks. But it is very hard for a CEO to see that the current identity, so hard-won, can become a drag on progress and that change is so easy, not a cost but an opportunity.