The Phoenix Companies

New:  Logo

Launched:   June 14, 2006

Story in brief:
In 1992, we told the story of the merger of Home Life with Phoenix Mutual, to become Phoenix Home Life; the interlocking diamonds designed by Milt Kass were meant to say "merger of equals." But that was a thought with a short life span, perhaps weeks; the symbol then reverted to pure abstraction. (It was and has remained, however, a strong identifier.) In time, the seemingly descriptive "Home Life" portion of the name faded out of use, naturally overpowered by "Phoenix." So in 2001, when the company de-mutualized, it was logical to shorten the formal name; designer John Young also changed the typeface, and demoted the symbol in size. 

In 2003, Dona Young rose from the ranks to take command of a then unprofitable and somewhat unfocused firm, and returned it to profitability and a clearer focus (on rich people... "affluent and high net worth individuals").

With these fundamentals in place, Landor was retained to express and advance this strategy. A bird symbol was appealing both for its "Phoenix rising from its ashes" relevance, for its reference to heritage marks, and for its elegance.

Credits:
C.E.O. -  Dona D. Young
Identity counsel and design - Landor (NY)
Richard Ford, Exec. Creative Director; Bob Matza, Creative Director

First Impressions:
Although I'm probably not in that target market, I am a Phoenix customer, and look forward to seeing excellent implementation in my mailings.  It will take some work, though. There is a trade-off between elegance and impact. The old mark was forceful enough to brand whatever materials it appeared on, well- designed or not.  The new bird, with its toiletries-like wordmark, will be more dependant on elegantly designed materials to convey the intended brand impression.