The majority of designers would have left it alone…

Stop the world I want to get off.

If the FutureBrand treatment of the UPS logo is indicative of 21st century global branding, then god help us all.

If anyone tried to emasculate a brand identity with greater malice I doubt that it could have achieved a more banal result.

If the new design ‘to reflect the changed nature of its business’ is considered a success by FutureBrand, then perhaps it should attach a creative warning to its own name.

Furthermore, if stripping personality from identity is considered sound strategic thinking, it does our industry a grave disservice. Is it really asking us to accept that a bit of 3D Photoshop and a go-faster swoosh capture the ‘bringing our look up to speed’ ambitions of UPS.

Perhaps the only credit it deserves is retaining the corporate colour as now they have created an identity that is truly brown.

I am curious how anyone could countenance such a regressive change to what it admits is an iconic brand. Or, indeed, what it said it would do, to win the job in the first place.

Could it be that the other shortlisted groups had rightly said ‘leave it alone’?

Howard Milton

Chairman

Smith & Milton

London EC1