Home Depot Rebrand
Home Depot
Branding
Home Depot's branding has stayed virtually unchanged since 1979, creating an worn image that casts a diminishing shadow over their success in the marketplace
Create a modern mark that better reflects the values and functions of the brand, hinting at the diversity of products and services that Home Depot provides as well as reflecting the sense of community that is the cornerstone of the company
“At the end of the day, we’re in the people business.”
— Francis Blake, CEO Home Depot
Going in to this project, I wanted to create a mark that firmly represents the core tenets of the company, something the current brand just doesn't do. But what are those tenets? As a child, I always remember going to Home Depot with my dad and having them help us with our various tasks and science projects. This is a feeling that is warm in the heart, and by contrast the current HD brand is cold and bland. The 'Paint Strip' logo is my solution to these problems; the Home Depot functions as a linchpin to the community surrounding it, and I wanted to shine through above all else in the work. But as in all projects, the devil here was in the details. It all came down to a few core processes which, only when combined together, could properly honor this classic company and to make this mark as authentic as possible:
“At the end of the day, we’re in the people business.”
— Francis Blake, CEO Home Depot
Going in to this project, I wanted to create a mark that firmly represents the core tenets of the company, something the current brand just doesn't do. But what are those tenets? As a child, I always remember going to Home Depot with my dad and having them help us with our various tasks and science projects. This is a feeling that is warm in the heart, and by contrast the current HD brand is cold and bland. The 'Paint Strip' logo is my solution to these problems; the Home Depot functions as a linchpin to the community surrounding it, and I wanted to shine through above all else in the work. But as in all projects, the devil here was in the details. It all came down to a few core processes which, only when combined together, could properly honor this classic company and to make this mark as authentic as possible:
In starting a project like this, it's easy to just get on the computer and start grinding, but actually getting up and learning about a brand takes doing. At the beginning of this project, I logged roughly 10 hours of time dedicated exclusively to researching the brand and its history. Between going to the stores, talking to the employees, and diving into the company's rich backstory at the library, I learned a great deal about what makes Home Depot truly great.
In starting a project like this, it's easy to just get on the computer and start grinding, but actually getting up and learning about a brand takes doing. At the beginning of this project, I logged roughly 10 hours of time dedicated exclusively to researching the brand and its history. Between going to the stores, talking to the employees, and diving into the company's rich backstory at the library, I learned a great deal about what makes Home Depot truly great.
As the brand mark is a logotype, the current Home Depot identity succeeds at representing an entire entity, but does little to speak to what the company does or who they are. That's what I wanted to accomplish with the new mark; speak more to the company's morals and functions. Through word association and refinement of said values, I was able to conceptualize over 40 different marks that covered one or several facets of the brand.
From there, I whittled down my concepts to the ones which hit closest to home, and continued to refine them until each one had a first pass round of sheen, continuing to whittle down until I landed on one; the Paint Strip.
As the brand mark is a logotype, the current Home Depot identity succeeds at representing an entire entity, but does little to speak to what the company does or who they are. That's what I wanted to accomplish with the new mark; speak more to the company's morals and functions. Through word association and refinement of said values, I was able to conceptualize over 40 different marks that covered one or several facets of the brand.
From there, I whittled down my concepts to the ones which hit closest to home, and continued to refine them until each one had a first pass round of sheen, continuing to whittle down until I landed on one; the Paint Strip.
I had the brand figured out. Community. Diversity. Functionality. The "Paint Strip" logo I chose enveloped all of these core concepts. But it didn't come together on the first pass; I went through six rounds of logos with various concepts, executions, and typographic treatments before I landed on a refined final product that really worked. Take a look at the process notebook here for a deep dive into my development of the mark and my choices going through the whole excersize.
