Kodak bring back nostalgia in rebrand

For most companies, brand identity has been about developing, changing and evolving with time. Recently, we have seen a trend of companies going back to their core roots of their original or previous identities to create a nostalgic feeling.

Brand agencies of late, have been successful with pitching for rebrand work on the basis of taking a brand back in time and in a lot of instances creating a simple and contemporary look which, works seamlessly across different medias. Almost stripping back and using a mark of approval which, businesses like Kodak and Co-Op have stood for in the past to convey the heritage and standing achieved over the years.

Kodak a company that made their fortune and built success which concentrated on imaging products, with its historic basis on photography. With the shift to digital, Kodak worked towards a new strategy to align with its move into digital cameras but as both markets for these products become saturated, a new strategy was required. This lead to where Kodak is today providing packaging, functional printing, graphic communications and professional services for businesses around the world. Its main business segments are Digital Printing and Enterprise and Graphics, Entertainment and Commercial Films.

The New York-based studio ‘Work-Order’, have designed the new identity. Opting to bring back a similar iteration of the iconic Kodak first introduced in 1971. A brand identity has to have longevity and this certainly works. It may seem safe for a revised logo and time will tell but for me, this sends a clear message from the brand that has been established since 1888. A company that nearly got left behind when the digital age hit, now has to use the foundations they have built to show how the past can react on the future of their business. The Co-Operative and NatWest bank have also revived previous brand identities recently, so perhaps we might see a few more brands head down memory lane in the near future.