Friday, September 14, 2012

Ebay Debuts a Grown-Up New Logo




Ebay goes from bubbly to sleek with the debut of its new logo, a marque designed to retain bits of the brand's history while reflecting its position as a modern, reliable marketplace that offers a variety of buying/selling experiences.


Ebay's old logo, left, next to new logo.

While the new logo maintains the original's vibrant, primary color palette, the font itself has a more grown up feel, with slender, streamlined letters that sit on a single plane. The previous version's chunkier font and wildly placed overlapping letters had a welcoming vibe that seemed to reflect the fun and excitement of the auction, but the new logo seeks to represent the brand's identity today: "a global online marketplace that offers a cleaner, more contemporary and consistent experience," said Ebay president Devin Wenig in a statement.

Ebay worked with design and branding consultancy Lippincott on the refresh.Lippincott senior partner Su Matthews added, "We wanted to reflect the right amount of change in Ebay's new logo. We leveraged the iconic color arrangement and approachable form to reflect Ebay's heritage, and evolved it with a brighter blue and darker yellow and a streamlined arrangement to create more visual harmony." Overall, "The design is inspired by today's vibrant marketplace and sleeker experiences," she said.

The marketplace has indeed changed, as Ebay has evolved from being simply an auction site to find that rare collector's item. Wenig noted that today, "most items sold on eBay are new, listed at a fixed 'Buy it Now!' price." Moreover, the shopping experience has become more user-friendly, with visual and comparative search, as well as better customer service from sellers. He also added that Ebay has become a mobile "leader," with its apps downloaded 100 million times and an expected $10 billion in mobile transactions this year.

The new logo will officially roll out on Ebay sites and channels this fall.


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