Cover the Earth? Really?
Sherwin Williams is a paint company with a long, long tradition (by American standards). The company dates back to 1866. It started with a Chameleon logo, which seems appropriate for a paint company. But in the 1890s, their head of marketing, George W. Ford, sketched up a new logo, right, called “Cover the Earth”. The logo started appearing on company materials occasionally in 1893, and in 1905, the logo officially replaced the chameleon logo.
The founder of the company, Henry Sherwin, had reservations about the “boldness” of the claim. And others in the company worried it needed explanation (I would say so). They point out, for example, that the paint is pouring over Cleveland, Ohio, not the North Pole, as Cleveland is the home of paint (who knew?).
So while this logo is certainly old, there really is no excuse for how terrible and outdated it is in its concept. In fact, the chameleon might be a fantastic “new” logo for the company to adopt.
Actually, I don’t really care what they do. I am simply amazed that the company finds this logo appropriate…or that they ever found it appropriate. Forget the environmental issues if you can, it is just tacky and suggests sloppiness.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not into trendy logo changes every few years. I really like companies that build great brands and stick with their logos. I have actually always admired Ford for keeping their logo over the years, despite I am sure the pressures of likely every VPs of Marketing that has worked them and wanted to leave their mark on the company or appease a misguided customer focus study.
But this Sherwin Williams logo is basically awful across the board. Are there other logos that you think are incredibly outdated or out of touch?
