Samsung Rebrand Mockup | Design Room
In 2013 Samsung stated that by 2020 they expected to be making $400 Billion a year in revenue.
In 2020 they only made half that and in 2023 they made even less.
We believe their logo has some to do with this.
Why?
A logo is an integral part of a brand and has been found to be the most memorable part of a brand.
It's essential that a logo be as memorable as possible as a memorable logo greatly helps in customer connections to the brand which studies have found, the more connected to a brand a person is, the more valuable to the brand that person becomes.
When a logo is not as memorable as it could be especially when a competitor has arguably the most memorable logo on the planet then there is a problem as people will have a stronger connection to the competition.
Our suggestions
1: Introduce a new logo with a symbol depicting 3 stars as a visual representation of the name "Samsung" which means Three Stars.
2: Introduce a new slogan (Reach for the Stars) to work in conjunction with the new logo.
The Symbol
There were 4 main goals for the symbol design.
1: Three Stars
Have 3 equally sized stars prominently displayed as a visual representation of the Samsung name as "Samsung" means "Three Stars".
2: Unique and Recognizable
Make it unique and instantly recognizable to everyone no matter what language they speak.
3: Scale
Make sure it can be used everywhere from billboards down to the scale of a website favicon and still be recognizable no matter the size.
4: Understandable and easy to Describe
Make sure that if for whatever reason a person cannot see, read or understand the company name, they can understand the symbol enough to describe it to a person or to a search engine adequately so they can find the company based on their description.
The result is the symbol being 3 stars set in an abstract S in reference to the company's name.
NOTE: We will go over these points and their importance as we go along.
Please also note that we use "logo" in reference to both the full lockup (Symbol and Wordmark) and just the Symbol by itself.
The Slogan
"Reach for the Stars" becomes more than just an encouraging phrase, it becomes a new way to communicate.
Now every time you reach for something from Samsung whether it be a Phone, Tablet, TV Remote, Refrigerator, Thermostat, Vacuum Cleaner or anything else, you are reaching for the Stars.
Research Statistics
According to RedC Research "Brands with slogans are 13% more likely to be recalled than those without.".
According to BrandSpark International "89% of people say a memorable slogan is an important factor in their purchase decisions.".
And according to Millward Brown (now Kentar Millward Brown) "Slogans can boost a brand‘s perceived value by 12%".
2: Unique and Recognizable
According to research from MIT we can see and understand visual elements in about 13 milliseconds (for context it takes 300 to 400 milliseconds to blink).
Another study found that "The human brain can process images 60,000X faster than words.".
When customers can easily recall a logo, they're more likely to develop a strong emotional connection and recall positive experiences associated with the brand.
For those with ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia and other such differences, wordmark only logos may be even harder to understand and remember than for those without such differences. Studies suggest that around 1 in every 5 people globally have Dyslexia.
3: Scale
As mentioned, scaling is an important part of a logo, the better it scales the more places it can be used.
As seen by this screenshot of Mr. Kyung's LinkedIn profile in the top left, the current logo is unintelligible in some cases, the symbol on the other hand scales fine even down to the size of a website favicon.
Consistently seeing the same logo reinforces the reliability and stability of the brand, which tends to build long-term trust and emotional attachment.
Brand Consistency
Samsung's many different divisions use many different variations of their logo.
With a limited search we have counted 13 Logo style variations and 9 different favicons currently in use by Samsung.
NOTE: this does not include color variations as such is expected.
This is a severe lack of consistency.
Consistent use of a logo helps customers easily recognize the brand across different platforms and touchpoints.
This familiarity fosters a sense of comfort and trust.
According to Forbs "Consistent brand presentation across all platforms increase revenue by up to 23%.".
Further, 3D Digital states that "90% of users expect to have the same branding across all platforms/channels".
NOTE: Special exceptions may be made for the logo of Samsung Foundation and any other charitable organizations in the Samsung group as they are nonprofits and while part of the Samsung group of companies, their focus differs from the for-profit divisions.
The Foundation logo while keeping the same style allows for a more loving touch.
4: Understandable and easy to Describe
Visuals such as symbols transcend language barriers and ensure that no matter what language a person speaks, they will be able to understand or recognize the brand.
Part of the reason this is so important is because the more a person understands a logo the more impact that logo has and the more they will connect with the brand which according to a study from 2018 "57% of consumers say they will up their spending with a brand they feel connected to.".
Further, other research found that "Customers who have an emotional bond with a brand are over 50% more valuable than highly satisfied customers.".
And Harvard Business Review states that "Fully connected customers are 52% more valuable, on average, than those who are just highly satisfied.".
According to research "69% of marketers say branded content is more effective than PR efforts".
Mockups
Now that we understand why a symbol is so important, let's look at some more use cases.
