Verizon checks out new logo

Back in the year 2000, telecommunications company Bell Atlantic had grown to the point where it needed a name to fit a business that was no longer confined to the eastern part of the United States. Thus, Verizon was born and America came to be accustomed to a new logo, consistently regarded by designers as one of the worst logos used by a major corporation. Fifteen years later, one the country's most omnipresent brands has replaced that logo.

Keeping some of the straightforwardness of its predecessor, the new logo is dominated by a single-colour wordmark. Some identification is achieved and continuity maintained by keeping a small version of the old checkmark as part of the logo.

Previous logo.

One of the reasons the old Verizon logo was so reviled may have been the fact that it was a hodgepodge designed by several major corporate design agencies. According to the now dormant site Identityworks, the V symbol and the black lettering was designed by Landor, while DeSola Group added the red Z and was in charge of implementation. Both agencies, as well as Lippincott & Margulies, were involved in the name development.

"The new brand identity takes the best elements of Verizon’s heritage, represented by its colors and the Verizon “checkmark,” and transforms them for a new era. At its most basic level, the new logo is a visual statement that honors our history and reflects an identity that stands for simplicity, honesty and joy in a category rife with confusion, disclaimers and frustration. It’s a cleaner, more human design and the checkmark, the universal symbol for getting things done, uniquely expresses the reliability of Verizon." - Verizon communications

No word yet on who developed the new identity.

Thanks to Randall C for the tip!