qantas has just revamped the all-familar jumping kangaroo logo and font… the previous logo was designed almost 20 years ago so apparently it was time for an update.

frankly speaking, my initial thoughts when i saw the logo was ‘why that font! why italicize it more!?’. i think it just makes the logo look like it was back in the 80s instead. it just doesn’t really fit very well with the stylized kangaroo design - which looked like the jumping roo has gained a bit of weight or something.  this logo was designed to suit the newer range of aircraft like the (humongous) A380 so i guess that justify fattening up every bit of the logo… but why italicize so much?? (my friend said it looked like a typhoon came and blew the words one way… which i thought was quite funny)

according to the news, when they decided to revamp the logo, australians were very concerned that the jumping roo would somehow be replaced so much so that the airline had to release some form of an official word to let people know that ‘no we’re not changing the kangaroo!’. i would be VERY concerned if they did take out the kangaroo… you can refer to the history of the jumping roo here.

of course it is still too early to tell whether this new look would work, and what other improvements did qantas make to their brand to bring it to the next 20 years(?). just earlier this year, another of australia’s iconic symbols got a spiffy look but in the case of the opera house, i like the interpretation and the design of the “tagline”… it makes the SOH more lively than your typical staid opera house and very much more ‘aussie’.

i love a well-designed mall identity so it was a pleasant surprise to step into White Sands last weekend and be greeted by their updated look. from a dark and dingy little place, they have recently renovated to include more retail space and a new “nautical” identity - the main signage outside now sports a sketchy star logo on blue against crisp white walls and blue roofs.

as part of the new identity, their mall signages were also redesigned with the same blue background and white icons. instead of having overtly stylized signages (which can totally hamper direction-seeking), they have gone the other way with these chubby “stick” figures (check out the wheelchair dude!) and with the supporting text below in a sans-serif font. i could see where the toilets were from miles away and the blue colour really stood out amongst the bright lights of the mall and the shops themselves (also it doesn’t hurt that i love the fresssssh feel of the blue and white!)

compared with other bigger malls, their new identity is definitely much more effective. to many people, going shopping is often about the stores and their content but quite often, the mall identity and its signages can have a significant impact on your experience and enjoyment of the place. the next time you go to your local mall, take a careful look at their communication design and see how it affect your shopping experience!