Brand Identity Alert

Bing bong.

September 24, 2013

bing
Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, has rebranded. This of course should not be confused with MSN, also from Microsoft, which rebranded nearly four years ago. (Not sure why Microsoft needs both, though if they did away with MSN, would MSNBC become Bing NBC? Bob Hope would be jealous.)
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Microsoft had announced this past July that it was a “one company” strategy. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, wrote in a an email to employees, “We are rallying behind a single strategy as one company — not a collection of divisional strategies. Although we will deliver multiple devices and services to execute and monetize the strategy, the single core strategy will drive us to set shared goals for everything we do. We will see our product line holistically, not as a set of islands.”
The question, of course, is whether the rebranded Bing is aligned to Ballmer’s statement. The short answer is no. They went to great lengths to point out that the logotype is a customized version of the corporate font (if it’s the corporate font, why change it?), yet they stressed they used the same kerning for the “I” and the “n” that is in the Windows logo. Sure, as if most people would look at the new Bing logo and recognize that. On the other hand, while Windows and Microsoft use a capital letter for their name, Bing is all lowercase.
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The symbol, a stylized “b” is said to evoke “movement, direction and energy”. It is also awkward, uncomfortable and inelegant. Placing the logo on a grid and talking about the Swiss or International style doesn’t hide the issues. It is also contradicts the opening paragraph of the statement launching the rebranding of Bing. The word magic is used three times in the opening paragraph announcing the new Bing logo. There is sadly no magic here.
“We set out to provide clarity, decisions and insights. Bing is no longer just a search engine on a web page. It’s a brand that combines search technology across products you use every day to help empower you with insights. It’s time we all stepped out of the confines of the search box to stop searching and start finding.” Too bad the brand doesn’t measure up.
bing.com

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