RedWhite Apparel has a new Logo
RedWhite Apparel has a new logo. It is a simple "REDWHITE APPAREL" spelt out on a red background. You can expect to see variations of this in other colours, but officially, it will be white words on a bright red background.
The reason for this logo change is simple. The old "chain logo" was hard to read and didn't tell you anything about the company's name. This new logo is much easier to read.
I liked the old logo and persisted with it for over 8 years. It is an outline of a bicycle chain with the letters "R I D E" spelt out within the circular elements. However, unless you understood what it meant, you'd struggle to read it. Customers only got the logo after the knew the company's name and read the logo with fresh eyes.
As RedWhite Apparel continued growing and reaching new customers, the old logo started to become cumbersome. I'd often get emails asking about it. I also received feedback from customers who just didn't like the aesthetics of it. Arguably, it does look old-fashioned.
The big push for a logo change came in 2018 when I launched The BIB - Stealth (now called Legacy) which had a simple "RW" printed on the gripper. That bibshort outsold everything else RedWhite sold. Nothing had changed on that bibshort from a technical perspective. Only the design. It was a simple, black bibshort with a simple logo. People appeared to really prefer that over anything else RedWhite sold with the old "chain logo".
This experiment culminated in this year's latest product launches :
- The BIB (Men's) - successor to The BIB Stealth
- The BIB (Women's) - successor to The BIB Women Stealth
- The Cargo Bib Short (Men's) with Pockets - updated version
- The Cargo Bib Short (Women's) with Pockets - updated version
- The 3/4 Summer Bib Tight with Pad (Men's)
- The 3/4 Summer Bib Tight with Pad (Women's)
All these products used pared back logos and simple designs. These product launches are by far the most successful in RedWhites history.
RedWhite is all about giving customers highly functional long distance bibshorts that have a simple aesthetic to them. The logo of the company was an oddball that didn't echo this design philosophy.
A Logo that echoes RedWhite's Product Design
We now come full circle with a logo that echoes the simple design language of RedWhite's products. Gone is the complicated "chain logo" that's hard to get. Replacing it is one that is as simple as the design language of RedWhites bibshorts.
I hope you like this new logo.
While I understand that the old one holds some nostalgia, especially with RedWhite's earliest customers, this new one better fits RedWhite's identity as a purveyor of simple, black, long-distance bibshorts.
4 comments
I honestly think that the old logo is cool and clever because of the ‘ride’ play within. I’ve seen the brand name before the logo so it was not hard to decipher.
I agree it is somewhat dated now, and yes simple typeface is much more friendlier, however REDWHITE APPAREL on the new logo is a bit busy perhaps due to inclusion of ‘APPAREL’.
RW is much cooler visually I think, but that is now 4 syllables twistie compared to 2 syllables smoothie with ‘RedWhite’.
It’s definitely better than the old logo, for all the reasons you mentioned.
I will say, though, that I hope the simple “RW” is what remains on the bibs.
@TERRY ANGSTADT : Thank you for the kind words Terry :)
Good call. Simple and clean is always best.
Tone on tone is even more subtle as you are doing with the RW.
Just got my third pair. They are great.