“Unless you have absolute clarity of what your brand stands for, everything else is irrelevant.” – Mark Baynes, Global CMO, Kellogg Co.
While we have no claim to be a brand as well known, or as prominent as “Kellogg, Co.”, what Mark Baynes says, is true, I think for any brand, including ours. For nearly 32 years, the Buffalo Office Interiors logo, which peppered our trucks, business cards, website, and more or less defined who we thought we were as a company, remained unchanged. 32 years. In that time, this country has seen 6 Presidents, a few wars, a couple of recessions, and some very “interesting” ideas on style. Style, which is defined as “a distinctive appearance, typically determined by the principles according to which something is designed, “, that is subjective when discussed, and where opinions can be as different as 2 snowflakes falling from the sky, is the very nature of our business.
We know styles and tastes change. We know sweeping changes within our industry provide a foundation that is not always clear, not always concise, and certainly not, always to the point. It was important to us as a company, to reflect the changing tide of style, in our new logo. At the very heart of company, stands “Buffalo”. That, as focus, in our logo and in our brand, was one thing that would never be negotiable.
Over the course of the last 6 months, it has been my privilege to research our very own “style”. One thing I have learned is that although trends come and go, our core has remained constant. Our core is our industry. Our core is our city. Our core is our team. Keeping these in mind, it prompted us to choose colors that are vibrant and diverse, just like we are. A new look for us not only means a new logo and some new colors, it means fresh ideas and a new way of thinking.
It is our sincere hope that outwardly, our new look will project to our clients our mission as a company to remain true to ourselves, while being still being capable of the change that is so necessary in our industry.