Changing a company logo poses a number of tough questions for a small business. Why does the brand identity need to be refreshed? What’s the compelling business for this change? Will the updated company logo properly reflect the company personality, position, and business value in the eyes of its customers?
Changing a company brand isn't always easy. But when you incorporate direct feedback from customers, you can breathe new life into your brand identity.
Naturally, we asked ourselves these questions – and many others – when revisiting the
System ID brand. After 30 years serving the barcoding needs of hundreds of thousands of customers, we discovered that according to research by
Yale University’s Richard Foster, System ID has a lifespan that is double the 15-year average of S&P 500 companies. Not too shabby! However, we didn’t want to rest on our laurels. Mr. Foster says that two traits of successful companies are the willingness to chart new territory and possess a laser-sharp focus on customers. We set out to do both.
We took stock of who System ID is and what we do. We weren’t afraid to self-analyze and, if necessary, make changes. Our goal was to optimize our brand identity including positioning, messaging, and company logo so it best served our small business customers for the next 30 years.
A new look
Today, we unveil the System ID brand identity. Most noticeable is the company logo, color, and overall design. However, behind the new look and feel is a thorough analysis and rationale for this update.
The System ID website replaces past reds and oranges with modern colors and a fresh company logo that reflects System ID's position as the leading barcode solutions provider.
We started last year to evaluate and review our situation. We employed the services of
OnMessage, a Dallas-based messaging company to help us with this task. We liked that OnMessage was unique as a messaging infusion company focused on corporate identity. We liked that they were outsiders without bias or internal focused.
OnMessage did what a good company should do. They asked questions. They talked to internal associates. They evaluated competitors. And, they looked at the industry. But, most importantly, they talked to our customers to better understand their perceptions of System ID.
Valuable insight
OnMessage’s findings were enlightening. We learned that:
- System ID customers cherished the years of experience, product knowledge and consultative nature of System ID sales advisors.
- Competitive and market analysis supported our company’s specialty in serving small to medium-sized businesses.
- The market opportunity for barcode solutions continues to be strong.
As we evaluated the input, three common scenarios emerged from our customers:
- Customers new to barcoding trusted System ID to guide their transition from manual processes to automated solutions.
- Customers were successfully using barcodes to scale their growing business and valued System ID’s selection, product availability and knowledge.
- Customers who had broadly deployed barcode solutions relied on System ID to optimize their environment with the latest technology.
As we listened to the input and searched for ways to message what we heard, the words automate, scale and optimize seemed to accurately capture these three scenarios. So, our new tag line, Automate. Scale. Optimize. With System ID was literally born from conversations with customers.
From System ID Warehouse to System ID Barcode Solutions
Nothing was off limits with this brand identity refresh – including the company name.
For 30 years, the name System ID Warehouse has served us well. Unfortunately, using the descriptor “warehouse” didn’t precisely explain the business System ID was in, especially to in the eyes of our customers.
During conversations with customers, the word “solutions” was often mentioned. They stated they were searching for solutions and indicated System ID was the barcode expert they valued and trusted. And while it’s true that many of our customers have warehouses, it was actually barcode solutions they were seeking.
So, we’ve replaced the descriptor “warehouse” with “barcode solutions” to more clearly convey the business solutions System ID provides.
Message complete. New fresh look.
Once the messaging was complete, we wanted a new look to adequately reflect the barcode solutions System ID provides. The red of years ago and the orange of recent times are gone. Now, a modern color palette is utilized.
The new logo and font present a distinctive look in the market and conveys the feeling of a leading technology solution provider. The stylized graphic with its color and perceived movement symbolize the efficiency and speed of an automated supply chain.
The new System ID logo presents a distinctive look that conveys the feeling of a leading technology solution provider, while the color and perceived movement of the identity mark symbolize the efficiency and speed of an automated supply chain.
Change is not easy
The effort to change the System ID brand identity wasn’t always easy – everyone it seemed had an opinion or thought. However, we were lucky to have valuable input from our customers. In the end, it wasn’t so much an internal debate as it was truly listening to our customers then refining and focusing on what we heard. So, I want to personally thank the customers who helped us with this branding effort and the many others who continue to value and trust System ID.
I invite you to give us feedback on the new System ID company logo and brand in the comments below. Hopefully, it captures and reflects the commitment we have on serving your needs whether you are automating, scaling or optimizing your barcode environment.
