Spyderco Rebrand Concept

[JuPaul]

It's hard for me to imagine a spyderco knife without the "cute" spider on the blade. With that being said, I think the logo you created is awesome, especially how you integrated an "S" into the legs. I also love the packaging - very nice!

[Doc Dan]

I like it all. The Spyderco logo update is really appealing. I could see that logo on their hard use knives or something.

[Mushroom]

Great work, it's really clean and very creative! Sounds like it was a fun project.

Personally though, I think there are too many drastic changes and I don't think that it accurately represents Spyderco as a company. Just my opinion, but it feels a bit generic.

None the less, it's still very well done and the presentation is awesome! (P.S. I love the portable dumpster fire idea. )

[markhayesdesign]

Hi adsitdesign,
Nice package and I can see that you put a lot of thought and time into your project. I'm a 30+ year art director and designer, former owner/Creative Director of my own branding/ad agency and I've spent most of my career mentoring young designers. One problem with school projects is that you're kind of working in a vacuum, You've got an idea but you don't really have the resources to really understand the market, the audience and to test the concept with the consumers that the brand has to reach — and that's the trap you've fallen into.

Your concept is sharp, stylish, beautifully executed and attractive but it forgets a critical element of branding: The Spyderco branding ain't broke (so there's no need to fix it). The only thing about the current branding that could use updating is the typography because it's feeling pretty dated but the current spider logo is rather brilliant. Knives are kind of a tough thing to brand because there's an inherent danger to the product itself, sharp edges, the perception among many people that they're unsafe or that they could be put to, shall we say, "nefarious uses."

Using the softened, "cute" spider goes a long way to soften that for Spyderco. It makes the brand approachable, nonthreatening and safe for people that don't know that much about knives and their uses. The fact that Spyderco is best-in-class within this industry attests to that and reinforces the comfort level of people who are being introduced to the brand. The current spider is a big help with that.

You've done some very interesting work and you definitely have a future in design and branding but this one is a near miss. Keep up the work though, because I'm sure we'll see great things from you!

[neuronic]

Not for me. First impression is some sort of tribal tattoo. That definitely would put me off buying. Looks cheap to me, I'm sorry.

[Wartstein]

Hi adsitdesign,
Nice package and I can see that you put a lot of thought and time into your project. I'm a 30+ year art director and designer, former owner/Creative Director of my own branding/ad agency and I've spent most of my career mentoring young designers. One problem with school projects is that you're kind of working in a vacuum, You've got an idea but you don't really have the resources to really understand the market, the audience and to test the concept with the consumers that the brand has to reach — and that's the trap you've fallen into.

Your concept is sharp, stylish, beautifully executed and attractive but it forgets a critical element of branding: The Spyderco branding ain't broke (so there's no need to fix it). The only thing about the current branding that could use updating is the typography because it's feeling pretty dated but the current spider logo is rather brilliant. Knives are kind of a tough thing to brand because there's an inherent danger to the product itself, sharp edges, the perception among many people that they're unsafe or that they could be put to, shall we say, "nefarious uses."

Using the softened, "cute" spider goes a long way to soften that for Spyderco. It makes the brand approachable, nonthreatening and safe for people that don't know that much about knives and their uses. The fact that Spyderco is best-in-class within this industry attests to that and reinforces the comfort level of people who are being introduced to the brand. The current spider is a big help with that.

You've done some very interesting work and you definitely have a future in design and branding but this one is a near miss. Keep up the work though, because I'm sure we'll see great things from you!

Welcome to the forum! :)

Very interesting to read your thoughts as an design expert on "adsitdesigns" work! (I (total layman!) think it´s really good as I stated in a previous post).

The one thing I don´t understand though in your post: Why is his work, though you seem to really like it, still a "near miss"? I mean, being "just" a project (and not a real assignment) for me it´s pretty obvious that in order to do the project he just pretended that Spyderco in fact WOULD want a total rebrand (for whatever reason) and he was the one to create that for them, right? It´s not that he did it cause he actually really thought they would need a rebrand in "real life" - ?!

[BornIn1500]

The one thing I don´t understand though in your post: Why is his work, though you seem to really like it, still a "near miss"? I mean, being "just" a project (and not a real assignment) for me it´s pretty obvious that in order to do the project he just pretended that Spyderco in fact WOULD want a total rebrand (for whatever reason) and he was the one to create that for them, right? It´s not that he did it cause he actually really thought they would need a rebrand in "real life" - ?!

I think his point was to emphasize the "vacuum" a student is in. To get the most out of the projects, it would be better to look at the WHY of re-branding instead of only the HOW and then pick a company that really needs the re-branding. He only seems to be looking at half the picture. Identifying the specific market needs is more important than simply making a logo different. And making the new logo more aggressive and realistic is going the other direction for the market.

I don't mean to speak for him, but I think that's where he was going with his post.

[Wartstein]

The one thing I don´t understand though in your post: Why is his work, though you seem to really like it, still a "near miss"? I mean, being "just" a project (and not a real assignment) for me it´s pretty obvious that in order to do the project he just pretended that Spyderco in fact WOULD want a total rebrand (for whatever reason) and he was the one to create that for them, right? It´s not that he did it cause he actually really thought they would need a rebrand in "real life" - ?!

I think his point was to emphasize the "vacuum" a student is in. To get the most out of the projects, it would be better to look at the WHY of re-branding instead of only the HOW and then pick a company that really needs the re-branding. He only seems to be looking at half the picture. Identifying the specific market needs is more important than simply making a logo different. And making the new logo more aggressive and realistic is going the other direction.

I don't mean to speak for him, but I think that's where he was going with his post.

Thanks, that really makes sense to me!
And right, if the project is meant to be kind of a "preparation" for an actual make-my-living-of-it job as an designer, it is certainly a good idea to include as much "real" aspects of such a job (and, as you pointed out, not "only" designing a different logo)

[RadioactiveSpyder]

Awesome work, love the logo! I agree very much with Darby and JR, any change to the logo that makes it look less like a tick is great in my book. While I’ve also obviously come to love the current “cute” logo, there’s huge room for improvement there and this new version is right along those lines (no pun intended )! Cheers, Radioactive

[SG89]

So is this a covert thing to see if we like the logo before spyderco announces it as real?

[JRinFL]

So is this a covert thing to see if we like the logo before spyderco announces it as real?

I highly doubt it, but I also lack any inside information.

[JustinB]

So is this a covert thing to see if we like the logo before spyderco announces it as real?

The OP said they were a graphic designer graduate and did this as a project for class, so I don't think it's Spyderco feeling out reactions to a rebrand.
I could be completely wrong, but I am pretty sure we will be keeping the cute spyder we all know and love

[markhayesdesign]

The one thing I don´t understand though in your post: Why is his work, though you seem to really like it, still a "near miss"? I mean, being "just" a project (and not a real assignment) for me it´s pretty obvious that in order to do the project he just pretended that Spyderco in fact WOULD want a total rebrand (for whatever reason) and he was the one to create that for them, right? It´s not that he did it cause he actually really thought they would need a rebrand in "real life" - ?!

I think his point was to emphasize the "vacuum" a student is in. To get the most out of the projects, it would be better to look at the WHY of re-branding instead of only the HOW and then pick a company that really needs the re-branding. He only seems to be looking at half the picture. Identifying the specific market needs is more important than simply making a logo different. And making the new logo more aggressive and realistic is going the other direction for the market.

I don't mean to speak for him, but I think that's where he was going with his post.

Hi BornIn1500, You nailed it. I did like the thinking behind what adsit tried to do but wanted to point out the dangers of applying student work to real world branding challenges. He's obviously a talented young designer but he didn't have all the resources that an agency would have in the preparation for a potential rebrand.

School projects are an opportunity to think within that vacuum and let your creativity fly without real world constraints (and those constraints usually seem to challenge you in such a way that you actually do better work than you would if they weren't in your way). When a Creative Director looks at a portfolio from a student or a recent graduate of a design program, they take into account that the work was done with no time, budget or client constraints. An entry level portfolio is an opportunity for a designer to show what they're capable of without those constraints — and I remember when I was starting out the "hitting a brick wall" feeling of facing up to those restraints and eventually overcoming them.

A rebrand is a team sport that utilizes multiple disciplines withing an agency (or multiple freelancers, if an independent designer designer gets the gig). You commonly see the designer, a strategist/planner, researchers (focus groups, usability experts, etc) and, most importantly, the client. All of these pieces are critical to the success of a project like this — especially when you're dealing with a respected and beloved brand like Spyderco. This isn't a local landscaping business, it's a decades old, established company with presence around the world.

I liked what adsit did because it's cool looking, feels modern and he'd done some real thinking about how to present it — but it still wouldn't be the right direction for the company that he chose to do as a student project for all the reasons I stated here and in my post above.

I also think that adsit has a future as a designer, this is early work and he'll definitely be doing very interesting work in the future and I look forward to seeing it!