How do heritage brands stay relevant and avoid becoming a relic?

Lord + Taylor and Avon recently unveiled new logos that move in opposite directions. What do they expect to gain from abandoning their brand history? Here’s how to move your brand ahead without ditching your past.

Left: The Lord & Taylor script on the exterior of the now-closed Manhattan store. Right: The sign on the window shade featuring the “Comic san-like” logotype. The new identity will not grace this building’s façade since it is soon to be replaced by WeWork.

Lord + Taylor gets a modern makeover

The hand-drawn script of Lord + Taylor is gone after years of downgrading. The once beautiful and elegant sweep of letterforms with the classic Lord + Taylor script has over the years been reduced to something that resembles Comic Sans. The original was the epitome of elegance. According to design historian and author, Paul Shaw, “One could say there is no such thing as ‘the’ Lord + Taylor logo.” A script logo debuted as early as 1933 by art director Harry Rodman. Shaw writes, “Rodman began encouraging illustrators to incorporate the logo in their drawings for ads, with the result that it was written afresh by each artist.” The full history can be read here.