Giant Food, a local grocer with stores in Maryland, DC, Virginia and Delaware, has recently undergone a long overdue brand identity refresh. Their old identity had become stale and quite dated – not nearly as impressive as some of their closest competitors, many of which had recently undergone brand redevelopments of their own:
Here’s what Giant had been working with until just recently. Notice the heavy dependence on the G:
Their new identity gets rid of the “G” mark, but presents a more ‘fresh,’ colorful image.
While it’s a nice mark, I wonder if they have made a bit of a mistake by not preserving any of the equity they have been building for decades. They have not only discarded the G mark they’ve worked so hard to drive home, but they have also changed the color palette entirely. It is a complete departure from the existing brand. And on top of that, I think it looks a little Bloom-esque both in shape and color scheme. If I were Giant, I would have perhaps looked to come up with something that is both new and modern, but also preserves some of the decades of brand equity they had built up.
All in all, I think a rebrand was a smart move for Giant Food. They needed it badly. It was important for them to take measures to prove that they are keeping up with the competition and trying to stay connected to the needs of their shoppers – coming to market with a dated, ineffective brand was not a good way to do this, so the new identity should serve them well.
I’d love to hear what you think?!
Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com
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Not attracted to the new logo at all. It looks like something I’ve seen before. Something I hated but was supposed to like.
I grew up with the giant G, and it’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the store. I’m not happy about this decision.
Major departure, although I can understand the need for an upgrade. I lived in NoVa for a few years and Giant was a part of our world.
I might’ve kept the big G in a new font and left the multicolors alone. The shape is OK, but in this green/organic age, maybe some shades of green would’ve been better? I’m not a designer, so I’m just asking.
I agree that keeping the best of the old and integrating with something new would have been a better approach. Time will tell if this works for them or not…
I agree they might have needed an update, but I don’t know how much the new logo does for me. I don’t really get what it’s trying to say about Giant, but maybe I am missing something? Like everyone else is saying, I think they should have stuck with making the “G” more prominent in some way because that is how people identify with the brand. The interior of the Giant by me is pretty outdated too, maybe they will spruce up the store along with the new logo? I think a more pleasant shopping atmosphere would more likely influence me to shop there than the new logo.
I agree it was way past time for a new logo. I like this now logo. I see nesting bowls, fruit slices, a bird form., even bakery references. Very organic shapes and colors, it makes the connection between nature (the Earth) and food. In the age of packaged foods, we tend to lose the connection between plants, animals and food. Food is still derived from plants and animals. For me, this design invokes that connection. As for the old logo, let it go. A few years ago my cousin from Pittsburgh was visiting and told me he’d picked up some food at the “Giant Gee”. Not being from the Baltimore area he assumed the giant “G” was pronounced. I got a big kick out of that. I’ve been acquainted with Giant for 14 years since moving from Ohio to Baltimore. I never experienced Giant in it’s glory days of Izzy Whatever, but those days are long gone. Giant fans of old should be glad that the chain has survived in these days of globalization. Change is inevitable. Live in the Now.
The old school ‘G’ had almost come full circle. With a few character adjustments (how about a new typeface or two?), an updated rendition could have outperformed, with improved shelf life, even the best of Giant’s competitors.
I would have loved a modern take on the Giant G w/ integrated typography. While GIant was ready for an upgrade, the new logo appears to be trying to hard.
The new logo expresses more about freshness and variety than the old and it is versatile enough so that parent company Ahold can use it with Stop and Shop. It’s a new direction for Giant and this should be a good thing in the very competitive grocery market. Maybe shoppers who had thought that Giant is too expensive or too anything might give the grocery stores a second look?
What do you think about the Sun’s redesign which rolled out at about the same time? This design is all about looks to the detriment of content.
Thanks for the comments, everyone.
Mark : I think that between Bloom, Superfresh and Whole Foods, the nature/organic angle has already been covered. Their (Giant’s) latest marketing campaign has been all about everyday low prices, so I am pretty confident that’s the positioning they are going to stick with. While I’m not denying that change is a good thing, one could argue that too much change can be hurtful. The G is near and dear to a lot of folks’ hearts around here. And while it could be confusing for folks visiting from out of town, that is NOT the target audience they need to be worried about.
Christina : Agreed, Giant needed this. They will really have to step up their actual product offering in terms of freshness and variety at the same time. I just feel like it’s too close to Bloom – and Bloom is a NICE store. Even more expensive than Giant…As for the Sun redesign – I like that they are not trying to pretend they are a paper with National influence. Bringing “Baltimore” back in I think is a good move. I haven’t seen the actual printed paper – just the billboards here in Baltimore City.
The new Giant logo is the same as that of Super Stop & Shop in the northeast U.S.
Possibly a setup to eventual name change/merger with Stop & Shop? Could be long-term brand segue, mate.
I saw a spot with the new logo last night, the whole thing used the new color/shape theme as the basis for the commercial. Nice way of introducing it….but I still miss the G.
Just in reply to Ben’s comment:
Stop & Shop and Giant are both owned by Amsterdam-based Ahold/Royal Ahold. That might explain the change in both chains…
I don’t like the new logo, but given that Royal Ahold has pretty well destroyed “My Giant” (like everything else that they have acquired) a new identity might be the best course.
I haven’t bought groceries at Giant in over 2 years, I was driven off by the outrageous prices which followed the introduction of the “Bonus Card”, and by the often-lackadasical service from a largely demoralized workforce. The only business that I still do there is perscriptions, for all of my other gripes with Giant, I do trust their pharmacy.
I’m not superficial enough to be “wowed” by a new logo. I do most of my grocery shopping at Mars, whose logo is probably more dated than the “Big G” was perceived to be. Price, selection, cleanliness and service “get it” for me, not corporate eye candy or an in-store Starbucks.
I saw the new logo on a trailer for the first time today, nothing spectacular, but probably cheaper than the super graphic banners (“Freshness shown actual size”) they have been using the last few years and certainly cheaper than the old “Quality you can count on…” and “Fresh ideas….” schemes (Some of those are getting really shabby looking).
A classic logo need not be dated. General Electric and Union Pacific both have logos that are over 100 years old, and still used with little or no change. Texaco still uses the star and T after “freshening” it a few years ago, and Safeway has revamped their “S” logo twice in the last 30 years. No reason it couldn’t have been done to the “Big G”, a new font perhaps?
Nice try, but it won’t bring me back. As far as I am concerned, they could just as well have put “Stop and Shop” on the stores. “My Giant” is dead and buried.