We all know Hermes, and we’ve all probably received a parcel from them at some point (even if it did arrive late or was squashed in the bottom of your bin).
It’s safe to say that the delivery firm doesn’t exactly have the best reputation, and perhaps this was one of the contributing factors in their latest rebrand.
Hermes have changed their name, and full brand identity, to become Evri.
And quite literally, evri-thing has changed, apart from the iconic blue and white colour palette which signposts their previous branding.
Check out our thoughts on Hermes’ rebrand to Evri in this episode of Rebrand Review;
With the help of Superunion, Evri has introduced a new identity that is complete with a wacky font, a heart-felt TV advertising campaign, and a customer-centric approach.
Putting customers first is at the core of this rebrand as they want to embrace inclusivity. From the brand name to the logo, it’s about bringing people together and creating a brand that is accessible for all of their customers.
Let’s unpackage this some more.
Credit to Under Consideration
Evri-one, Evri-where
As a leading delivery company that delivers 700m parcels each year with over 30,000 couriers, Evri is embedded in the community.
Their new direction aims to put customers first, as they are the lifeblood of their entire business. As such, their new logo is reflective of this and cleverly represents ‘evri-one, evri-where.’
The delivery firm is also keen to emphasise their commitment to delivering a positive customer experience, which it has lacked in previous years.
This is a big driving force behind the rebrand as it represents more than just a name change.
Evri wants to reestablish themselves as a trusted delivery service that genuinely values customer satisfaction.
Personally, I really like the new name as it’s short and easy to pronounce. It’s also very easy to remember and it strongly puts the brand on the road to recovery in terms of customer perception.
My only criticism is the typography.
Confusing doesn’t cut it, as I think consistency is the best way to reinstate your rebrand.
However, there is nothing consistent about the new logo, but perhaps the wackiness will become their greatest asset.
Logo: confusing or clever?
As much I love the brand name, and what it represents, the logo itself just feels a bit messy.
Superunion have created a generative tool that allows the brand to create 194,481 bespoke logo artworks for their brand estate and delivery fleet.
194, 481 logo artworks?!
My mind is blown.
That’s a whole lot of different logo combinations. Just take a look at the below video:
Whilst some might say it’s cool and clever, I’m unsure how you can build brand recognition when your logo keeps changing.
Regardless of which combination is used, the mix of different typography styles is really uncomfortable to look at. There’s no sense of balance and the ‘i’ looks like it’s just been plonked on the end.
For whatever reason, they’ve decided to use a mix of slab serif, a high-contrast sans serif, a wide and thinner sans serif, and a bold and lowercase serif which in itself is confusing!
But, perhaps creating a stir, and making people stop to notice is the whole point of this rebrand?
If so, then shut me up, because that’s exactly what they’ve done.
Combinations upon combinations
The four letters of Evri can change in what seems like an endless number of combinations – none of which are pleasant, but I can’t stop looking at them!
And I have to admit, it does make the brand look very distinctive and again, it’s sure to make people stop to find out more.
Which is great for a rebrand, as you’re building up consumer interest.
“Superunion also worked with Monotype to create a headline typeface where each of the default characters is stylistically different across the brand’s comms. Each character (A-Z) is then accompanied by 20 OpenType alternate glyphs, all of which are completely different with their own unique display design. “ – WPP press release
Supporting the bold decision to create an ever-changing logo, the headline typeface has 20 different styles for each glyph.
The styles range from traditional serifs and sans serifs to blackletters, scripts, inlines, and other display styles that don’t seem to be in any way connected.
Whilst this is highly confusing, it also conjures visual interest as people start to tie the different elements together.
What remains consistent, and might be the saving grace when it comes to building up brand recognition, is the white and blue colour palette.
This is synonymous with the previous Hermes brand, and just might help customers make the connection between the old and new branding.
TV ad: The driving force behind the rebrand
The multi-million pound campaign launches with a one-minute advert that focusses on the relationship delivery drivers build with their customers.
The TV ad evokes real emotion, and follows the story of a pregnant mother and her husband as they await the birth of their child.
The aim behind the ad is to remind customers how personal the relationship is between Evri delivery drivers and their customers, which injects a sense of emotion into the delivery service to reflect that each parcel is delivered with care.
The relationship builds throughout the advert before finishing with ‘Evri delivery made for you’.
Whilst this ad is very touching, I’m not sure how accurate it is in terms of how customers actually feel about the brand.
Even so, as an advertising campaign, it’s very effective and supports their purpose to put customers first.
Evri-thing has changed: The Hermes Rebrand Explored
The question is, is it better to create a brand that drums up opinion (regardless of whether it’s positive or negative), than to play it safe?
What Evri have created is very daring, as they’ve completely chucked out the branding rule book.
They’ve created an ever-changing logo, with nearly 200,000 (yes, you read that right) logo combinations.
Usually brands concentrate on reinforcing a consistent visual identity that helps customers understand the direction of their rebrand.
This is certainly not the case with Evri, but they have definitely turned a few heads.
Whilst they could have played it safe, the name change is definitely a conversation-starter. After all, we’re reviewing it now, and I bet it’s got some of you thinking!
So, has Evri-thing changed for the better or worse?
Let us know in the comments!
