Reading through the articles about the upcoming ALDI rebrand I’m struck by what seems to be an inability for people to grasp some of the strategic rational behind this rebrand and rebranding in general.
Everywhere ALDI has opened, they taken on established supermarket brands and beaten them. They do it by completely turning conventional thinking on it’s head: while the rest of the industry was trying to establish credentials as fresh and foody with stores that feel more like urban delis and farmers markets, ALDI went on perceived value, simple industrial store layouts, minimal staff, minimal operating costs. And there infamous quirky offers that for any given Tuesday, will bring in a different demographic. It feels like you saving money while you shop, and if you can’t hack it, that’s your problem.
And in a nut shell that’s it, ALDI don’t do things the way the market expects so why should their rebrand give us the expected. The logo is an evolution that’s disappointing designers the world over, a quick google search will serve plenty of bellyaching, but was struck my was’t the aesthetic merits of the mark but the aptness for it’s audience. For the people who believe in the ALDI brand. Wether deliberate or not it’s a brand that symbolises ALDI core strength: bucking convention. ALDI has yet again decided to differentiate, and that’s more valuable to them then aesthetics.
Interestingly it’s also incredibly legible at tiny sizes:
Derek Carroll
Derek is the Creative Partner at Truly Deeply, a brand agency with 25 years experience working with brands to position them for growth. His deep expertise is in creating beautiful, effective and unique brand identities that bring strategy to life and resonate with audiences. Derek has extensive experience developing consumer, business, community and government brands.
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