MullenLowe Takes Us Inside Its Global Rebrand

It started with a yearning to make our own brand our best case study. A design audit of the agency world was the first step. And it became very clear, as a result of this deep dive, that agencies tend to prioritize client work to the detriment of their own brands. 

We saw the opportunity to differentiate ourselves, but the challenge was also set. How could we create something that embodied the essence of who we are while showing that we can innovate, edit our own DNA to remain relevant (like an octopus), and stand out from the sameness of the industry? We also needed to make sure it would be a design system for our people just as much as for a corporation. 

For it to resonate well with our 4,000 employees worldwide, it needed to cut deeper than just a cool new look. It had to hold true meaning.

The design idea that addressed such issues was born of our own icon, the octopus. It already had all the qualities we liked and believed in. However, the existing image iteration fell short.

We wanted to move away from a literal translation of the little octopus character to create a new design language that advanced the spirit of the creature, more so than just illustrating its biological features. The new logo doesn't live by the rules of logic. It breaks free from any type of symmetry and rigidity. With no corners or end points, it changes and behaves in different ways.

The octopus is alive. It has a will, a personality, and, above all, it wants to move. With its endless twists and turns, it has the freedom to reinvent itself infinitely.

This fluidity allows us to bring our people into the design fold and give them a voice within the system. Our generative app where employees can customize the logo for themselves is the key to establishing unity while maintaining individuality.

The whole system is more than just a logo update. It is an exercise in treating our agency brand with the same vision and respect as our accounts.

Doing a rebrand in-house is like being the agency and the client at the same time. As an agency, we advocated moving away from the safe slide. And as a client, we took the leap.