![]() ![]() And, of course, this new “Infinity Symbol” does not even have the fifteenth of impact, innovation or daringness of the one and only, Lucent’s late 90s-defining “Ring of Innovation”.Īlso known as “The Big Red Zero,” “The Flaming Goose Egg,” “The Coffee Stain,” and, my favorite, “The Devil’s Asshole,” Lucent’s swooping, red brush stroke was (in)famously designed by Landor in 1996 to much of the industry’s (the telecommunications’, not the design’s) mocking chagrin. The only admirable trait in this new identity is the color, even if a slightly more colorful purple could have pumped up the volume to the next level: A 4 out of 10 in my imaginary rating scale. Instead of a company that could literally be poised for world domination through telecommunication and 88,000 employees. There isn’t enough positive reinforcement I can offer to this criteria and the resulting icon: A too-soon throwback to the generally curvaceous persona of numerous start-ups during the dot com era. And so as not to disappoint, there is plenty of rhetoric around the hue: a) “ combines the stability of blue with the energy of red” and b) “ has traditionally symbolized power and ambition and is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence and creativity.” On the trying-to-not-be-generic typography they offer that it “is designed to aid readability and comprehension with upper and lowercase letters.” No word, however, on what the generous shading means. ![]() The identity was designed by EURO RSCG Worldwide - yes, I know: “Huh?” - and the resulting icon for the identity is dubbed “ The Infinity Symbol” formed by the literal unity between Alcatel’s “A” and Lucent’s “L” in what the press release describes as an icon that “looks as if it were drawn by hand” and, more importantly, “portraying the combination of two great companies creating a better future for its employees, its customers and its customers’ customers.” If that is not enough meaning for you, the new identity also symbolizes “endless possibilities for the future of the combined company, and its commitment to being a strong, stable and enduring ally for our customers around the world.” As glaring as the new identity is, it is the selected color that surprised me the most, as purple - a rare choice in corporate and brand identity, and perhaps Alcatel-Lucent’s boldest move in establishing a recognizable brand - is a very hard color to pull off unless you are Barney. This past December 1st, the merger was official and a new identity for the siamesed company was unveiled. In April of 2006 Paris-based Alcatel announced that it would merge with New Jersey-based Lucent Technologies, creating one of the world’s biggest telecommunications companies.
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