Expanded Capabilities
 The UPS Logo
 Defining UPS: "Synchronizing the World of Commerce"
 Keep the Brown
 The Management Challenge

Expanded Capabilities

Based on the sheer scale of the project, changing UPS’s visual identity will likely stand as the largest corporate identity transformation in history.

"UPS remains the world's premier package delivery company. However, our new logo reflects a world that expects more than packages from UPS - new capabilities and an innovative vision for world." Mike Eskew, UPS Chairman and CEO

And it was not a simple process.

Working with FutureBrand, a global authority on branding and marketing, UPS spent nearly two years on strategic research and detailed planning to reach today’s critical moment. The process began by recognizing the company’s “look” no longer reflected its business strategy, its expanded capabilities, its growth as a global company or its role as a technology pioneer. The company was offering an extensive portfolio of worldwide transportation and supply chain services – and planning a retail presence that would change Mail Boxes Etc. to The UPS Store – and the public’s perception remained locked on package delivery.

It was clear that the time was right to bring the company’s look up to speed with its capabilities. This would require changing everything from UPS’s logo and terminology to its packaging, air and ground delivery fleets, and even internal business forms.

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The UPS Logo

"The new UPS logo still conveys the essence of UPS, the spirit of service and excellence we've built as the world's leading package delivery company. But it expands its meaning to reflect the broader services now available to customers." John Beystehner, Chief Operating Officer, UPS and President, UPS Airlines

Although UPS was founded in 1907, its logo first appeared in 1919 in the design of a shield and the shield remains to this day. This design reflects integrity and reliability, not only of the company itself but also of the people behind it: drivers, management, front-line package handlers and today, thousands of other UPSers from consultants to warehouse managers.

Although the old logo failed to reflect the new capabilities of UPS, it was critical that any changes communicate an evolution, not a departure from the company's established expertise.

The result is a new shield designed to maintain the positive attributes of the old, while extending its meaning and giving it an energized look. The package with the bow above the shield has been removed, giving the logo room to communicate the many other capabilities of today's UPS. The actual look of the new logo gives it a stronger visual presence. Colors have been filled in for more impact and the UPS name increased in size. For even greater visual impact, the shield gained a three-dimensional appearance.

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Defining UPS: "Synchronizing the World of Commerce"

FutureBrand concluded that no terminology existed for the unique approach UPS was applying to its customers' businesses, leveraging the package delivery network and intellectual capital to provide for the coordinated movement of goods, information and funds.

Thus the term "Synchronized Commerce" was developed to define the expanded category in which UPS competes. The phrase, "Synchronizing the World of Commerce," now will appear on UPS aircraft, delivery vehicles, packaging and other assets to remind customers that a broad portfolio of services is available - all from one company, UPS.

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Keep the Brown

It's a little known fact that when UPS first began using motor vehicles for delivery, they were painted different colors so the public would know there was more than one package car at work. Brown was adopted as the color for uniforms and delivery vehicles in 1916 and by 1929, the entire UPS fleet was brown. UPS chose the brown that was used on Pullman rail cars because it reflected elegance and professionalism, and dirt is less visible on uniforms and vehicles. UPS registered two trademarks on brown, including one to prevent other delivery companies from using the color for vehicles or clothing.

Over the years, UPS branding executives have brainstormed the idea of changing the familiar chocolate brown package cars to tan, bronze, silver or even a multi-colored fleet. Khaki shirts also were reviewed once. But research among customers and UPS employees has always reinforced support for brown.

Instead of changing the primary color, UPS is adding vibrant colors to the company's master design palette - reds, blues and even bright green. By creating the new color palette, UPS can add a system of brand control while providing design flexibility that energizes various print designs.

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The Management Challenge

"We've always known that the UPS brand touches people millions of times worldwide each day, but the true magnitude of that truly came to life as we assessed how many places and how many ways our visual icon would have to change." Gary Mastro, UPS Vice President of Brand and Product Marketing

It may seem quite simple to change a logo. But for UPS, changing the brand mark has a ripple effect across literally millions of branded assets and thousands of locations throughout the world. The costs could be staggering if the project were not managed with extreme diligence.

It is impossible to calculate how many places and how many times the UPS shield appears each day. There are more than 2,100 different internal and external forms alone on which the logo appears.

Once senior management approved the initiative, an extensive cross-functional team of branding experts, industrial engineers, plant engineers, procurement managers, technologists and communications managers were brought together to ensure the project's success. The team had a firm deadline of six months to finalize the application of the new look on branded UPS assets and to roll out the project internally and externally in a coordinated, synchronized unveiling. The decision was made from the beginning that it should be kept as confidential as possible, making the challenge even greater.

The team began the process with an exhaustive audit to determine what would change and when. Core areas were identified to provide a focused approach and sub-teams were established to address each area. The teams then set out to apply the new design strategy to everything from software packaging to print collateral to livery assets such as vehicles and aircraft.

	Delivery   Vehicles		UPS's fleet of more than 88,000 vehicles includes a wide assortment of vans, trucks and over-the-road tractor trailers. This project alone required extensive coordination between the UPS automotive team and industrial engineering who were charged with devising a way to secretly deploy more than 1,300 newly adorned vehicles to facilities on Day One.
	Aircraft		Refreshing the look of the UPS planes required months of test painting, using a spare 727 aircraft, followed by design adaptations for each of the many aircraft types in UPS's fleet. One challenge alone appeared when applying the new three-dimensional logo design to their tails. To create this look, designers applied a special "masking" paint system to give the logo the unique three-dimensional appearance.
	Uniforms		After a great deal of research and design testing, it was decided the traditional UPS uniform would remain largely unchanged. Customers and drivers said they liked the traditional look of UPS "browns." Therefore, uniforms will retain their classic look, but will receive the new logo.
	Packaging		UPS's express packaging is one of the most visible brand assets customers touch around the world each day, which provided an exceptional opportunity to extend UPS's new look in a bold way. The new packaging takes on the expanded color palette and graphic design system, providing greater use of energetic color.
	Signage		Replacing signs might seem fairly straightforward, but these changes affect more than 1,700 package delivery facilities, air hubs and office buildings. The new signage system applies consistent guidelines for these worldwide locations. The first sign change occurred at the historic 43rd Street facility in New York City. This location also provided the ideal set for the ceremonial unveiling of the new shield by UPS Chairman & CEO Mike Eskew.

From the UPS driver's electronic clip board to computer-printed package labels, the list of other branded items that will undergo change over the coming years is extensive, and each has undergone the same rigorous review to ensure visual consistency, quality and prudent cost containment.

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