Congratulations to AJ Teachout: Our Favorite Rebrand Contest VICTOR!

After much debate and consideration, we at Identity have finally chosen the winner of our favorite rebrand contest! Thank you to all who entered! The submissions were all excellent, and it was really a tough decision to choose just one.

Actually, the winner is a particularly curious selection if you are to read only the title of the contest, because AJ Teachout singled out AOL’s recent December 2009 rebrand as one of the worst ever. So, in essence, AJ’s least favorite rebrand ended up snagging the title. And while the verdict is out on the strategic success of AOL’s decision, I’m sure AJ would agree that at least one positive outcome has arisen: HE HAS WON PRIZES!

Here’s his winning entry:

I would say that a recent re-brand takes the cake for the worst of all times – AOL…or more accurately now – “Aol.”

Their new logo is just those letters, only the A capitalized and that random period, laying over top of even more random photos of obscure things. I thought that AOL stood for something once, now it is just a word? It sounds like owl now.

AOL was already a dying brand- becoming more irrelevant every second of every day, but then they go and do this and then relaunch their website as a bad rip-off of Yahoo!

Now, Aol. is just confusing…what are they? What are they trying to be? If you ask me, the period at the end of their word mark signifies something very significant – the end of their relevance, once and for all.

I think AOL’s rebrand video really about sums this one up. I’m considering instating a follow-up contest challenging anyone to identify a semblance of brand or direction based solely on this video:

AOL: prosperous Internet service provider and software suite in the 1990s and early 2000s turned…what?

You tell me.
Here’s what Aol. has to say.

Congratulations again, AJ! Please send me an email to claim your prize!