About a month ago I walked into my local Walgreens to buy some deodorant. I've used AXE products for sometime now (especially KILO) and have become accustomed to the slick graphic design of their packaging. The design is actually what pulled me in initially, not their outrageous and sometimes risqué advertising. Anyway, upon arriving to the AXE section and quickly scanning the shelf for my beloved KILO... I had a "double-take." I honestly thought the new logo/design was some knock-off trying to imitate AXE's look and feel. Upon closer inspection, indeed AXE had re-branded.

Overall, I think the new design is a huge improvement. The placement of the sent (in this case KILO) is ideal for scanning and quick recognition. Unitalicized and consistent typography for "anti-perspirant & deodorant" is nice; the sizing and placement of that text is also ideal. No more cheesy white gradiant below anti-perspirant & deodorant. Yay! Increased size, brighter color, and better placement of the weight information is perfect. I am curious about the green stripes though. Why four now instead of five? And why were the old ones fuzzy streaks and the new ones scratches? There is one more thing...

I personally hate the new logo/typeface. The old logo has a lot more character; its smooth shapes and rounded corners are pleasing to the eye. We can look to such concepts as "fluidity of forms", organic shapes, or "biodynamics" to support this. Here's a quote from the father of "biodesign" himself:

"The earth is round, all the heavenly bodies are round; they all move on round or elliptical orbits. This same image of circular globe-shaped mini worlds orbiting around each other follows us right down to the microcosmos. We are even aroused by round forms in species propagation related eroticism. Why should I join the straying mass who want to make everything angular? I am going to pursue Galileo Galilei's philosophy: my world is also round." -- Luigi Colani.

Now in regards to being aroused by round shapes, do you not think this is the same concept AXE is trying to sell in their advertising? Then why ditch the smooth, sexy typeface. The new logo feels boxy and crowded. They managed to retain the round corner on the center of the "E" in AXE but that's about it. Someone probably fought hard just to keep that for the brand's sake. There is a time and place for stubby and boxy, but I don't think this is it.

Why mess with a good thing?