Story in brief:
No matter how benign and helpful it may be, few things are more controversial than food irradiation or genetic engineering. Archer Daniels Midland, the huge American grain provider, thus found its 40-year-old 'food science' symbol a barrier to the love and respect it craves. The new logo is intended "to underscore the company's deep commitment to nature."

After trying an NYC branding firm, ADM assigned redesign to its Decatur ad agency, directed to 'stray not too far' yet come closer to nature, and look more 'modern.'

Credits:
C.E.O. - G. Allen Andreas
Identity strategy -
Identity design - Jones & Thomas, a Decatur IL advertising agency

First Impressions:

What a waste.

The old symbol, a molecule inside a leaf, was always a mystery to me. What was it? (Neither leaf nor molecule was particularly recognizable, made less so by super- imposition.) Could it actually have been designed? It was certainly not pretty, indeed a little sinister... and long, long overdue for change.
But the new symbol/initials combination is a letdown... better in 'message' but weak in design and corporate impression. Use of the void in the old symbol as a solid in the new one is a curious carrier of 'equity.' The new letterforms sacrifice both modernity and impact. Introduction of the 'seed' form in the letter A, aligned to the leaf stem, muddies the design and mandates a vertical lock-up of the symbol and initials, making the mark inflexible and harder to apply in horizontal applications.

Above all, the opportunity was lost to eliminate the inherent weakness of initials.

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