Story in brief:
Just twelve years ago, British Telecom had transformed its brand by adding the odd but friendly piper (actually meant to represent one figure listening and one piping, thus communications). A sample London headline, "Look what those naughty faeries have done to BT!" But until now, BT stayed the course. Cost of implementation was said then to be 60 million pounds, to be spread over three years.

My guess: many managers hated the piper; and a relatively new top team felt more comfortable with a symbolically safer globe (no matter how odd the design). No need for consultants; a globe originally designed for the Concert joint venture in 1998 but rejected, and used later for BT Openworld, would be cheaper. And this time, cost is put at 5 million pounds, equally to be spread over three years (but for such a pittance why bother?).

In one of the sillier remarks put into a CEO's mouth, Verwaayen is said to have said "Although BT continues to change, there is still more to do and we will be introducing the new mark over time to demonstrate that the job is far from complete."

Credits:
CEO - Ben Verwaayen
Logo design - Wolff Olins, in 1998.

First Impressions:
I too had piper qualms. But try as I may, I can't see this globe as an improvement. Conceptually I get it... layering in the atmosphere... but in form and shape it is just a cut-up circle, a poor broken thing, unlikely to enhance the appearance of items on which it is applied.

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