Devon Energy

New:  Logo and visual system

Launched:  December 3, 2007

Story in brief:
This is a common story... the company you never heard of because it saw no need to be known, and was perfectly happy flying under the radar.  It had a logo, to be sure, probably because its first annual report looked better with one... (nice letterforms, but more appropriate for a bar of soap than an oil and gas development company). 

But success, exponential growth and a ton of acquisitions makes "under the radar" an untenable branding strategy. Devon is now one of the world's leading independent energy companies, an important presence in its Oklahoma City home community and in policy and finance communities. Its employees and its leaders want it better known, respected for their achievements and for Devon's new importance.  Fortune 500 in 2002, NYSE listing in 2004 -- the time had come to look like a leader.

More importantly, the time had come to unify some 27 acquired brands (and cultures) into one, a goal expressed internally in the slogan "27 to 1."  Said Creative Director Tim Langenberg "Employees joining Devon through mergers and acquisitions at times found it hard to relate to the Devon brand. We needed something much stronger, so we could say 'Here's everyone's logo.'"

Anticipating a higher profile, in 2005 Vince White (VP Corporate Communications and Investor Relations) added  designer Langenberg to his team, to build a creative department and prepare for rebranding.  Landor won the assignment, and provided a straightforward wordmark-based solution that capitalizes on the simple, distinctive Devon name, adding a three-bars graphic device for visual impact and (by evoking geological strata) conceptual relevance. The bars also provide graphic forms for a dynamic visual system, clearly evident in Devon's home page.

Credits:
C.E.O. - J. Larry Nichols
C.B.O. - Vince White
Creative Director - Tim Langenberg
Identity counsel & design - Landor (SF):
Creative lead Christopher Lehmann

First Impressions:
Excellent mark. A good example of integration of a symbol within a wordmark-based whole, so the name remains the hero while gaining in personality and graphic impact. 

Corporate Brand Matrix:  Structural 0%, strategic 90%, functional 10%