Woodside Energy

New:  Logo

Launched:  February 4, 2009

Story in brief:
This is Australia's largest oil and gas producer, seeking to express the "cleaner, more modern" personality that comes with its shift from mostly oil toward mostly gas (in 2010, natural gas production will predominate). To quote CEO Don Volte, "Liquefied natural gas is one of the cleanest conventional fuels and we wanted our logo to reflect the company's focus on this energy."

Design firm Insight, based (also) in Perth, replaced the oil-drop 'W' it had earlier designed (in 1977) with a more flame-like abstracted W, and provided much friendlier letterforms and a softer palette ('friendly' being a more contemporary corporate aspiration, if not a more modern one).

Credits:
C.E.O. - Don Voelte
Identity design - Insight Communications & Design (Perth)
 

First Impressions:
In quality impression and professionalism, it's a big improvement, especially if it is applied with a strong and sweeping visual system. But for me it's perhaps a little too friendly.  I, too, want my energy company to be a clean and caring citizen, but first I need to see their industrial strength and reliability.
 

Other comments:
I might as well note, preemptively, that the Woodside solution evokes Arcelor 2002. And does it, I think, a little better.

Corporate Brand Matrix (est.) ratings:  
0% structural,  100% strategic,  0% functional