“This visual identity
perfectly captures
our heritage
and legacy …
and positions us
for the future.”
DDB CEO Wendy Clark
DDB Worldwide unveiled a new visual identity in a brief, compelling, and informative video released today.
The one-minute, 42-second piece references the agency’s history and branding while flashing through a whirlwind of legendary campaigns before getting to the main attraction: a yellow uppercase D stacked on top of a white uppercase D that, together, form a B.
Based on the theme, “find something interesting to say and say it in an interesting way,” the narrative also gets into the typefaces that form DDB’s logo.
DDB VISUAL IDENTITY 2019
DDB’s new identity recalls the original logo developed by Ned Doyle, Mac Dane, and Bill Bernbach after founding the agency — originally called “Doyle Dane Bernback” — in Manhattan in 1949.
“Beautifully simple, a beacon for creativity,” they are “three letters that would start a creative revolution.” The treatment continues to inspire DDB North America Chief Design Officer Barry Quinn today.
“Our new visual identity is contemporary and strategically designed for today’s needs, but it purposely retains a strong link to our visual history,” he says. “It’s much more than a symbol, it’s a canvas for the creativity of the network. We can’t wait to see how that evolves over time.”
The opening clip in the video released today features Bernbach giving a 1977 interview to John Crichton, former President of the American Association of Advertising Agencies.
According to DDB North America Chief Creative Officer Ari Weiss, Bernbach’s ideas about advertising still resonate throughout the agency.
“Bernbach was the founder of the creative revolution and this mark puts creativity right back at the center of our organization,” he explains. “As many other global networks are doubling down on technology and efficiency, we wanted to double down on humanity and creativity.”
Today, DDB is a worldwide marketing communications network with more than 200 offices in 95 countries. The agency’s ongoing legacy is celebrated in a flurry of cuts mixed into an explanation about its creative philosophy and a dissection of its new logo.
The sensation reinforces DDB’s profound affect on popular culture, which includes the famous Volkswagon Lemon ad, pictured above, that would infuriate and intrigue Don Draper in an episode of Mad Men nearly half a century later.
“Great brands have a foot in their past and a foot in the future,” says DDB Worldwide CEO Wendy Clark. “This visual identity perfectly captures our heritage and legacy, the contemporary thinking and work we’re known for now, and positions us for the future we intend to claim.”
Send your agency updates to Reel Chicago Editor Dan Patton, dan@reelchicago.com.
