Thursday January 12, 2012 18:37

Waterstones reveals new (old) logo

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Waterstones signage
Signage mockup showing the apostrophe-free wordmark

In May 2010, the UK’s largest high street bookseller Waterstones launched a new brand identity. The design work was created by London-based venturethree.

venturethree’s 2010 design

The following was added to the Waterstones press office yesterday (11th January):

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Waterstones, the UK’s largest high street bookseller, has today revealed a new logo for the company. It reinstates the much-loved Baskerville serif font with a capital W and no longer features an apostrophe.

James Daunt, managing director of Waterstones said: “Waterstones is an iconic brand deserving a capital W, and a font that reflects authority and confidence — Baskerville does just that.”

“Waterstones without an apostrophe is, in a digital world of URLs and email addresses, a more versatile and practical spelling. It also reflects an altogether truer picture of our business today which, while created by one, is now built on the continued contribution of thousands of individual booksellers.”

The new design and spelling of the Waterstones logo will gradually be implemented in all written communication, display material, online and shop fits and refurbishments.

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Waterstones logo evolution

The move “sparked outrage” (Daily Mail) among those who insist the apostrophe should remain. John Richards, chairman of the Apostrophe Protection Society said, “It’s just plain wrong. It’s grammatically incorrect. If Sainsbury’s and McDonald’s can get it right, then why can’t Waterstone’s? You would really hope that a bookshop is the last place to be so slapdash with English.”

Tim Waterstone launched the company in 1982 using £6,000 of redundancy money from WH Smith, before selling to his former employer for £47M 11 years later.

According to The Bookseller, the lower case FS Albert Pro logo by venturethree had only been transferred onto 25 of the company’s 310 stores. If correct, it’ll be less expensive to revert to the old design than to continue with the lower-case roll-out.

I can only guess at what the 2009/10? design brief was, but if Waterstones asked for a fresh, more dynamic identity, venturethree certainly delivered. Saying that, and from an outsider’s viewpoint, I was never convinced of the need to change.

Reported elsewhere:
Waterstones ditches apostrophe, on The Telegraph
Waterstones gives up on its apostrophe, on Mail Online
The Waterstone’s apostrophe. Who care’s? on Plain Text