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Lord and Taylor's New Logo and Tag Line

Posted: April 8th, 2019, 10:16 pm
by rwsandiego
This is the latest incarnation of Lord and Taylor's logo:

https://www.lordandtaylor.com/Entry.jsp

and their new tag line is "The smarter way to shop."

Is it just me or does this all look like something a discount store would cook up?

I know they have an online partnership with Walmart, but this is ridiculous.

Re: Lord and Taylor's New Logo and Tag Line

Posted: April 9th, 2019, 1:15 pm
by BreakingThrough
Interesting write-up on the new logo from a design blog's perspective here: https://www.underconsideration.com/bran ... ylor_1.php

The blog linked above echoes your sentiments about the new identity feeling cheap: "The new logo now makes Lord + Taylor (with a plus sign instead of an ampersand) look more like Sears or JCPenney."

Personally, I get strong Kohl's vibes from the whole look and feel. Big thumbs down.

Re: Lord and Taylor's New Logo and Tag Line

Posted: April 9th, 2019, 4:28 pm
by Super S
For the record, I have never been to a Lord & Taylor store. But I will say that their original logo gave a bit of an upscale impression. I would assume the store is similar to maybe Nordstrom. In the days when department stores thrived, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The malls offered a bit of everything...for lower prices you sometimes had Kmart, Target, or the likes of Woolworth. Middle range was taken care of by Sears, JCPenney, Montgomery Ward. Upscale, you had the likes of Nordstrom, Macy's (at least before they rolled out the banner nationwide), Meier & Frank, The Bon Marche, and countless other regional department store chains that served every category.

In an era of internet shopping, globally sourced (imported) products which do not vary much between department stores and discount stores, and declining foot traffic in malls, I do get that they may just be trying to evolve and try to regain some lost business. A lot of people avoid upscale stores especially when they don't offer anything special. Look at how Macy's is performing these days as an example.

Upscale has a limited appeal. And it simply doesn't work in some areas.

With that said, the new logo does look like a copycat logo that was slapped together quickly. Not just Black & Decker, but also automotive filter manufacturer Mann & Hummel: https://www.mann-hummel.com/en/ I am not sure this logo is going to do much for them, but time will tell.

Re: Lord and Taylor's New Logo and Tag Line

Posted: April 9th, 2019, 7:30 pm
by mbz321
BreakingThrough wrote: April 9th, 2019, 1:15 pm
Personally, I get strong Kohl's vibes from the whole look and feel. Big thumbs down.

Oh wow, the website almost looks like a copycat style-wise of Kohl's.

It looks like they are struggling to find an identity and going a bit downmarket is a last-ditch effort before the inevitable.

Re: Lord and Taylor's New Logo and Tag Line

Posted: April 10th, 2019, 9:40 am
by SamSpade
It's interesting to see the comments about the website. They have paired up with Walmart.com but are not one of the Walmart owned brands like some of these other "fancy" things (ie. Bonobos).

I don't like the new logo, the script always said "upscale" to me although I also have never lived near or been able to experience a Lord & Taylor department store.

Re: Lord and Taylor's New Logo and Tag Line

Posted: April 10th, 2019, 8:31 pm
by rwsandiego
When I lived in Chicago (birth to 2000) it was one of my go-to's, along with Marshall Field's. I'd have described them at the time as upscale middle-tier with a few dashes of upper-end thrown in for good measure. They were never, in my experience, on par with Field's, Nordstrom, or Bloomingdale's but they were a cut above Macy's, and May Co. Think Dillard's plus a little extra.

It seems like after the May/Macy's merger and the subsequent divestiture they slipped. Their website was never anything to write home about but it has, as some have pointed out, a Kohl's vibe.

Re: Lord and Taylor's New Logo and Tag Line

Posted: May 6th, 2019, 8:45 pm
by mbz321
...And Hudson's Bay is trying to dump Lord and Taylor, not much of a shock given this quickie downscale Kohl's/Black+Decker reformat that just happened. I don't see them having many takers...

Re: Lord and Taylor's New Logo and Tag Line

Posted: May 10th, 2019, 6:48 pm
by submariner
BreakingThrough wrote: April 9th, 2019, 1:15 pm "The new logo now makes Lord + Taylor (with a plus sign instead of an ampersand) look more like Sears or JCPenney."
To be fair, the logo has never been an ampersand. It's always been a stylized plus.