Intel's big brand change: Leap Ahead.
By Ryan Block 
posted Dec 30th 2005 11:30AM
posted Dec 30th 2005 11:30AM
"Intel Inside," RIP: 1990 - 2006
We try not to get too heavy on you with the branding and marketing biz, but we'll admit to it being of some significance that the industry's oldest, largest, perhaps most recognisable logo is officially dead after 37 years, as is its 16 year old catch phrase: "Intel Inside." We'd heard for quite some time that Intel was gonna be making some major overhauls to their marketing materials for the new year, not only in how they brand themselves, but also in their product naming and numbering schemes -- all of which makes perfect sense given their faltering position in the market place to AMD, their partnership-of-a-lifetime with Apple, and the fact that according to Moore's law they're running about 25 logo revisions behind. But like most classic brands that get a refresher, we're not sure that logo is a whole helluvalot better (UPS, we're looking in your general direction). One thing's for sure though, we as hell won't be shedding tears to see "Intel Inside" get quietly escorted from the building.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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You mean you don't think it's "faster," like UPS' was? =)
Just looks as cheap and tacky as the old one.
Nice non-relevent slogan, too.
All I ask is that the annoying jingle is dropped. It drives me mad that as soon as you say the word 'Intel' you have to follow it by the little tune. Please tell that it's gone.
Intel inside was recognisable and known, isnt that what a logo is supposed to achieve? The logo was good. The logo wasn't the problem. The problem was that the intel name wasnt as highly thought of as it used to be, so I don't know why they would change the logo? Well, they probs got a huge number of marketing strategers at the top of their game, so maybe i'm wrong. We'll see.
O_O
"Leap Ahead" because we've been falling behind and that seems like a good idea
That logo looks like a cheap brand that sell camera cases in Bestbuy. Heres a link:
http://www.bestbuy.com/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat68700050002&type=category
its wasn't like saul bass designed the damn thing anyways. and honestly the new one is such a minute branding change that well... who cares.
theres a reason that IBM and Apple have held on to their logos with little or no changes. they were good to begin with.
Considering the performance "leaps" that Intel is about to introduce with the core Duo and Conroe in 2006 and considering initial benchmarks point to the fact that the Duo is in the same ballpark in terms of performance as AMD’s X2 series "Leap Ahead” is a damn fine moniker.
I can't wait to see benchmarks on Conroe. If a mobile 2Ghz CPU can keep up with the desktop jones's what is a desktop CPU going to be able to do. Let alone Merom.
God 2006 is going to be a kick ass year for computers.
Well, I find the new logo to be an improvement over the old one.
Yet another logo with that damn generic ellipse/swoosh. It's easily the most over used, clich?raphic in the last 20 years. *yawn*
The catch phrase should be "Fall Forward". While capturing Intel's strategic approach, this, of course has the added benefit of describing which way to turn your clocks at the end of daylight saving time.
AMD has a better logo...
Number 11 said:
Yet another logo with that damn generic ellipse/swoosh. It's easily the most over used, clich?raphic in the last 20 years. *yawn*
Check out the old Intel logo they've been using for the past 37 years (according to this article anyway). I think you'll find that damn generic ellipse/swoosh there too.
Personally I like the new logo. Catch phrase seems to be a bit strange - guessing that was the one they chose out of desperation after a 7 hour meeting in some board room somewhere! Yeah, so it might have some symbolism and whatnot, but who really gives a monkey's about that other than the marketting teams?
#10: I hate logo swooshes as much as one can, but Intel's kinda in a different position since their main branding logo has had a swoosh for a LONG time. Not like all these idiots who've simply tacked one on in the past 5 years. (How many damn swooshes do AMD's *product* logos have?)
I think the new revision looks alright, though they shoulda kept the lowered "e".
"Catch back up"?
#7 is dead on. Looks like Intel just lifted this (lame) style off of that Best Buy line. They should go back to the drawing board on this one. Blech.
FINALLY! The world is free from that horrid ad jingle! I was ready to kill the jingle-writer with my Powerbook.
...I just hope they won't hire some Superman-sounding voice actor to say, "Leap Aheeeeeeeeead!"
They better not put this stupid logo on the new Macs.
"Run around in circles."
does this mean that now instead of an "intel inside" sticker i have to worry about a "leap ahead" sticker on my future intel macs?
Here's the guy that designed the intel inside logo.
griggdesign.com
Pretty cool thing to have done if you ask me.
perhaps endgadget needs to introduce a copyright protection lawsuit over the font & color of the tagline - looks suspiciously familiar, and could cause severe customer confusion!
Think it is a cool make over for the old brnad.
It is Kim Young who is Intel new Marketing chief, who is leading the brand makeover, he was the guy who made samsung a cool brand. So Intel will leap us ahead again like it has done for 37 years
Haaaa Haa! (Nelson's Voice)
Thats the ugliest upgrade to a logo ever!
The lamest thing about this re-brand? The tagline. If it's true that FutureBrand wrote it, then their well must be pretty dry. Guess what FutureBrand's tagline is... http://www.futurebrand.com. Hmmmmm.
Does this finally mean we can make Idiot-Inside logos without getting sued?
Does this finally mean we can make Idiot-Outside logos without getting sued?
My God, corporate identity types have really gotten a free ride for about the last ten years on that oval / swoosh selling to client after client. I think the new oval / swoosh, however, is actually the engadget expanding sonar waves - www.spotlightmobile.com, among others...
Funny that it has a "jumping reference" like the Xbox 360 - "Jump In" vs. "Leap Ahead".
I think the logo is a very nice refinement and combination of both their old logomark and their commonly used 'Intel Inside' brandmark.
Realistically, the logo's appearance to consumer like us is only half of the motivation of re-branding. The other big chunk is using the logo and brand change to reflect an internal change in corporate culture and their corporate goals and attitudes; To motivate and inspire employees.
Being behind in the processor race was probably a humbling experience for Intel - so they're working on a new plan, as evidenced by their re-written processor roadmap, and also because the industry is changing and has changed so much that they want to rid themselves of the brand they were wearing: old crotchety processor company, kicked out of bed by Microsoft and now left out in the cold while getting a boot to the teeth from AMD's 64bit architecture trouncing.
Plus, their brand's gotta look slick next to Apple's because they're going to be seen next to each other a lot in the next year and beyond.
I saw nothing wrong with the old logo. But it is typical that when someone is trying to change (improve?) their image, they also have to change what you SEE (the logo) as well as improve the product.
Or are they going to go the way of change the logo and their marketing but put the exact same thing in the box?
"Intel Inside" had the swoosh, not their corporate logo.
I love the line of thinking in which people rationalize a new decision by saying it was relevant 10 years ago. Times change. Trends change. Things get old over 10 years. The swoosh is old and clich?Every $10 logo creator software package comes with standard templates for swoosh logos. And it's a default button on MS FrontPage, PowerPoint, etc.
If Intel wants to be seen as an innovator, their branding should reflect that, not pick up on the tried and true, which is this case is stale and run of the mill.
Sounds communist. Like in the "Great Leap Forward".
Wow the moron fanbois are out in force today.
since intel's joining with apple, why not glossify it?
sorry if it's really bad work but I did it in a few mins
[url=http://imageshack.us][img=http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/199/intellogo1hy.jpg][/url]
#19, macs have a more st00pid logo...a apple on a computer case..LOL
#36, at least its not a st00pid window! apples > windows bcause tey tast g00d!
I for one find the logo pretty appealing on the design side, but I really don't get the slogan. It is a tad unrealevant. It could be because they are moving out of computer hardware into a more "family entertainment" style of company. Therefore they are leaping ahead into a new.... company... format?
They got me there. ^^
Now. Where this logo will appear on my future intel mac completely mystifies me. Will it appear side by side with the bootup apple logo? NOOOO.
Maybe on the bottom of the computer, perhaps? please? :D
The main logo is fine but the strapline "Leap Ahead" is positioned all wrong - makes it all off balance.
The jingle, by the way, is optional. Okay - it's annoying, but the reason computer makers put it on the adverts is because they get money from Intel towards the advertising if they do. It's probably one of the most recognised jingles out there so it does it's job, whether you dig it or not.
You guys are all nerdy. Stop complaining.
I like it
i like the new logo, actually the new blue hue
i also do like the current ups design.
its not so inovative because it does have a strong resemblence to the old logo, and i think that was a good idea that its similar.
i can see this logo nicely engraved in stainless steel or aluminum much better than the old logo.
i wish it didnt have leap ahead. because i cansee leap frog suing.
it puts an end to the "idiot outside" jokes :(
Sounds like one of those engrish non-sequitur marketing lines. Similar to 'Hitachi - Inspire the next'...
I suggest "Calculate Tomorrow Today"
Intel: Leap ahead.
AMD: Okay.
God, can every1 stop bitching. you broke ass mofo's need to stop hatin on intel. odds are that your computer right now has it anyway. and if you got AMD, you cant hear me cause your fan is so loud. if you're a mac, then you already know what i'm going to say
well, i rather liked the UPS logo revision
lol, gogorani! I thought everyone knew that Intel's chips ran hotter? What decade are you living in?
Check this out:
http://www.corante.com/goingglobal/archives/2005/12/30/intels_new_logo_via_samsung.php
I don't think they need the embellishment around the text. "Intel" can stand by itself as a wordmark--the nanme has the same kind of market penetration that Nike does.
leap head? Intel has some serious problems to convince the public to believe that. Look at the new Pentium M it's just an updated Pentium III. The real tag line should have been "Leap behind".
Read this link for more on the Pentium M core.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_02/b3966010.htm
i like the intel font, definately more modern, but i am not sure why the "e" does not follow the suit of the rest of the font.
the leap ahead makes the logo too large. whatever sticker they make will have an unecessary amount of white space, that will be distracting and unfocused.
"Leap ahead" seems really lame to me, but in light of Intels future roadmap in a substantially larger market than pc's, this might be of some worth. but i doubt it:)
I personally agree with #9, I do however use an amd processor. Intel still has outstanding innovations. All the time and research they put into new ways to make a product helps everything that is technology dependent.
Check the Intel Website www.intel.com
"Its a Leap Year
The Year that people will use technology in more fascinating ways than ever imagined."
Maybe thats what Leap Ahead means ;) Kinda silly if you ask me, although im glad they dumped the Intel Inside as I didnt what that on my new Apple later this year.
Mike