Case Study: Rockwell Collins

For decades, Rockwell International was a leader in the aerospace industry, building everything from Space Shuttle main engines to radios for small airplanes in its numerous divisions. Over the last 20 years, most of these divisions were spun off, and finally in 2001, the remaining operations split into Rockwell Automation and Rockwell Collins – two independent companies sharing the same identity – and Rockwell International ceased to exist.

It was evident that the company needed to have a brand that was clearly its own, not one shared with an unrelated company. (At right) To celebrate the company’s fifth anniversary as an independent entity, Rockwell Collins engaged BrandLogic to develop a new brand identity, help articulate the company’s positioning, and oversee the implementation of the new brand program.

Armed with current and historical research, BrandLogic helped Rockwell Collins focus its brand promise: a heritage founded on reliability, a continuous drive toward innovation, and a relentless commitment to building strong customer relationships. A new tagline was developed: “Building Trust Every Day.”

To help break free of the old Rockwell International legacy, BrandLogic designed a bold new wordmark that unifies both Rockwell and Collins, while maintaining their distinctiveness. The corporate color chosen is also an important part of the Rockwell Collins identity. Terra cotta has long been identified with Rockwell Collins avionics products, and retaining the equity inherent in this instantly recognizable visual cue provides an important link to Rockwell Collins’s heritage. BrandLogic also developed a complete secondary color palette that complements the terra cotta and black of the main wordmark.

BrandLogic extended the underlying theme of the memorable, bold angles of the new wordmark, along with the terra cotta color, into a complete, fully realized brand identity system for use on product packaging, signage, equipment labeling, and electronic and printed media.

The new identity system for Rockwell Collins accomplished the goal of breaking free of the old Rockwell International, and much more besides. Employees saw in this new, unified identity a banner to rally around and a company of which they were proud. At the same time, it retains the best of what had come before: a strong heritage of trust and the distinctiveness of the entities that together form Rockwell Collins, recently chosen as number 24 on Business Week's list of the 50 Best Performing Companies.

According to identity critic Tony Spaeth, “If you really have to share a name, do what you can to make it yours. And one name is better than two; if you're stuck with two, do what you can to make them one. BrandLogic’s logo shows both tactics at work. … and the three dashes add a distinctive, dynamic spot of color ... So ... buy the stock!” Frank Briggs goes farther, calling the logo “nothing short of … ingenious.”