Stride Rite is an American children’s footwear company founded in 1919 in Boston, Massachusetts.[1] The brand is stylized in all lowercase as “stride rite.”[2] Today, Stride Rite products are marketed globally through brand licensee Vida Shoes International, which took over design, development and marketing of children’s products under the Stride Rite name in July 2017.[3]
Design and History
In July 2015, Stride Rite announced a brand repositioning, refreshed brand identity system and integrated marketing campaign developed by the San Francisco agency Duncan/Channon.[4] The effort stood on a new “Built for Childhood” brand platform aimed at connecting with millennial parents and reintroducing a brand that has existed since 1919.[5] Duncan/Channon was tapped by Stride Rite to lead strategic and creative development of the advertising effort based on the new platform.[4]
The refreshed identity system included new brand photography produced in collaboration with photographer Cynthia Perez.[6] The campaign launched across digital video, print, online, mobile and social advertising channels.[4]
Prior to the 2015 refresh, Stride Rite had undergone an earlier identity redesign. The company’s children’s group worked with the Boston design firm Selbert Perkins Design on a new identity system and packaging at a time when the company was losing market share. The earlier logo depicted a jumping child, but its abstract treatment was considered unable to convey a lively, childlike image.[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The “Built for Childhood” platform was inspired by the everyday experiences of parents and bolstered by the brand’s decades-long commitment to quality and expertise in children’s footwear.[4] The new work encouraged parents to “embrace the chaos and come prepared.”[6]
Typography and Design
The current Stride Rite wordmark uses lowercase typography, consistent with the brand’s stylized all-lowercase presentation.[2] A trademark registration from 1988 lists blue as the color of the STRIDE RITE mark.[7]
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