WPP plc is a British multinational communications, advertising and public relations holding company headquartered in London. Its corporate visual identity has undergone two distinct phases: a long-standing understated serif wordmark, and a dynamic, multicoloured pointillist mark introduced in December 2018 that remains in use today.
Design and History
For many years, WPP used a plain, black-on-white serif corporate wordmark in capital letters. This understated design deliberately let the group’s individual agency brands shine on their own.[1]
In December 2018, WPP launched an evolution of its brand identity to reflect a new strategic direction under chief executive Mark Read, who repositioned the company as a “creative transformation company”.[2] The new identity replaced the old serif wordmark with a multicoloured, dynamic dot pattern.[3]
The new logo was created collaboratively by two of WPP’s own branding agencies, Superunion and Landor, working alongside WPP’s central team.[2][4] The release of the new branding came during an analyst and media presentation following the publication of WPP’s new strategy.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The pointillist wordmark is made up of many individual dots that combine to form the whole. According to WPP, this represents the company’s people, agencies, capabilities and markets that work together as one for clients.[2]
On screen, the logo is designed to have a continuously changing form and colour, symbolising creative transformation in itself.[2] The online applications shift shape and colour while undulating, bringing credibility to a brand positioned on collaboration and transformation.[1]
Jim Prior, global chief executive of Superunion, said of the ambition behind the identity: “Our ambition was to present WPP with the same energy and creativity that we offer to our clients right across the company.”[4]
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