Michaels, the arts and crafts retailer founded in 1973 and headquartered in Irving, Texas, has used a wordmark-based identity throughout its history. The current logo is a red wordmark that the company has described as its “iconic Michaels red.”[1] The company operates over 1,300 stores in 49 states and Canada.[2]
Design and History
In 2008, Michaels unveiled its first new corporate logo in more than 30 years, timed to the opening of its 1,000th store. The new logo featured the Michaels name in a contemporary, stylish font above the phrase “where creativity happens.”[3] The design moved from a stock typeface to a proprietary hand-lettered logo, an evolution that design commentary at the time noted spoke to the hand-crafted nature of the category.[4]
In August 2023, marking its 50th anniversary, Michaels unveiled a refreshed brand identity developed in partnership with independent agency OKRP. The refresh was designed as a visual reflection of the company’s purpose to “fuel the joy of creativity.”[1] The new design system features the same logo and iconic Michaels red, but reimagined with updated fonts, accent colors and bold graphics that highlight the tactile nature of the creative products.[1] Multiple trade outlets confirmed that the logo itself stayed the same, with the refresh focused on its application and surrounding design system.[5][6]
The 2023 refresh introduced a new tagline, “Everything to Create Anything,” replacing previous taglines “Made By You” and “Where Creativity Happens.”[7] The roll-out encompassed every customer touchpoint, from video and digital marketing to store signage and the online experience.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
OKRP Creative Director Andrea Knowles described the new brand look as leaning into the artful nature of the category and how a trip to Michaels makes people feel: “the design system is bright, vibrant, textural, and has no shortage of glitter or multicolor pom poms.”[1] The refresh was developed following in-depth customer, competitor and company research and analysis, and nods to Michaels’ history of supporting artists, makers and creatives.[8]
In the 2023 system, the logo is now shown with color, texture and a sense of tactileness, using the art supplies the store actually carries, rather than the previous presentation of red on white or white on red.[6]
Typography and Design
The 2008 logo introduced a proprietary hand-lettered wordmark, replacing the previous logo which design commentary identified as set in an oblique version of the Bookman typeface with a swash initial and terminal.[4] The 2023 refresh kept the same logo but updated the fonts used across the broader design system, alongside new accent colors and bold graphics.[1]
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