The Very Group is the UK-based digital retail group that owns the consumer brands Very, Littlewoods.com and LittlewoodsIreland.ie. Its corporate identity is built around the pink square device originally created for the Very consumer brand, a mark that has become synonymous with the retailer.
Design and History
The Very Group’s corporate identity dates to January 2020, when the company, formerly known as Shop Direct, formally rebranded. The name change was announced in March 2019 as a way to bring the group’s name in line with its flagship consumer brand, Very.co.uk, and to leverage the brand’s widespread consumer awareness.[1] The rebrand took effect on 13 January 2020.[2]
The corporate visual identity was designed by London agency St. Luke’s, working with The Very Group’s in-house creative team. St. Luke’s created the new logo, brand identity, colours and typography.[3] The logo is based on the pink box St. Luke’s originally created for the Very brand in 2015.[4] The corporate brand was deliberately brought closer to the consumer brand by using the same brand codes, including the pink cube, so the group could benefit from the consumer brand’s recognition.[5]
In 2022, the Very consumer brand itself received an updated logo as part of a broader digital-first rebrand by London-based branding agency SomeOne. The simplified logo was designed to maximise accessibility across digital formats while retaining the iconic pink square.[6] SomeOne distilled the existing identity down to its pink square, which formed the basis of a new brand world for the retailer.[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The pink square is the central device of both the Very consumer brand and The Very Group corporate identity. St. Luke’s describes the pink box as having become synonymous with the Very.co.uk brand and instantly recognisable to consumers.[3] The Very Group’s own careers site describes Very as “instantly recognisable by its iconic pink logo.”[8]
When St. Luke’s first developed the pink cube concept for Very in 2015, the cube was described as a metaphor for Very’s multifaceted service, with people inhabiting the cube enjoying the brand’s products.[9]
Typography and Design
For the 2022 Very rebrand, SomeOne collaborated with type foundry F37 to create a bespoke typeface called Very Sans. The typeface was designed with the pink square at its heart, using quirky letterforms drawn with a square nib, so that every element of design links back to the pink square customers recognise as Very.[10] The logo type was incorporated into the typeface’s glyph set, allowing the brand name to be used in playful messaging constructs.[7]
SomeOne also created a tonal pink palette for the brand to maximise distinctiveness, alongside a monochromatic palette designed to appeal to broader audiences.[7]
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