Flipkart gets mobile-ready; unveils new logo and tagline

Amidst buzz about going app-only, the poster boy of Indian e-commerce industry unveils a new logo, along with a tagline 'Ab Har Wish Hogi Poori'.

After its sister platform, Myntra, Flipkart is also gearing up for its app-only debut and industry experts fear that the move will alienate many users from the platform. Highlighting that "inclusive" is core to its DNA, the company has executed an 'integrated rebranding' exercise, unveiling a new logo along with a strategic tagline 'Ab Har Wish Hogi Poori' - conceptualised by Lowe Lintas.

The message is simple, Flipkart is for everyone and it aims to reach everyone with a pin code and a smartphone.

Keeping the blue and yellow colour palette intact, the new Flipkart logo now dons the shape of a bright yellow shopping bag, with the name of the company next to it. The shopping bag has a blue racing 'F' symbol against the bright yellow background. The racing symbol defines the "dynamic" quality of the brand which has been keeping up with the changing consumer and market demands. It also highlights Flipkart's quick and timely delivery.

Conceptualised and designed by Flipkart's design team and an external agency Umbrella Design - the new brand identity represents Flipkart's vision of commerce in India, by reinstating its focus on the mobile platform. The 3D design and contrasting colour palettes in the new logo helps break the clutter and stand out on the mobile platform.

According to an official statement by the company, the new design captures the elements of playfulness and youthfulness. 'It retains elements that denote our legacy of being a strong, authentic, trustworthy and fast brand. The contrasting colour palettes and the 3D design help the logo stand out across all touch points, whether it is desktop, mobile, online or offline' - it states.

Speaking about the new visual identity, Shoumyan Biswas, senior director - marketing, Flipkart, says, "The refreshed brand identity, including the new logo, is a reflection of our promise to our stakeholders - youthful, innovative, fast and reliable. While developing the new logo, we focussed on three key elements - one, the new identity had to create a positive perception about our brand; two, the logo needed to be more inclusive in its appeal to all our customers, and three, given our focus on the mobile platform, it had to stand out on the app interface. I believe that we have achieved all of these."

Apart from the apparent changes, the company, along with its partner agency Umbrella Design, has created a 450-page manual which has set the tonality and guidelines for its partners. The refreshed personality will reflect in all forms of the company's messaging and engagement with customers. It will help customers experience 'One Flipkart' every time and at all touch points. Every stakeholder, be it customers, sellers, media, brand partners, vendors or employees, will experience a more witty, youthful and sincere Flipkart.

Having set its standards in the e-commerce space, Flipkart now wants to strike an emotional bond with its consumers highlighting its core values of integrity, innovation and reliability.

"Flipkart wants to be perceived as a familiar and friendly brand. This rebranding exercise is a part of the brand's vision in achieving that. The company has chosen to retain its signature yellow colour, as it represents qualities that Flipkart represents, like imaginative, lively, friendly and inclusive. The font used in the logo is Riona, which is contemporary but appealing to everybody. The shopping bag represents the freedom to choose products that a consumer likes," explains Kalpita Bose, CEO, Umbrella Design.

Flipkart.com claims to offer over 30 million products across over 70 categories. Launched in October 2007, it is currently 33,000 people strong, has 45 million registered users clocking over 10 million daily visits. It is claiming to deliver 8 million shipments per month.

First Impressions

Shekhar Badve, founder-director (marketing and strategy), Lokusdesign, finds the new logo fast and lean, but not radically distinctive. He believes that the 'F' logo with those trail lines is the oldest way to say "we are fast."

"But, it does convey the change that they are looking at making - providing a fast connecting experience, a fun way to buy and increasing the number of mobile customers. So, it's a good move," he says.

Badve thinks that it was Flipkart's chance to do a complete visual overhaul and transform itself. He also expresses his reservation on the logo being mobile-friendly.

"This logo lacks simplicity and legibility that is required for mobile platforms. It won't be the most attractive logo," he opines, adding that the typo or weight could have been different and better for it to be attractive.

Meanwhile, Deven Sansare, ‎co-founder and chief creative officer at Ferry Wharf Communications LLP (FWC India), finds the 'shopping bag' in the logo 'amateurish'.

"The bag is neither real nor is it graphic, and, moreover, it is empty; that's where it is wrong. And when you order online the products are delivered in a cardboard box, not in a bag," he observes.

Sansare finds the old logo more cleverly designed with the 'F' of the logo integrated with a shopping cart icon. "It had speed lines which showed that shopping through Flipkart would be faster as compared to traditional shopping. The changes made in the logo are not working together as one unit," he says, adding that the logo does not do justice to the kind of rich shopping experience the platform provides.