OUGD501 - Studio Brief 02 - Logo Specifications and First Designs

Based on the results of the questionnaire there are many factors that need to be considered when creating a rebranded logo for the Aldi company.

The new logo must feel contemporary and modern to reflect the company's current vision of modernising and progressing and a large supermarket brand. The logo need to feel relevant to a wide target audience - primarily young adults and young professionals with a small disposable income aged between 18-35, but must also feel accessible to an older audience aged between 40-50. A potentially limited colour palette would give the brand more authenticity and reverse the perception that Aldi is an off-brand and tacky company. Currently the brand appeals to both male and female consumers equally, so the continuation of a gender neutral brand is essentially to retaining the existing target market.

Baring these factors in mind, a range of initial logo ideas for Aldi Süd were created using existing elements from the previous logos of both sides of the company:

The 'A' symbols from both existing logos were used during this experimental phase, and the original typeface used throughout the majority of the existing logos. When presenting this range of mock-up's in a peer group critique there was a range of positive feedback towards a selection of the designs (below). The majority of feedback given highlighted the simplicity of the new designs compared to the original Aldi logo. Feedback revealed that design 3 was more representative of the most recognisable Aldi logo (2006), which featured an isolated half-A symbol. However it was felt that extending the 'A' symbol to touch the box outline (as seen in design 1 and 2) was more effective as it creates fewer areas of unused negative space and gives the symbol more weight. This design decision resulted in the repositioning of the text element outside of the box, which was preferred by the critique group as it gave the name more clarity throughout the overall design. Design 4 incorporates the new element of a full 'A' symbol created for the 2017 rebrand, however this received mixed feedback within the critique group. Some felt that it represented a progression within Aldi's branding, but some felt that it was less recognisable as the face of the company and would be off-putting to existing customers.

There was positive feedback for the used of the original typeface as it was agreed that the name of the brand was boldly represented and easily visible in all of the logo designs.

Design 1

Design 2

Design 3

Design 4

There was additional positive feedback given to the more experimental designs (shown below), as it was felt that they represented a new and progressive direction for the company. However it was also agreed that they appeared strikingly different compared to the original logos and did not utilise enough of the existing elements from Aldi's previous designs. Therefore they do not strictly comply to the concept of pastiche and would be unrecognisable to the company's target market.

OUGD501 - Studio Brief 02 - Questionnaire Results Analysis

After seven days of promotion, the questionnaire gained 41 responses. The results are as follows:


29 respondents are Female
12 respondents are Male


Ages of respondents ranged from 20 to 50+, with the majority being young adults in their 20's


34 respondents are Students
1 respondent is a Scientist
1 respondent is a Headteacher
1 respondent is a Teacher
1 respondent is a Merchandiser
1 respondent is a Musician/Music Teacher
1 respondent is Self-Employed
1 respondent works Freelance


90% of respondents shop at Aldi
10% of respondents do not shop at Aldi


The majority of respondents who did shop at Aldi used the shop semi-regularly, between once a week and once a month


Of those who did not use Aldi, the majority of respondents did not shop there because it was too far away from where they lived, and so used other supermarkets for convenience


When asked what their perceptions were of Aldi as a brand, the majority of respondents said that it was cheap, budget and reliable, with others also saying that the brand felt accessible and fresh


When asked what their perceptions of the new Aldi rebrand (2017), answers were mixed - most felt that it was modern and corporate, but also that it was tacky. 20% of respondents felt the logo was badly designed, and it was clearly indicated that 30% of respondents felt that it accurately represented their perceptions of a cheap and budget brand.

When analysing these results it is clear that although Aldi is not necessarily the preferred choice out of all of the supermarkets available, it provides cheap and fresh food to students, young professionals and families looking to shop on a budget. To the general public the logo and branding represents an off-brand but reliable company, and is successful for advertising to that specific target audience. However when the current logo is analysed from a design perspective there are many inaccuracies which need to be improved. The branding as a whole across the Aldi Süd company currently represents certain qualities that may be appealing to the target audience, such as cheap and off-brand, but could actually cause damage to Aldi's reputation and create disadvantages for the company compared to the other leading supermarkets.

OUGD501 - Studio Brief 02 - ALDI Brand Research Continued

Further research into the brand must include factual information on the brand's demographic, including but not limited to age, gender, occupation, class, location, perception of the brand, personality, taste, interests etc. The most effective way to do this is through a live questionnaire that will survey a small sample of product consumers.

Questions to be included in the questionnaire:


What is your age?

What is your occupation?

Do you shop at ALDI?  Yes,  No

If yes, how frequently?  More than once a week, once a week, once a month, occasionally, rarely

If no, why not?

What are your perceptions of ALDI as a brand? Reliable, cheap, low quality, youthful, accessible, everyday, budget, off-brand, limited choice, fresh, old

What are your perceptions of the current ALDI logo? Modern, friendly, tacky, welcoming, naive, corporate, retro, aesthetically pleasing, progressive, off-putting, well designed, badly designed, accurate representation of your perceptions of the ALDI brand

How often do you see branding for ALDI stores?  More than once a week, once a week, once a month, occasionally, rarely

Where do you most often see branding for ALDI stores? Television advert, magazine advert, billboards, bus shelter adverts

Which logo would you make you the most likely to shop in ALDI? (image examples)

Considering that the target market for Aldi and this questionnaire is young professionals, students and families, it is more effective to ask questions relating to the general perception of the brand in every day life as apposed to more specific questions about the physical design of the logo. The majority of individuals within the target market will not have an in-depth knowledge of the role that graphic design plays within advertising and branding, and therefore questions of a more generic nature will produce answers that will give a more accurate representation of the brand's audience.

The questionnaire was created using Surveymonkey and then launched through social media channels for the duration of one week.

OUGD501 - Studio Brief 02 - ALDI Brand Research

Moving forward with the concept of rebranding a modern company, initial research into existing companies that are due for a rebrand, or have currently undergone a rebrand, produced many possibilities that could be used as a basis for this body of work. Possibilities included Marks and Spencers and Subway, however the most appropriate example appeared to be the German retail chain Aldi.

In early 2017 the Aldi company teamed up with German consultancy Illion Markensocietaet to create a refreshed, modernised rendering of their logo. Research suggested that the reaction to the rebrand had mostly been negative, and many designers felt that the new 3D effect and richer colour palette lead the company in a different, and worse, direction.

Rebranding Aldi could be achieved more successfully by looking back into the history of the company and the past manifestations of the company's designs, and then re-using the most successful elements to create a contemporary and appropriate logo.

Researching further into Aldi's design history revealed many possible options for my own rebrand:

Brand History

Aldi is one of two leading global discount supermarket chains

Aldi has over 10,000 stores in 18 countries and an estimated combined turnover of more than €50 billion.

Based in Germany, the chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946.

The brothers built up a chain of stores until, by 1960, they owned 300 shops, and split the operation into two separate groups, that later became Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd.

In 1962, they introduced the name Aldi (a syllabic abbreviation for Albrecht Diskont).

The two operate independently, each within distinct geographical areas and both are among the world's largest privately owned companies.

Karl Albrecht retained ownership of Aldi Süd, and with a personal wealth of €17.2 billion, he is the richest man in Germany, whereas the co-owners of Aldi Nord, Berthold and Theo Albrecht Jr., follow close behind at €16 billion.

Dieter Schwarz, owner of Lidl and Kaufland came in third, with a fortune of €11.5 billion

Aldi's German operations consist of Aldi Nord's 35 individual regional companies with about 2,500 stores in western, northern, and Eastern Germany, and Aldi Süd's 32 regional companies with 1,600 stores in western and southern Germany

Between the two companies Aldi now operates 4000 stores worldwide

The retailer has become renowned for keeping its business 'relentlessly simple', and operating an “everyday low prices” policy that ignores multi-buy offers such as buy one get one free. The company also focuses on own-brand products, which account for around 90% of sales in the UK.

Logo History

The two stores Nord and Süd have distinct logos

Nord displays the entire 'A' for ALDI while Süd unveiled a logo in 1982 which displays only half

In 2006, ALDI Süd modified the logo slightly and then in March 2017, unveiled a new logo which revealed a more rounded look for the logo and a new font for the word 'ALDI', further differentiating it from the ALDI Nord logo which had shared the same font for the brand until then.

Aldi Süd logo history

Aldi Nord logo evolution

Physical logo comparison

Logo Analysis

Comparing the two logos of Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd, the similarities and differences are apparent. On the left is the 2017 rebrand of the Aldi Süd. This new logo was described as a contemporary redesign in alignment with the brand's move towards modernisation, however there appear to many flaws to this design. The uneven stroke widths of the multiple coloured borders give an unevenness to the logo that simultaneously draw the eye in towards the centre and back towards the outer border. The alignment of the elements within the rectangle is also weighted towards the top, leaving a larger and uneven space at the bottom. The use of bevel highlights give the logo a more retro appearance as apposed to modernising it and the dark background makes the rest of the logo appear to float, and it somewhat reminiscent of an airline brand. Reactions amongst the design industry were also varied, with a mostly negative reaction towards the new 3D effect and richer colour palette.

The Nord logo in comparison is far more evenly designed, with even weighting given to the logos elements as a whole. The logo has a distinctly retro feel and the more limited colour palette provides much needed simplicity. A single red stripe around the perimeter defines the logo with a clear border that encapsulates the brand and makes it easily distinguishable. 

Crucial similarities throughout the brand's logo history appear to be inclusion of the single letter A as an icon for the brand, which has been a continued elements since the 1980's. The static arrangement of the logos elements have also withstood the test of time as the brand name remains as a feature at the base of the logo. The curvature of the ends of the lines that make up the letter A can be seen to reappear throughout the progression of both the Nord and Süd logos over time. Up until the early 2000'd both strands of the company used the same typeface within their branding, and the 2006 logo for Aldi Süd featured a slightly altered version of this typeface that was only slightly narrower in width. In the 2017 rebrand they typeface was changed altogether to feature a more slender and curved typeface. 

Although the Nord and Süd strands of the Aldi brand exist as two separate entities, many of each of the companies stores operate in the same countries, creating confusion for consumers and an in-cohesiveness between the two companies and the brand as a whole.

OUGD501 - Studio Brief 02 - Defining The Brief

In my essay exploring the question 'What Are the Influences of Parody and Pastiche Within Graphic Design?', the ideas concluded that parody and pastiche reappear time and time again naturally within Graphic Design, and will continue to do so as the field develops alongside technological advances and increased forms of communication within society. Both can produce an array of positive and negative effects within design but generally speaking the re-use of design as a form of progression can be viewed as a positive influence on the future of the Graphic Design industry.

Pastiche within branding specifically has become a recent trend, with large and iconic companies such as the Co-Op, Natwest and Kodak all undertaking a rebrand in 2016 alone. All three chose to re-hash their old logos from the 1960's to rejuvenate the face of the company in the 21st century, with great success.

Co-Op, 2016

NatWest, 2016

Kodak, 2016

Focusing on this particular occurrence within the branding sphere of Graphic Design would provide an interesting response as to the success rate of this pastiche technique, and whether target markets would respond positively to a increased nostalgic trend in every day consumable Graphic Design. 

This process would involve selecting and researching a company, it's brand and the history of design throughout the company. Successful elements of past designs would then be reused to create a modern and contemporary logo that is rooted in heritage and social values while still appearing appropriate for the company and its target market. The appropriate client and target audience would be realised after selecting an appropriate company to rebrand.

This concept for the body of work will sufficiently demonstrate the ideas of successful pastiche within branding while also creating an effective solution to a real-world problem.