Toys R Us: Even Toy Giants Need Makeovers

Via advertising/design goodness:

So, the giraffe-headed toy retail giant finally got their logo a facelift:

Image from advertising/design goodness
The font is mostly the same, though now the "O" is nicely nestled with "T" and the "Y" instead of just hanging out by its awkward, monospaced self. (something that's always kind of bugged me.)

The colors are paler, more subdued without losing a punch-- think Tropical Skittles (new logo) versus Original Fruit (old logo). The colors say "We're still kids, but now we're hipper and smarter. Look, we're using cerise!"

Of course the star of the show (no pun intended) is the "R" which has lost its training wheels (i.e. quotation marks) and has decided to go on with its dyslexic self and take center stage, with the star reduced to becoming a hole-punch in the "R." This gives a kind of circus effect, the "R" even looks kind of like an elephant (how will Geoffrey react?!) I'm not quite sure how to feel about it. It partly resembles Belarus's long-lost cousin country Toysrus. The old star gave some room, now it feels a little too close to that "S."

Speaking to the logo as a whole, I'm feeling generally positive. Whereas the past logo immediately made me think of the Toys R Us back at home (which looked basically like the battle-worn toy section of Wal-Mart, but infinite) the new logo looks cleaner and friendlier, like maybe this is the start of a more personable toy store, cozier and more stylish. I can't wait to see if they're changing their store model as well.