Girl Scouts of America Subtly Changes its Logo

What do you do when you're a 98-year-old institution and you think your logo doesn't quite work anymore?

Girls Scouts of the USA, the world's largest organization for girls, recently updated theirs in a very subtle way.

(The photo illustration comes from Fast Company magazine).

I understand the pressures to change organizational logos having been through the process myself. But looking back on that experience I'm sure we made a mistake.

Nonprofits just don't spend that much time in front of their constituent's eyes for them to make changes in how they present themselves. Few nonprofits can afford to advertise to reinforce their brand. Even when they utilize the miracles of new media to become their own media channnel, it just isn't enough to allow them to change looks, taglines, or missions in a way that resonates with people.

The acid test for the Girl Scouts would be to ask people in a year which logo is the new one. I'll bet no more than 25% could distinguish the old one from the new one.

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