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Creating identities for the retail market can be a bit like trying to stake a

claim in quicksand: as soon as you get the flag posted, the ground starts

to shift beneath your feet.

Such was definitely the case for Design Guys when the Minneapolis-based

design firm created a new identity for the Todd Oldham line of goods that

would be marketed through Target stores in the fall of 2003. The Oldham

brand had already been in the stores the previous year when Target buy-

ers and marketers decided that its original look was a bit too strong: They

asked Design Guys to create a look that would be commensurate in visual

strength with their revised numbers—the Oldham line would be only 30

percent of the back-to-school and dorm room goods on the shelves, as

opposed to the 70 percent it held the first year.

The back-to-school market has emerged as a burgeoning category for Tar-

get, says Design Guys principal Steve Sikora. “Traditionally, it has been

associated with grade- and high-school kids, but with products like those

in the Todd Oldham line, it also relates to college kids and even people out-

fitting their first apartments,” he says.

Because it is now such a meaningful category for the company, Target pays

close attention to trends—which are subject to change at a moment’s

notice. When Design Guys started the identity design for the second year’s

design, it was still operating (at Target’s direction) on the previous year’s

indicators.

“Originally, we were creating a retro, funky, ’50s roadside motel look,”

Sikora recalls. The designers studied books on Las Vegas signage and

motel marquees and tried to incorporate eclectic elements such as wood

grain and neon.

“We kept working until we had something that was equal parts motel sign

and logo. The creative director and upper management at Target were

happy, but then the merchants changed their thinking. They felt it was

much too strong and needed to be moderated,” he says. “You have to get

used to tectonic shifts like these in large organizations.”

Design Firm

Client

Project

Design Guys

Target—Todd Oldham Product Line

Product Identity Redesign

Although the Todd Oldham

in-store identity for Target

started its life with a retro

flavor, it was toned back sig-

nificantly by the designers at

Design Guys (Minneapolis).

The new identity shown here

still has a flavor of the ’50s,

yet it is recessive enough to

let the style of the decorating

products show through.

“A designer is less likely to treat the work as

precious if it’s part of a larger process.”

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Design Guys designers Kelly Munson and Anne Peterson devel-

oped a wide array of logo explorations for the Todd Oldham line.

Influences included motel marquees and Las Vegas signage.

These directions were well received by Target’s creative director

and upper management, but in-house merchants felt the

designs were too strong. The design team had to return to

square one.

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The final iteration diminished the personality of the identity, thereby allowing the product to

speak for itself and open the door to a slightly broader audience.

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