Established in 1984 by brothers Steven and Mitchell Rales, Danaher is an American company manufacturing commercial, industrial, and medical products. Through a number of mergers and acquisitions, Danaher is essentially a conglomerate that has implemented advanced business strategies and principles, such as Kaizen, a philosophy focusing on continuously improving all functions of manufacturing. Ahead of its 40th anniversary, the company has updated its visual identity, collaborating with the multinational design agency Lippincott.
For the new Danaher identity, the agency took an original approach, which is expressed by the slogan “Innovation at the Speed of Life”. According to the design team, the strategy will help the company position itself as a power that accelerates the development of science, thus improving people’s lives.
This idea is embodied in the so-called acceleration curve, which is the focal point of the whole identity, including the new logo, typography, and static and animated images. The fact that the Danaher brand is used as a trustmark, combined with the sub-brands of the company, is a crucial thing for the new brand language, which unites all touchpoints and technological assets of Danaher.
Speaking to the point, the rebranding is a real breakthrough in terms of graphic design. Danaher’s old emblem, with its rather simple forms, was clearly outdated, representing a kind of corporate design. The new logo is something opposite of that strict and cold style. However, some elements, like the curve’s purple-to-blue gradient and the plain sans-serif font for the wordmark, still remind us of the design, which was common ten or more years ago, typically for business companies.
Nevertheless, the dynamism of the spiral icon is worth appreciating, as it testifies, after all, to an unconventional solution, and the branding as a whole is rather interesting, while complemented with eye-catching renders of the logo, motion visuals, and additional imagery that create a fresh and attractive image for the Danaher brand. Basically, if you don’t pay attention to some underdeveloped features, the new look is an undeniable improvement, adding to the brand’s individuality and recognizability, which is obviously in keeping with the visual designs of big companies like Johnson & Johnson or GSK.
