Launched in 2006 in Berlin, Germany, Zalando is a publicly traded online retailer offering fashion clothing, shoes, and beauty products. As of today, the company boasts over 48 million customers in 23 countries, making it the third-largest online retailer in Europe after Amazon and Otto. Zalando is active in several business segments, operating an online store, its own brands, the shopping club Zalando Lounge, and the Zalon customer service. The brand’s recent visual update aims to provide an “attractive and reliable experience across touchpoints” with Zalando customers.
Zalando’s refreshed visual identity, designed by the Stockholm-based agency Kurppa Hosk, was unveiled as part of the current Fall/Winter campaign entitled “What Do I Wear?”. The logo features new typography, and the Zalando orange color has been adjusted to a different tone. New custom fonts were also developed, providing typographic independence and consistency for the brand.
According to a press release, the new positioning is based on the idea that Zalando is committed to strengthening the sense of style and true self in its female customers. The renewed image is a decisive step toward implementing Zalando’s plans to become Europe’s leading ecosystem for e-commerce fashion and lifestyle. This forms the basis for future campaigns, ensuring continuous and appealing interaction with customers.
The “What Do I Wear?” campaign, developed in collaboration with Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam, focuses on a topic that concerns everyone, regardless of age, location, gender, or background: the choice of clothing. It features famous actors and models like Willem Dafoe, Brigitte Nielsen, and Luka Sabbat, as well as content creator Sabrina Bahsoon. As recognized “style icons,” they help Zalando fulfill its mission to introduce refined fashion to its customers.
The Zalando logo, which had remained unchanged since 2010, has received a subtle makeover: the plectrum-shaped icon’s orange has become slightly darker, and the wordmark is now executed in a new Zalando corporate typeface, which unmistakably incorporates elements of Helvetica. Still lowercased, the lettering has changed from anthracite black to a darker tone.
For corporate communication, Zalando will primarily use the wordmark. However, a modular system with various icon/wordmark layouts, depending on the context, is planned for external communications.
At first glance, the adjustments may seem insignificant, but this is not entirely true. The previous wordmark appeared rather skillful yet inconspicuous. The new one, on the other hand, is more solid, arrhythmic, and inconsistent, with its wide letters and narrow spaces. In a sense, it’s a rebellious design.
Spaces between letters are typically designed individually to work harmoniously with the glyphs, creating a balanced typeface—this is what we call kerning. However, the balance in the new Zalando logo is questionable. The initial “Zala” is too condensed, and due to the density of the strokes, the left part of the wordmark looks darker, while the slightly larger spaces in “ndo” make the right part appear somewhat lighter.
Thus, “Zala” with four letters is visually perceived as shorter than “ndo” with three. This imbalance could have been corrected with proper kerning, but it remains in its inconsistent proportions. On the other hand, this might be a fitting design for a brand that relies on diversity and inclusivity.
