• by Larissa Faw , August 31, 2015

Campbell Ewald is celebrating its recent restructuring with a design makeover. In May, the agency was cleaved from Lowe and Partners to operate separately within Interpublic’s newly merged Mullen Lowe Group.

To recognize this new beginning, the agency is unveiling a new brand identity centered on a new logo. This design is meant to acknowledge the agency’s 104-year legacy with a sleek black but simple typeface. The Detroit-based agency was founded by Frank Campbell and Henry Ewald in 1911.

"It's smart, simple, modern and classy. And it's a visual reflection of our independence,” said Jim Palmer, CEO of Campbell Ewald.

Still, in an agency full of creative people, it was a challenge to agree on one design. 

Staffers tried variations of logo marks that included the letters CE and various graphical elements, but found them all too confining, agency executives said. Finally it was decided to go with a customized version of a sans serif font.

The new logo hasn’t been shared with clients, but the employee reaction has been positive, say agency executives. As part of the new logo rollout, cards were placed on employee desks one morning inviting them to pick up T-shirts from the human resources team.

Throughout Campbell Ewald’s four offices in Los Angeles, New York, San Antonio and Detroit, employees wore the shirts with the new logo throughout the day.

In 2013, Campbell Ewald became part of the Lowe and Partners Worldwide global agency network after the agencies, along with Hill Holliday, won the General Motors global Cadillac business. Last year, however, the car shop replaced this combined agency with Publicis Worldwide, which in turn was followed by the restructuring.