US Graphic Design Publication Praises Iittala’s New Logo

In contrast, Iittala’s new logo has been well-received among graphic design circles in the United States, despite some Finnish consumers expressing dismay.

Under Consideration, a graphic design company, has published an article about Iittala’s brand renewal on its blog, Brand New.

Co-founder of Under Consideration, Armin Vit, evaluated Iittala’s logo. Despite not owning any Iittala dishes, Vit learned from tips sent by readers that some Finns were very attached to the old logo designed by Timo Sarpaneva, and were shocked by the logo change.

The new logo was designed by graphic designer Aleksi Tammi. Vit described the old logo as “quite nice”, but saw nothing special in it and predicted that “In 2024, it will definitely look outdated.”

Vit praised the new logo, appreciating its unique utilization of the II and TT pairs which created “something unique and recognizable”. He also found the new logo to be “luxuriously bold” and fitting for the “decorative and delicate” product range.

Vit also considered the possibility of modernizing the previous logo as a potential alternative to the current new logo.

While generally liking the new logo, Vit disagreed with the decision to abandon the red i-mark. He suggested that keeping the i-label on its products, even in a different color, would have made the logo change more palatable for consumers.

According to Vit, Iittala’s logo change is an attempt to shed its image as a “household goods brand” and reposition itself in the market. He believes the new logo fits this strategy perfectly.

The Brand New blog site, which has over 1.2 million monthly visitors and is highly regarded in the field of logos, has previously covered brand reforms of Finnish companies like Finnair and Nokia.

The site praised Finnair’s logo change in 2010 as a safe option that showed adaptation to the times, but criticized Nokia’s logo change last year for its perceived fragmentedness and excessive spacing between letters.