[bradleyland]

I don't have a source for this, but I read an article some time back that mentioned Rolodex in a long-ish list of other companies. The topic of the article was something along the lines of, "What do you do when your primary product becomes irrelevant?" Rolodex is a company founded on a product that is made obsolete by new technology. Their re-branding efforts extend beyond their logo. They've re-focused to offer more general office organizational and utility products as a means to survive.

Having said that, I like their old logo much better, even if doesn't represent their entire brand.

Tangent: I'm sure my comment regarding obsolescence will garner replies from people who will proclaim to prefer a Rolodex to a computerized address book or smartphone, but let's be straight about something. A computer address book whereby you key in the addresses and phone numbers of people you know is quickly becoming a thing of the past. With the growth of social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn, those who opt-out will be the exception, not the norm. My 10 year-old cousin thinks it's odd that I spend so much time on the phone, and I think it's odd that my business partners spend even more time on the phone (I prefer text-based communication like SMS and Skype chat). What will my kids-kids use? The notion that we rely on explicit exchange of information to remain up-to-date will be foreign to them as well.

[jordan0day]

Well done with the preemptive strike on the "Well, actually..."'s you were about to get.

But yes, I agree, the old logo was superior. Since the product they are most famous for is obsolete, it makes sense that they would try to make themselves stand out in some other area. I just don't understand how leveraging the nostalgia and brand identity would be a bad thing. I mean, if your brand identity is associated with something distasteful or negative, sure, go for the complete re-brand. I'm pretty sure a rolodex is one of those cute anachronisms that people view in a positive light, though.