Now we all know about Aol.’s demise from Warner Brothers and yes they had the right idea, a fresh start and a new brand. A brand that will put their past behind them and lead them into the future. However the execution of this process seems to have gone wayward.

I have a feeling that everything to do with this re-branding was rushed, as Wolff Olins has a great portfolio, though their visuals on this occasion look lazy and circa 1999. Old ideas and visuals for an old company, I’ve seen that goldfish before! Creating a brand is an art form that goes beyond the visual look of a brand, it needs to create brand experience or a brand image. Your brand’s identity should portray how you want your customers to perceive the band and everything that goes with it.

AOL’s Aol.’s new capital A & . (period) is also a branding minefield. For one it no longer reads as A-O-L it now looks/sounds more like “aole”. Why not use lowercase for the whole word aol. which really works, what’s their URL?

The logo works a little better in motion, but still where are the original next generation ideas? Perhaps they were in the pink horse!

This was Aol.’s chance to really recover from the position, not only their branding was in but also their company. Ok they got alot of press over the preview of their branding, but what happens when December 9th comes and goes and your left with sub-standard branding and no one is talking about you!