For American heritage brand AT&T telecoms is an ever-evolving industry that requires a flexible brand executed simply and effectively. Brittany Golob analyses the brand development

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell took out a U.S. patent for his design of the world’s first telephone. That accomplishment changed the world. Three years after his breakthrough in the field of telephony, Bell formed the Bell Telephone Company and in 1885, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. Those organisations would eventually become the modern telecoms giant AT&T – following its acquisition by former spin off brand Southwestern Bell.

The machinery, history and chronology are complex but the idea is simple. Telephones enable people to connect.

That concept has not been forgotten by AT&T as it grows and evolves as a business and as a brand. Though telephony is no longer the primary mode of communications, telecommunications is more important and more diverse than ever. The core of the AT&T brand is the globe icon. First implemented in 1983, replacing the final iteration to use a bell icon. The globe, designed, as the previous brand was, by legend Saul Bass, achieved up to 93% brand awareness in the United States.

The globe is simple, refined and truly iconic. It clearly delineates what AT&T is – a connectivity company bringing the world closer together. But that core master brand exists in a flexible system with other touchpoints, like the audio brand, blue colour, typography and wordmark, that can be deployed across the massive organisation that is home to over 280,000 employees, almost 1.1m miles of fiber and 137.3m wireless customers in the U.S. and Mexico.

“We’re almost 140 years old. There are not that many companies that have that long of a heritage, so we do try to be mindful of that. But we also don’t want to have it dictate and drive what we do too much,” AT&T’s vice president of brand and design Gregg Heard says. “Reminding people of who we are today, how we’re relevant in their lives today and what value we bring to people today are what impact most of our decisions.”

However, with a growing organisation that has recently expanded into Mexico, purchased satellite TV provider DirecTV and pursued a digital-first strategy, the existing AT&T brand was no longer up to the task.

Thus the brand evolution was begun. Interbrand was brought on as the creative partner for the second time; the consultancy carried out the 2005 rebrand as well. This time around, mobile and digital applicability was a key focus, as was modernity.

“It became clear that we needed to move towards more of a transformation. That was at the heart of it. Focusing on transforming the brand and signaling that transformation of our company in the marketplace. The AT&T brand is very strong and it is very recognisable, so we wanted to basically signal this evolution of our identity, but still make it recognisable as well,” Heard says.

Getting the globe right was important.

Kurt Munger, senior creative director at Interbrand New York, says redeveloping such a key asset was not something the brand agency took lightly, “We feel fortunate to have partnered with AT&T for the past 19 years. It’s not often that a brand agency has the opportunity to be a part of an iconic brand’s evolution over such an extended period of time—we consider it a privilege. I think our most recent effort takes the AT&T brand forward, but also respects its rich heritage.”

The 2016 edition of the globe has smoother and more regular curves. It is rendered only in blue upon white space, harking back to Bass’ original design, rather than its previous two iterations which enclosed the white space and employed a gradient. The axis of the globe is also slightly shifted upright. These changes will be better received on mobile screens. The tiny, yet high-resolution images prevalent on all smartphones and apps now mean logos have to be distilled to their most simple and iconic essence while still being recognisable. AT&T’s globe – already a design icon – carries that out deftly.

In addition to the new look globe, AT&T narrowed its key brand assets from three to one, Heard says, focusing solely on the globe while removing the wordmark from most brand applications. He says this allows the company to use its brand in the most impactful way possible across multiple media types. The ‘globe-alone’ strategy has been in place for a few years, but the AT&T wordmark hasn’t disappeared completely. It may still turn up on signage or certain channels in lock up with the globe. But rounding out the visual identity is the Omnes typeface – a holdover from 2005 – and an increased use of the single colour blue.

AT&T’s existing audio brand, which has been around for four years and grown in recognition over that time period, was also addressed. It was updated to, “Signal a change,” Heard says. Though it, like the visual identity, is still recognisable.

It became clear that we needed to move towards more of a transformation. That was at the heart of it. Focusing on transforming the brand and signaling that transformation of our company in the marketplace

This leaves AT&T with a flexible system based on four signature elements – the globe, the audio brand, the colour and the typography. Flexibility was considered because AT&T has business units in different areas of communications. A consumer entertainment unit will be branded differently than a business-facing unit. Also in its arsenal, however, is the strapline ‘Mobilizing your world,’ which is as much a business objective as it is a brand statement. That is the direction Heard says the business is going. It wants to be the powerhouse behind greater connectivity – across digital, telephony, broadcast and other channels – around the world.

But the design and strategic positioning were only the first steps. AT&T is a massive organisation that has grown organically and through acquisition. Bringing everyone and everything under the same banner, literally and figuratively, required a huge feat of approval, implementation and engagement.

The roll out is staggered so there is not one big launch event and overnight change. AT&T is too big for that. The implementation schedule covers about three years. Employees have been kept apprised of the changes and phases of brand roll out via the intranet and internal messaging.

They even become the beneficiaries of one of the changes to the brand. As part of the new system, all technicians will get new uniforms. “That was a very complex process that took us well over a year to research and come up with the fabrics and what kind of new technologies we could bring into our uniforms that we hadn’t been leveraging,” Heard says. “How can it work across all seasons; from hot weather to Chicago in February?” The complexity of the job required painstaking research into what employees wanted, what the job required and what the technical limitations there were on the fabrics themselves.

Technicians will also have a fleet of newly-branded vehicles. It wasn’t as simple as applying one design to a number of vans, though. As with most of AT&T’s assets, flexibility was needed on a large scale. “Because of our size, everything has a level of complexity that is hard to get your head around,” Heard says. Branded assets were required for 35 different types of vehicles.

Signage and wayfinding across retail stores and the company’s offices will follow. But the brand will also be applied in a small scale as required by mobile and digital technologies. Building that flexibility into the system is what AT&T and Interbrand set out to accomplish with the brand evolution.

Heard says of the brand evolution, “It’s becoming stronger, more iconic, more dimensional and more sensorial. I’m feeling really good about how that’s deploying in the marketplace.”

AT&T’s is no stranger to brand evolution. Ever since the first bell-based logo was developed in 1889, the company has redefined its position through its business objectives and its brand. By 2020, AT&T wants to convert 75% of its network to become software-driven meaning its cloud connectivity will be faster, more efficient and easier to understand and use.

AT&T was founded on true innovation and invention. It stemmed from an idea that set the tone for communication and connectivity in its era. As telephony is now something of a second-rate service, telecoms providers have to shift their focus to digital connectivity and capabilities in order to remain at the forefront of communications. For a company built on invention and a brand built on evolution, AT&T should be well-placed to meet the future with strong strategy, astute business plan and solid brand awareness in its arsenal.