New Identity for 3M by Wolff Olins

Established in 1902, 3M is a science-based, global innovation company, producing literally thousands of products for both consumers and businesses, from ubiquitous brands like Post-it and Scotch Tape to more obscure things like compression wear or reflective tape for cars. 3M has nearly 90,000 employees in 70 countries and had global sales of $31.8 billion in 2014. You know, just your typical mom and pop operation. Through 2015 3M has been phasing in a new global identity — logo untouched — designed by Wolff Olins. It was clear to us all that the brand design system of a company so broad and diversified faced three main challenges. It was unduly dependent on the logo, powerfully iconic and noticeably ubiquitous. In addition, the system as a whole dated from a pre-digital era, l