StaplesCopied

Staples' old logo hid its idea inside the name: the L of the red wordmark was drawn as a staple, bent so the word stayed legible. Creative Bloq noted the design "had been going strong for over 25 years."

In early April 2019 the company replaced it as part of a push to reposition itself as "The Worklife Fulfillment Company," in TWICE's words. Chain Store Age reported that it "replaced its signature slanted L logo with a streamlined mark whose main component is an actual staple." Retail Dive said the font was refined to be more "friendly and approachable," and quoted the release calling the icon "a more direct representation of the Staples' name."

"Our new logo is symbolic of the commitment we are making to our customers: They are innovative, forward-thinking problem-solvers, and it's important for them to know that we are, too," said chief marketing officer Marshall Warkentin. The logo came with five new private labels, Tru Red, NXT Technologies, Coastwide Professional, Union & Scale and Perk, and new social pages under #WorklifeSolutions. No design studio was named in the coverage.

The reveal itself became the story. An internal video of staff cheering the new logo spread online, with one viewer calling it "the greatest video ever made" and another describing employees "giving their new corporate logo... a standing ovation."

The symbol drew a running joke. Creative Bloq asked, "Is it a staple? Is it a table?" On X, one person wrote "New Staples logo is... a table?" and another pointed out that "the word 'staples' easily becomes 'tables'."