Verizon (2024)Copied

Verizon research found people saw their relationship with the brand as transactional. David Bowen, VP of marketing activation, told Campaign that telecoms in general lack an emotional connection: people use the service many times a day but never see it. Chief marketing officer Leslie Berland put it as wanting to make the invisible visible. On 26 June 2024 Verizon refreshed its brand alongside new offers, including the myHome internet and entertainment bundles.

The design system was created by Turner Duckworth. The checkmark that had sat beside the wordmark was gone, replaced by a red V with a yellow glow, which Campaign said underscores the meaning of the name, a combination of veritas and horizon. Berland said the new logo, design system and creative approach drew on the company's heritage while infusing the energy and vibrancy of life powered by Verizon. It was set to roll out across consumer, business and network footprints, media and retail stores over the following months.

The launch film, 90 seconds long, revisited Can you hear me now?, the 2002 tagline whose campaign last aired in 2010, showing streaming, gaming, concerts and football to argue the network now does far more than calls. Ricardo Aspiazu, VP of creative and brand, said Verizon was not reviving the line, only nodding to its history, and that the campaign leaned on TikTok to reach younger audiences.

The Verge noted that the checkmark was gone as Verizon recast itself as a one-stop shop for internet and entertainment, and Fast Company's headline said the new logo turns Verizon into Netflix.

Creative Bloq's reading was that Verizon had decided the 2015 tick never earned any emotional attachment, and rather than replace it with another symbol it made colour the distinguishing feature, a warm glowing gradient on the V that can stand alone. Neue Haas Grotesk stays, red leads, and beige and yellow arrive as supporting tones. The glow quietly recalls the electricity idea behind the checkmark before 2015. The catch, which social media spotted at once, is that the lone V looks a lot like a famous streaming app; the magazine wondered whether that was a knowing nod to Verizon as an entertainment provider.

The Netflix jibe stings because it is fair: red, a single letter, a glow, all very streaming-era. The checkmark was dull, but it was Verizon's. The V is more expressive and works better as an app icon and in motion, yet it trades a distinctive if boring mark for one that looks like half the entertainment apps on a phone.