WiproCopied

Wipro started in 1945 as Western India Vegetable Products in Amalner, Maharashtra, moved into IT in 1981 and by 2017 was India's third-largest software services firm, with more than 170,000 employees and $8.5 billion in revenue. Its logo since 1998 had been a multicoloured sunflower with the tagline 'Applying Thought'. Ambi Parameswaran, who worked on that identity, told Mint it suited a diverse company with businesses from IT to consumer products and lighting.

On 2 May 2017 Wipro unveiled a new identity designed by Landor's Indian office. The company said it marked its emergence as a trusted digital transformation partner, working with automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and cognitive technologies. Chairman Azim Premji called it a visual expression of what Wipro does and means for clients, tied to re-articulated values, the Spirit of Wipro.

The mark sets the name on white, surrounded by colourful dots in concentric circles. Wipro said it showed how it 'connects the dots' for clients, integrating technology and domain expertise across industries. The individual dots stand for ideas, insights, technologies, industries and geographies; the expanding pattern for a boundless Wipro; the four circles for its values, employees, clients and partners, and communities. A blue wordmark was meant to signal reliability and authority. The rainbow colour scheme was kept.

Parameswaran judged it contemporary and likely to work well on digital platforms. Business Standard set the launch against a sector-wide wave of layoffs, reading the rebrand as Wipro's attempt to recast itself as a digital services firm.

Mint's headline asked whether the logo was contemporary or forced, and that is the right question. The dot ring is pleasant and handles small sizes better than the sunflower, but 'connecting the dots' is the most worn metaphor in consulting. Keeping the rainbow saved some recognition; the rest is a generic tech-services mark.