When there are more than a billion people already using your products, it doesn’t seem like a natural time for a rebrand. But Microsoft is apparently sick of being portrayed as an old fuddy duddy to Apple’s hip, young counterpart. 

After all, “the consensus among analysts seems to be that Microsoft is a company in transition, experiencing growing pains and pockets of great promise as it moves from dominance in a world centered on Windows and PCs to becoming a company that delivers services and devices,” the Seattle Times reports.

That transition means some big changes for the way the company presents itself. According to Windows Phone design studio general manager Albert Shum and Wolff Olins creative director Todd Simmons, Microsoft is planning to rebrand Bing, Skype, Yammer and Xbox, Gizbot reports.

After all, Microsoft refreshed the visual identity for Windows and Office last year, and the company in the midst of a big plan to align all of its products across design and marketing.Continue reading...

Critics feeling that Michelle Obama has been overexposed lately, from presenting at the Oscars to mom-dancing with Jimmy Fallon, will have a hard time critiquing her latest move. The First Lady is expanding Let's Move, her three-year-old initiative to get kids moving and combat childhood obesity, and she's tapping one of the world's leading brands in the "get moving" space—Nike. 

NIKE, Inc. President & CEO Mark Parker joined First Lady Michelle Obama and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan in Chicago to announce Nike’s $50 million, five-year commitment to help launch a new Let's Move program for schools, an extension of the brand's involvement in the organization's Designed to Move study that found that only one in three American kids are active daily.Continue reading...

Univision is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a new brand identity as the “Hispanic Heartbeat of America.”

“The launch of our new brand logo kicks-off a new era at Univision that speaks to who we are as a company and that we are a direct reflection of the Hispanic community we serve – multidimensional, dynamic, modern and bold,” said Randy Falco, president and CEO, Univision Communications, Inc.

The new logo, which adds dimension and warm, evokes the human heart. It's a fitting evolution for a broadcaster with humble beginnings as a single television station in San Antonio, Texas, back in 1962.Continue reading...

Jamaica Celebrates as World's Fastest Man and Woman Retain Olympic Titles

Jamaica celebrates its 50th anniversary of freedom today and it couldn't be better timed. Coming on the heels of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce's 100-meter gold medal on Saturday to retain her title as world's fastest woman, Jamaicans continued the celebration after Bolt won his fourth Olympic gold medal Sunday, this one for the 100-meter dash in London. Before Bolt defended his World’s Fastest Man status and showed off all his post-race antics and unbelievable smile, the Puma-sponsored sprinter had himself a chicken wrap from McDonald’s, according to USA Today. This admission bodes well for Bolt’s wallet as he will likely be a much-sought-after pitchman in the wake of the Games, even as he disagrees with LOCOG's controversial Rule 40 governing athletes' personal sponsors. Only 25 years old, he may have another gold in him four years from now in Brazil. He's certainly not shy; having just passed one million Twitter fans, his bio reads: "The most naturally gifted athlete the world has ever seen."Continue reading...

The Consumer Electronics Show may be the appropriate place to show off new products, especially for the big consumer electronics and high-tech brands. But why waste the opportunity to impress if one presents itself? That's exactly what Belkin is doing this week. At its CES booth in Las Vegas, Belkin revealed a new identity and logo system, evident on all of their signage and booth graphics, and related paraphenalia.

“The new Belkin logo, affectionately named PIP for 'People Inspired Products,' symbolizes our commitment to take inspiration from people, and acknowledges the connection between people and the experiences they value most,” commented Ernesto Quinteros, Belkin’s Chief Brand Officer.

More CES pictures of Belkin's new visual identity, developed by Wolff Olins, after the jump.Continue reading...

Apple bows to Israeli pressure on controversial app; iPad dominates tablets.

Facebook passes 750 million users.

Google faces US subpoenas.

Netherlands becomes second country to put net neutrality into effect after Chile.

Nokia reveals first Windows phone.

Nomura (inspired by Wolff Olins?) expands into beekeeping.

Radio Shack leaves S&P 500 Index.

Twitter considers promoted tweets in user timelines.

& America's most wanted criminal, Whitey Bulger (who inspired The Departed), is captured by FBI use of social and traditional media.

Imagine a world with enough food for everyone on the plant. Oxfam, the UK-headquartered NGO that fights global poverty, is doing just that with its new global campaign, "Grow," which focuses on one element of the poverty cycle: food injustice.

The goal: "to build a better food system, one that produces enough for a growing population and empowers poor people to earn a living, feed their families, and thrive."Continue reading...

Take a 6-minute break and check out this Intel Visual Life short film (by Brooklyn-based m ss ng p eces) on Wolff Olins cofounder, the British designer Michael Wolff.

He weighs in on branding not only verbally, but (of course) via visual cues to his personal aesthetic system — watch for his Pantonesque color-coded mugs, shirts, markers and umbrellas. And if you have nine more minutes...Continue reading...