Apple Corporate Rebranding Confirmed

Earlier in the week, we reported that Apple was in transition to a major corporate rebranding that should be completed and announced or made evident at January's Macworld Expo.

According to sources, Apple will indeed follow in the footsteps of the Sonys and Nikes by alter its name from "Apple Computer, Inc." to "Apple Inc." or just plain "Apple." All Apple products from that day forth will be marked with the new brand.

Additionally, there was talk of some changes being made to the Apple logo, though according to sources this will be no more than what most Apple folks have already been exposed to. Not only has Apple transitioned away from the multicolored Apple logo, but has formally restricted its use both inside Apple and to third-parties and their retail partners.

Apple will now officially sport 5 different "Gem" logos (shown below) which, while seen at previous Apple Events, have only recently been finalized. "The reason why this logo took so long," one source said, "is because it [the embossment] is very detailed and Apple wants to keep the logo a crisp as possible." Surprisingly, a sixth graphite logo has not been added.

The Company has also recently redesigned all of its corporate stationery, including its business cards. According to sources, Apple employee business cards will now come in gloss white with just the word "Apple," the employee's contact information, and one of the colored Gem logos. Employees and contractors who don't work directly for Apple will have solid black logos on their business cards.

Apple is taking this rebranding process very seriously. They recently issued an updated Interim Corporate Identity Guidelines Sheet for Resellers. The document outlines some extremely strict guidelines for using and displaying the new Apple logos. Apparently, only Apple will be able to use the Gem logos in promotional material. Resellers may only incorporate solid, flat red or black Apple logos in their reseller signatures. The document also details the alterations behind the new Gem logos:

"Like our products and our customers, the Apple brand continues to evolve. To reflect this, we've made some important changes to the Apple logo and how we use it, and how we expect our channel to use it, too. Don't worry: We haven't replaced the logo, just updated it. We'll continue to reflect who we are and what we stand for as a company in the same timeless symbol: an apple with a bite taken out of it. We've reduced some of the clutter in the original design, however, and updated the way we use color and light. In other words, we've taken the same standards of style and innovation that make our products and our design unmistakable and applied them to the company logo. Instead of rainbow stripes, solid colors. Instead of just one solid color, a palette of logo colors to suit a variety of uses. Solid colors emphasize the timeless shape of the Apple logo."