BRINKS BECOMES BROADVIEW

Brinks Home Security has changed their name to Broadview Security. It was because in deciding to spin off the home security unit, part of the contract stipulated that they had to change their name otherwise hefty royalty fees would have to be paid to Brinks.

The decision to change the name and re-do the brand identity came at a good time. It is relatively smart to get consumers to process the name change before the housing market turns around and people are more likely to purchase alarm systems for their homes. Although if a product is good and is marketed well then it should not matter, but why not take advantage of the state of our markets right now. Why not? Because in hustling a new visual identity out the door, brand equity was sacrificed.

Consumers have the images of armored trucks and hefty armed men in their minds when they think of "Brinks." As such, it is great for a home security system to piggyback on that association. It creates the feeling of intense security for your home when applied to Brinks Home Security, albeit many consumers just think of "Brinks" and drop the "Home Security" from their minds when they think of this company. This is great. For this company to intentionally dissolve that great connection and go with a name like "Broadview Security" is just a shame. Even if you had to pay royalties, to ditch the Brinks name you better spend a lot of time developing an even better name that doesn't rely on piggybacking on such a strong brand. Broadview just isn't it.

Okay, I get it. The view is broad. They see everything. They know what is happening in your home and can respond appropriately. They are omniscient. Alright, that is applicable. But the name itself is broad. Broadview Optics. Broadview Networks. Broadview Nursing. The meaning of "seeing all" is too broad to be uniquely applicable to home security. And I actually would like my security company to have a narrow view; that is, a view focused in on my home rather than a big, broad view that looks at everything.

The use of Gotham is also broad since that typeface is used heavily in the design world, especially now after President Obama's acclaimed use of it. Gotham is a great typeface; Hoefler & Frere-Jones knows what they're doing. I'm just saying they could have searched deeper for a better fit that is not so prevalent and unassuming. The kerning is tight on this logo, which is good, but the leading between Broadview and Security is too spacious and distances the two words. The typography, however, is the least of this logo's problems. In accordance with the broad idea that the company "sees all" we have two parentheses encapsulating "view" to symbolize the eye. The designer could at least have experimented a lot more with creating shapes rather than simply rotating a parenthesis ninety degrees.