New logo: DeNA

DeNA is a Japanese company that developes mobile portals and online shopping services, which describes itself as "the global leader in mobile Internet services". Today, January 10, it launched a new corporate identity.

The logo is an expression of the new tagline "Delight and Impact the World", where the D has been turned into an emoticon, representing delight. The exercise also sees some of the company's global subsidiaries being rebranded with the corporate name.

Update January 10: Wolff Olins recently announced that they created the new brand identity together with Japanese branding agency Hakuhodo.
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New logo: Japan Exchange Group

The Japan Exchange Group, or JPX for short, is a company formed on January 1 through the merger of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Osaka Securities Exchange. The new logo was revealed last week.

The logo features four bars representing four values in the company's creed. It also expresses "aspirations toward dynamic and international growth" and an "ambition to become Asia's No. 1 market".
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New logo: Ain Pharmaciez

Ain's Pharmaciez (アインファーマシーズ) is a Japanese company that operates wholesale distribution of pharmaceuticals and is involved in the operation of pharmacies. Yesterday, August 1, it launched a new symbol, an updated and more lively version of the bird it has used until now.
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New logo: Datsun

Nissan Motors is planning a revival of Datsun, a classic car brand that was phased out and replaced by the Nissan brand during the 1980s. The new Datsun will be an affordable brand for emerging markets, and the plan is to launch in India, Indonesia and Russia in 2014.

The logo for the new Datsun was unveiled with the announcement this week. It takes inspiration from the previous Datsun logo, but drops the red Japanese sun for a blue design.
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New logo: Au

Au is the brand for mobile phone services from the major Japanese telco KDDI. On Monday, January 16, it launched a new visual identity, along with the slogan "New Freedom" (あたらしい自由 in Japanese). It keeps the signature orange colour, but introduces a new lettermark with a more unique typeface.
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Olympic bid logo: Tokyo 2020

After the Winter Olympics for 2018 were awarded to PyeongChang in South Korea this summer, the process to select the host for the 2020 Summer Games went into high gear. Six approved bids have been submitted to the International Olympic Committee, and over the coming months they will all reveal their bid logos.

The first one out was Tokyo, who revealed their Applicant City logo yesterday, November 30, at the Tokyo Mode Gakuen design school. It depicts a circular arrangement of cherry blossoms, a flower commonly used as a symbol of Japan and its culture. The five Olympic colors are all represented with the addition of Edo purple, a color traditionally associated with Tokyo.

The logo was selected through a contest won by Ai Shimamine, a fourth year art student.
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New logo: Solaseed Air

Skynet Asia Airways is a Japanese low-fare airline, which made its first flight in 2002. On May 12, it announced that it would abandon its old boring name for a more exciting one. From July 1, it will be called Solaseed Air.

The new name is a play on words which combines the Japanese word "sora", which means sky, and "seed". It should also remind one of the second half of the musical scale, as in Do Re Mi Fa So La Si Do.

The brand positioning talks about spreading seeds of smiles, which is reflected in the logo, the pistachio green color and identity applications.

Skynet Asia Airways logo.

The previous logo has been used at least since the airline started flying in 2002. It should be noted that Skynet Asia Airways still be the official company name.
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The Tepco logo - a future target for satire?

A logo is usually the primary face a corporation. If said corporation does something bad, like destroying an ocean or institutionalizing accounting fraud, the logo will stand in satirists firing line. Do a search for "bp logo" or "enron logo" in Google Images, and you'll find Landor Associates' helios symbol drenched in oil or Paul Rand's slanted E giving you the middle finger. I wouldn't find it hard to believe that the images mocking Tony Hayward or Ken Lay are outnumbered by those that mock the logos of their respective corporation.

Because of the ongoing crisis in Fukushima, the management of Tokyo Electric Power Company, who owns the power plant, has faced criticism, although I am certainly not the person to judge whether or not they should be blaimed. If they should, their logo is an easy target for mockery.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, who also use the English abbrevation Tepco, has a logo made up of six circles, five smaller ones which form a T and a larger one which surrounds the two circles that make up the "stem" in the T.

For anyone with some time one their hands and a little creativity, it wouldn't be hard to turn it into a mushroom cloud. I have not yet found any satirical images with this logo. I don't know why, but perhaps the country has better things to do than mocking company logos at the moment.

I've understood that the Tepco logo was introduced in 1987 and that it was created by graphics professional Kazumasa Nagai (born 1929). It is a common sight on the streets of Tokyo. There's lots more to see and read about the corporate identity on the site of Nippon Design Center (in Japanese). (archive)

New logo: Bridgestone

Bridgestone, the multinational tire company, unveiled and launched an updated logo today, March 1.

According to the company, the previous logo was introduced around 1984, and the new one isn't a radical departure from it. The clunky typeface is changed to a more modern one. The B icon gets rounder shapes.

Bridgestone also gets a new tagline, "Your Journey, Our Passion". The previous one was "Passion for Excellence".

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