Introducing the SML Chevron: The Next Stage of Our Brand Journey
As the retail industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, so too should the organizations that operate within the sector. Today’s environment is fast-moving, and brands must keep up with continually developing trends in order to thrive amongst the competition.
Since 1985, SML has strived to push the boundaries of innovation within retail and nearly 40 years later, we are still determined to discover new ways to help power the brands of tomorrow. As part of that, we are excited to introduce the new logo that will help us to embark on the next stage of our journey.
Brand Refresh: The Thinking Behind the Process
In 1985, we started out in Hong Kong as a label supplier, mainly selling woven labels. In our inaugural logo, the SML lettering paid homage to the weaving structure of our primary product.
As our products and solutions expanded rapidly over the course of 30 years, in 2015 we felt the need to modernize our brand, communicating that we are more than a woven label supplier. At the time, we had already become one of the world’s leading apparel label suppliers and had started investing heavily in RFID. As part of this earlier rebrand, we eliminated the strokes on the wordmark, ‘SML’, and lengthened the logo’s red container horizontally. However, in order to safeguard our organization’s heritage, we made sure to keep true to some elements: we kept the serifs on our letters (the tails on each letter), as well as the italic font. We also maintained the white lettering on a red container, which has become synonymous with the SML brand over the past 30 years; a trademark style for a powerful, global business.
For the past eight years, we’ve grown to celebrate our success, and have become the world’s second-biggest provider of both labels and RFID tags provider. In that short period of time, the world has changed, but our logo hasn’t. With new media reaching audiences across a range of formats, it is time to evolve with the digital world.
With three decades of evolution engrained into SML’s history, we are excited to unveil the new SML brand identity: the SML Chevron.
The Story Behind the Logo
Rooted in Asia, the world’s largest growth engine, we have evolved significantly over the course of our 30-year journey: from a label and accessory provider to a global provider of item-level RFID technology and labeling solutions. We are determined to continue driving innovation as our journey continues, and promoting sustainability with agility and speed.
This rebrand – and the new SML Chevron – encapsulates everything that we aspire to be as a Digital ID specialist. It is compelling and concise, it brings clarity to a complex industry, and it will help us to continue to grow into new markets and verticals as we expand our operations. As a business, we are focused on delivering value to our customers, empowering their technological capabilities, and building long-lasting, strong relationships.
The new design encapsulates everything that SML stands for as a business. In simplicity, there is depth and dimension, yet it embodies the distinctive qualities and character of SML. The arrow-like design of the letter mark signifies SML’s forward-looking mentality, focused mindset, and boundless energy, symbolizing the company’s well-rounded portfolio, worldly vision, and commitment to sustainability.
As part of the rebranding, we’ve also introduced a new color system, typography, iconography, and illustrations, to name a few. You should be able to see some of it on the current website as you read this blog post.
Embarking on the next stage of our journey
We are now starting to roll out our new visual identity across our entire Group and in all our corporate assets. This new dimension to our new brand not only encapsulates where SML stands today but also reflects our ambition to move towards the new era of Digital ID.
As we look to the future and take the next steps on our journey, we will do this united in our commitment to providing our clients and partners with the trusted solutions they need, wherever they are in the world.
In the upcoming months, we will gradually transition to the new brand – both online and offline – and we appreciate you embarking on the next stage of our journey with us.