Mills & Boon has been publishing romantic fiction since 1908. It had a very successful subscription service, but its overall consumer base was shrinking. After surveying consumers, many of whom were buying their books in stores and not by subscription, Mills & Boon found that its branding, cover designs, and overall product presentation for its many offerings—it publishes more than 120 new titles each month—were confusing to buyers. The brand and its message simply did not stand out.
Pentagram was brought in to bring sharper focus to the brand and make the various product lines easier to understand. From the design firm’s site: “Distilling insights from the consumer [research], Pentagram developed the core proposition of ‘instant romantic indulgence’ alongside the brand idea of ‘the heart of romance’ to inform the refresh.
The new identity takes emphasis away from the supersized ampersand that had previously dominated visuals, shifting the focus to the whole Mills & Boon name, which is where the brand equity lies, according to insights from the consumer study.
To that effect, the contemporary new brand mark reduces the scale of the ampersand and places it in the natural position between the founders’ names. The ampersand’s rose has been replaced with subtle heart-shaped geometry, a more universal signifier of romance that places the brand idea at the centre of the new mark.”
Also part of the redesign of the ampersand is the suggestion of an x at the base of the heart, projecting a note of naughty that is still centered on romance.
Read more here.