NEW YEAR, NEW COMPANY, NEW IDENTITY


A Q&A with Bill Sims, President and CEO

What does Color Kinetics' new corporate identity actually "mean?"
A: In short, it's the new public face of the company. It's intended to be the symbol of who were are today, taking into account all the growth and progress we've achieved in ten years - including our accelerating move into white light. Most importantly, it expresses our accumulated strength and influence within the industry. Ten years ago our first products were met with skepticism. Today they light some of the most prominent structures and spaces in the world. We're a proven business to be taken seriously.

Visually, the new identity is designed to tie a uniquely identifiable mark - the "CK" - to our name, while also capturing elements of color, white, projection and motion or transformation.

Q: Why change now?
A: In ten years we built strong equity with the original corporate identity, but our market research indicated that it had become somewhat dated and unrepresentative of today's CK. We often talk about transforming environments with our technology, and now we've transformed our own company as well - not just the logo, but the way we do business, our market-focused strategy, and our future plans for growth in an increasingly fast-moving field that rewards innovation, flexibility and forward thinking. Such changes warranted a new, strong brand expression, and our 10th anniversary provided the ideal time to unveil it.

Q: What did the re-branding process entail?
A: It was important for us to first examine the market's perception of our existing brand. We conducted surveys and interviews with our key constituents, including lighting designers, architects, partners, dealers, media, employees and other stakeholders. We also identified seven key brand drivers that are consistent to all world-class brands - from excellent customer service to clear and consistent messaging. Though we've long aspired to high standards in these areas, we have now progressed to the point where the new mark actually stands for a new company -- it's not just a change on paper.

Q: What is the meaning of your tagline -- "Transform Your World™?"
A: Our story is not about selling light fixtures, it's about putting tools and technologies into the hands of creative thinkers who quite literally transform environments with light - both visually and practically. Light has long been considered a utility - something you turn on, off and dim without a thought. LED technology makes it possible to rethink the way we use light entirely: a 20-story façade becomes a customizable animated surface, a home air freshener doubles as a color-changing light show, a retail display seamlessly morphs from "cool" to "warm" white light. LED technology has provided a means for making the ordinary extraordinary through light.