Sam’s Club Undergoes Branding Update

Sam’s Club (Bentonville, Ark.), is updating its branding, including its logo, typeface and other visual identity components. The new look will appear in the brand’s digital and in-club touchpoints, as part of Walmart unit’s previously announced plans to remodel much of its fleet of 600-plus locations and add up to 30 new locales in coming years, the company said in a news release that also highlighted the hiring of actor and producer Jason Sudeikis of “Ted Lasso” fame as a brand spokesperson.

In its coverage of the new look, Fast Company said it’s designed to appeal to younger, tech-forward customers via a new logo whose “wordmark appears in lowercase, set in a bolder, rounder typeface, washed in a blue that’s noticeably brighter than the muted navy the brand has used in the past.

“But the most distinctive part of the branding is the small, deliberate flourish in the word ‘Sam’s.’ The apostrophe is rendered as a little diamond, a square turned on its point, hovering above the name. This grammatical flourish stands out, highlighting the possessive, which is meant to make the viewer think of ownership. Sam’s Club was originally named for the Walmart founder, Sam Walton, but the brand wants to make clear that the club belongs to all its members.”

Fast Company Staff Writer Elizabeth Segran observed the brand’s updated modus operandi firsthand at a newly remodeled Sam’s Club in Springdale, Ark., where she got “a glimpse of the next generation of big-box shoppers. Young parents steer carts with toddlers wedged between paper towels while newlyweds load up on pantry items. As they pop items into their carts, they scan each one with their phones. And when it comes time to exit, they don’t line up at a register or even bag their items. They walk straight out the doors. The company’s high-tech Scan & Go system registers their purchases and sends them a receipt.”