Strange Practice
Jordan Butcher
WorkAboutEmail
After the removal of the word ‘co-op’ from REI’s logo in the early 1980s, the iconic retailer sought to re-embrace the cooperative aspect of the company. Strange Practice worked in tandem with Hornall Anderson to create a “new” logo for the brand, as funky and soulful as The Co-op’s customers.
Scope
Brand Identity
Collaborators
Creative Direction by Jason Sutherland
Additional Design by Hornall Anderson
The REI logo in a neon sign on the exterior of the Burbank, CA store
Exploration
Several months were spent exploring every angle — from simply adding a 'Co-op' bug to the existing logo, to starting from scratch. Many of the explorations fulfilled the original brief, but none fit squarely into the existing REI brand language.

After taking a deep-dive into the brand's archives, reverting to the 1970s-era identity stood out as a possible solve, but it needed some modernization.
A vintage REI logo applied to blue nylon
A vintage advertisment for REI
Inspiration from the REI archives
Archival REI
By tidying up the tree silhouette and adding some hard corners back into to the type, the new identity feels both like a funky throwback, and a natural progression. The sharp edges and subtle curves are a nod to the blade of an ice axe (an essential piece of the brand’s story) and most importantly, the new mark is still instantly recognizable as REI.
Subtle update, big difference
In the wild
The final logo lends itself to an extensive library of additional marks and brand codes for whatever application the brand may need — Co-op bicycles, garment details, etc. It feels right at home on REI brand apparel, hard goods, and store signage.
“
I’ve had the good fortune to work with Jordan on a variety of projects... He’s a master of digging into the DNA of a company and moving it forward without losing a connection to the past. He’s a brilliant iterator, and he brings a high level of craft and a wide range of influences to his work. He’s been able to help us get to new places and to see things in different ways. In fact he’s one of my favorite go-to people when I need new thinking or explorations on an idea. ”
Jason Sutherland
REI Brand Creative Director
New York, NY