Straight A's

Welcome back to Brand ID Weekly.

This week we’re looking at the Harvard Cooperative Society, better known as the COOP.

The COOP has been around since 1882, and for most of its life, it wasn’t just a bookstore. It was a membership-driven hub. A place where students, faculty, and alumni actually felt like they belonged. Over time, that shifted. It became more transactional, more tourist-heavy, more about selling merch than building connection.

This rebrand by YummyColours® pulls it back. Not by going backwards, but by re-centering what made it work in the first place.

Let’s get educated.

Visual Identity System: The logo evolution started in the archives. We studied historic materials closely, then carefully refined the wordmark to preserve their authority while making it clearer and more versatile for today. The typography was modernized, the color palette expanded, and a flexible design system was built to support everything from signage to social media. The result feels timeless, honoring the COOP’s heritage while giving it the dynamism and desirability needed to serve a new generation of members. (from the brand)

The Game: Rivalry and Legacy: The COOP’s story is inseparable from campus tradition, especially the legendary Harvard–Yale football rivalry that has shaped generations of memories.

That spirit of pride and shared identity became a key part of the evolution. The COOP reconnects with what has always made it special: not just selling merchandise, but creating moments people carry with them long after graduation. (from the brand)

The Coop Vintage Logo: We looked deeply into The COOP’s history, spending time with the vintage marks that generations of members remember so fondly. We refined the type and proportion of the iconic wordmark so it feels clear and confident today, while still rooted in the character that makes it memorable. (from the brand)

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Kleenex: This week’s iconic logo is Kleenex.

The current version traces back to a wordmark originally shaped by Saul Bass, who gave it that soft, flowing rhythm that still defines the brand. It’s a logo that feels like the product. Light, gentle, almost weightless.

The most recent refinement by Rob Clarke doesn’t mess with that foundation, it only sharpens it. It’s a super subtle refinement that doesn’t lose any history.

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