7Eleven’s Rebrand: A Healthy Initiative or Superficial Ploy?

7Eleven has refreshed its 43-year-old logo and completely revamped the interior design of over 500,000 stores. No longer is the convenience mart marked by orange, green, and red stripes and large, garish advertisements. The company, like many others, has jumped on the “health-conscious” bandwagon and opted for a cleaner (and greener) look. Below are the old (left) and new (right) logos.

Concerning the logo, the colors are brighter, the font is modern, and the lines are crisp; but the real change can be seen inside the stores.

White tiled walls and bright green paint have transformed the once-tacky general store into a simple and inviting space, complete with wooden crates of fresh fruit prominently displayed near the front. Messages addressing the consumer, like “Slurp Slurp Go” and “Twist Pop Go”, are plastered on the wall and feature the grungy, vintage type treatment that is currently popular among designers. Other signage directs consumers’ attention to 7Eleven’s healthier options and freshly made foods. In light of these changes, it seems as if the company is targeting a more conscious, informed, and picky audience, while simultaneously distancing themselves from the widespread attitude that they are only a late night pit stop for gum and frozen corn syrup.

But we are left with a question: What is the underlying meaning of this rebrand? Although 7Eleven now looks “healthy” from a design perspective, is it “healthy” from a consumer or a supplier perspective? It seems, right now at least, the answer is no. Besides making their somewhat healthy options more prominent, 7Eleven has not truly changed its product. They still sell the same Big Gulp, overly processed confections, and cigarettes as before the “fresh and healthy” rebrand. But could this be the first step towards a healthier future for 7Eleven? Has the rebrand set a revolution in motion, and in 5 years the convenience store will sell everything from freshly squeezed juice to low fat granola? It’s too early to tell, but here at Marstudio we hope that the rebrand is more than superficial, and maybe even the beginning of a redefined convenient store.