When working with Carmichael Lynch Thorburn in Minneapolis (now The Thorburn Group), I was tasked with rebranding one of the nation's most recognizable retailers. Over the years, Toys R Us had been losing ground to big box retailers like Target and Wal-mart. The time had come for Toys R Us to rise up in their market and reclaim their positioning as the toy retailer of choice.

The entire type treatment was subtly updated to maintain its playful appearance while gaining legibility. Getting rid of the quotation marks and moving the star into the counter of the R are the two major changes to this otherwise minimal update. This move allowed us to use the R by itself as a way to provide the brand with a more iconic mark it can grow into.

Brand New agreed by saying the "quotation marks have long played a belt-and-suspenders role to parse the R; so it is logical and pleasing to see it without". While naming it one of ten examples of successful logo redesign, Logo Design Love quoted Joe Marianek in saying the it was a "tight and simple wordmark which is less patriotic, more bulbous and more fun."

Creative Direction: Bill Thorburn
Design: Gregory Hubacek