New logo: More Hue, less Philips

Along with the launch of new products last week, Philips Hue has made a significant change. This is not something that is done lightly, but rather after careful consideration. Philips Hue has changed its logo.

This is clearly visible when comparing the old and new packaging. On the right side of the image, you can see part of the packaging for the new Philips Hue Play Wall Washer, which was unveiled last week.

Philips seems to be taking a back seat

In my opinion, the most striking detail is that the Philips brand name has clearly taken a back seat. Whereas it was clearly the focus on the old packaging, the colorful Hue lettering now dominates.

And here, too, a few details have changed. The font has become much stronger, and the individual letters appear much more compact. The color gradient and basic idea, on the other hand, remain unchanged.

The changes are also already visible on the Philips Hue website. The revised logos can be found not only at the top of the page, but also at the very bottom. The Philips logo used to be displayed there, but it has now completely disappeared. Instead, we read: “Hue is a Signify brand”.

Will Philips Hue soon be called just Hue?

Of course, Philips Hue originally came from Philips. In 2016, Philips Lighting was spun off from its parent company and became a separate company, which was renamed Signify in May 2018. However, the name Philips Hue, which is visible to end consumers, has been retained until now.

“I don’t think it’s about giving up the Philips brand name. This is our historic brand,” said then-CEO Eric Rondolat last August. “Keeping Philips where it really adds value is fundamental to us, and that will remain the case.” However, it was also made clear that a brand license fee must be paid in order to use the Philips name.

I think it’s entirely possible that Philips Hue will eventually be called just Hue. It will certainly take a few years before that happens, but the first steps seem to have been taken…