Becoming the Green Dot

The Green Dot at the end of Deloitte’s logo is an instantly recognizable symbol of Deloitte. But would it be such a beloved feature if it had been a different color?

Deloitte rebranded in 2003 after its plan to sell its management consulting business fell through. As the organization faced the difficult task of reintegrating Deloitte Consulting, which had operated more or less independently since 1995, it felt a new brand identity was needed in order to bring the different pieces back together.

At the time, two trends dominated branding. The first was acronyms. Three of the Big Four accounting firms used an acronym, as did several other competitors. The second was to go short, as when Federal Express became FedEx.

Deloitte took a different direction. “The real equity was in the root of ‘Deloitte,’” said Suzanne Gylfe, Brand and Marketing managing director, Deloitte LLP. Deloitte was the name in longest continuous use in the accounting profession. “We needed to just come together and be Deloitte. . . . We were emerging stronger as one Deloitte.”

It was determined that the new logo would be a wordmark, but it needed something more. Deloitte’s advertising firm proposed moving the dot over the “i” to the end of word. 

The original design had a fuchsia dot at the end of a blue “Deloitte.” The team tried a number of options, including yellow, orange and “light bronze.” But the only color that really worked was green.

Initially, there was some concern that the Green Dot was too unusual and perhaps a bit silly—that it had too much personality. Some said they were reluctant to give out business cards with the Green Dot on them. But over time, the iconic symbol became embedded in Deloitte’s thinking, used as a byword for initiatives that span across Deloitte and providing the basis for Deloitte’s visual identity: a look that is distinctive, consistent and a 360-degree representation of Deloitte’s highly connected offer.

Now, Gylfe said, “if we told people we were getting rid of the Green Dot, they would probably cry. It’s that embedded in the culture.”