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CLOUDERA gets all SHOUTY about rebrand: SMASHES capslock, but easy on the elephants

Merger so fresh, gabfest freebies had old logo

Logowatch Now that star-crossed Hadoop-flinging lovers Cloudera and Hortonworks have ended their years-long competition-cum-courtship with a merger, what better way to seal the deal than visiting the Strategy Boutique?

As with so many relationships, the on-again-off-again romance has culminated in a union that made one partner take the other's name.

But, in recognition of the merger, the top brass at the all-new Cloudera (many of whom are Clouderans) have decided the least they could do is summon up a rebrand for the duo – and we were given a sneak peek this week.

You might have thought the marketeers at the boutique would want to work a nod to Hortonworks into the new logo – perhaps an elephant's trunk used as a letter? No chance, Dumbo.

Elephants, representing Hadoop, are old hat for a firm selling itself as the "enterprise data cloud". In fact, the crack team decided to hit capslock, shifting lower-case cloudera into upper-case CLOUDERA. The merger is THAT IMPORTANT.

But that's not all. They've also opted to get in on the oh-so-popular-right-now retro '80s vibe, turning the "E" into three horizontal lines, reminiscent of the "E" in Esprit, the "F" in Fila or the three lines atop the Ericsson logo.

Here's chief marketing officer Mick Hollinson taking the new logo for a spin in front of a packed auditorium of Hortonworks customers at what was once the firm's annual European gabfest.

Cloudera logo March 2019

Cloudera: ALL CAPS, three-line 'E'

The fancy new logo is, however, still something of a work in progress – the merger only closed in January, and that was just 90 days after it was first announced – so there wasn't enough time for Cloudera CLOUDERA to prep a formal launch of the brand.

That means not only a lack of the much-loved usual PR bumf about how the new logo represents the company's goals and outlook, but also that conference attendees were offered up old-school paraphernalia. And apparently it's too soon for that to offer much nostalgia value.

There are also many hints at the old days littered around the venue, with boards still bearing Hortonworks' trio of rejected elephants, in one final parade before making their way firmly out of the spotlight.

It's enough to make you weep. ®

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