Some brands evoke aspiration, even outside the realm of luxury. The Big 4 Consulting companies give you this experience, and PwC is one among those.
I started my career in 2010, as an analyst with PwC India, in their document services department under Advisory wing, which now comes under PwC Service Delivery Centre. Back then, the firm was popularly addressed as Price Waterhouse, and their identity featured:
An all-caps word logo: PriceWaterhouseCoopers
An abbreviated icon: PwC
After spending a couple of months with the company, around September 2010 there came a big announcement of renewal – their new brand trademark, and it carried four major changes.
They officially shortened their trading name to PwC, while legally remained PriceWaterhouseCoopers. So, the word logo was removed and the abbreviation stayed.
The new logo written in lowercase: pwc
The typeface changed into a heavier form, retaining its Serif family.
Introduction of red, tangerine, and pink pixels above the abbreviation.
This change was disruptive in a good way and visually rich to the internal and external stakeholders. For us in Document Services, it felt like shifting worlds much like Dr. Strange navigating dimensions in the Marvel universe. Detailed and new brand guidelines, and the enthusiasm in all the 240 team members of our department, to unlearn the old and embrace the new branding rules. This change was enticing for us, as we were the backbone of brand formatted files that went out to the public from PwC. That newness rapidly became our normal and changed the way I looked at branding.
15 years later around April 2025, PwC brought another brand design revamp, through a campaign called “So You Can”, which gave the global stage an even more minimalistic logo. This new look replaces the multi-colored pixels with two orange bars, which are called the “momentum marks”, that convey the traits of being bold, collaborative and optimistic. The new brand identity reflects PwC’s ever evolving, powerful technology-driven and unwavering focus on its clients, especially in today’s world where the future is pacing fast to our present. To signify their new philosophy, PwC becomes F1’s official consulting partner.
There are many thoughts afloat amongst brand influencers, about this new logo. And I believe that the New Symbol is Absolute, as it brings forward minimum alteration and only two colors, that rightly conveys clarity given the current state of uncertainty with the sudden surfacing of AI and its application in various sectors. Big 4 companies have always played pivotal roles in decoding every industrial revolution. Having simple crisp logo, now, is need of the hour, to channel confidence in consulting, services and across industries, and devolve promise of consistency down the pyramid, since transparent information, equality and inclusiveness are being woven into the corporate fabric, much more than before.
Brand consultants Wolff Olins have created both versions of this logo, previous and present. The first version that got released in 2010, took 2 years to process the transformation in collaboration with PwC employees and clients.
As someone who lived PwC’s first wave of change in 2010, I see the 2025 revamp as a continuation of PwC’s commitment to clarity, confidence, and future-readiness.
In the span of a single week, the world bid farewell to two extraordinary visionaries—Sumit Mazumder, on 31st August 2025, the former chairman of TIL Limited from Kolkata, India, and Giorgio Armani, on 4th September 2025, the timeless maestro of fashion from Milan, Italy.
Though their worlds were vastly different, their legacies echo a shared truth: excellence, when pursued with heart and vision, leaves a mark that time cannot erase. Greatness, therefore, remains.
Sumit Mazumder
TIL Limited, also known as Tractors India, was founded in 1944, was one of the first primary dealers of Caterpillar, established during India’s journey toward independence and infrastructure development. Over time, TIL grew into a prominent corporate entity in the country.
In 1995, Sumit Mazumder (popularly addressed as SMR) took over as the Managing Director. Under his leadership, the company expanded its production facilities and gained global exposure through partnerships with brands like Manitowoc, Hyster, Astec Industries, and others.
Although I did not have the privilege of knowing SMR Sir personally, I’ve heard from former employees that he was a great listener and extended a helping hand to those in dire need. Known as a fierce entrepreneur, he also had a refined taste for heritage luxury.
During my tenure at Tractors India between 2014–2016, I once had the opportunity to witness the marvels of his curio collection when I was invited to his office to photograph him for an official article. It was just a few moments, and I was nervous while aiming my camera. But SMR Sir’s composure unknowingly steadied me, and I managed to capture two great photos of him.
We come across many people—some common, some stalwarts, never realizing that those brief interactions will remain etched in our memories, only to surface when death completes a life.
Greatness, therefore, remains.
Giorgio Armani
“War taught me that not everything is glamorous.”
Giorgio Armani was a child during World War II. One day in Piacenza, he was playing with undetonated artillery shells. One exploded—killing a friend and badly burning him. This incident shaped his lifelong pursuit of elegance – not as vanity, but as healing and order, because good design demands great discipline. Despite having no formal design training, Armani became one of the most revered designers in the world. His mastery came from observation, experimentation, and intuition—something every designer should learn from.
Giorgio Armani was an era unto himself.
In 1975, Giorgio and his partner Sergio Galeotti formed Giorgio Armani S.p.A. Giorgio’s philosophy and work led Italy out of the black-and-white of political violence into a world of taste and tradition. He made “Made in Italy” a global statement of elegance and timeless design.
Since 2012, his designs have adorned the Italian Olympic team—and will continue to do so at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. Again, greatness remains.
A Curious Coincidence
Both men shared the same birth date – 11th, Sumit Mazumder on 11 February 1948, and Giorgio Armani on 11 July 1934. Finding this coincidence intrigued me and led me to read more about them. And that’s how you’ve reached the end of this reflection.
Alternatively, as the world of business is full of negotiations and commerce, being graceful about oneself brings an absolute satiety to motivate ourselves for the next morrow.
