Do it Center identity (1980)
Logo officially used until 2001
The Do it Center store concept and identity was drafted for Fort Wayne, Indiana-based hardware distributor Hardware Wholesalers, Inc. (HWI) by legendary Canadian retail branding firm Don Watt + Associates, and finalized in September 1980. A trademark for this logo was filed in October 1980, but the first store to test this branding wouldn’t be opened until sometime in 1981, to warm reception.
All aspects of the store, from its advertising to signage to store brands, were drenched in a sea of red-orange and yellow and a copious amount of tightly-kerned ITC American Typewriter Condensed Bold. Most of the subtle curves in the original typeface were smoothed out and straightened for ease of use across both print media and physical signage. The mostly-lowercase treatment of the warm-colored and bold, soft-edged text conveys reliability in an inviting and approachable manner.
Watt and his firm were still riding out the success of their identity package for The Home Depot from the year prior, which also included a prominent red-orange hue and bold, rounded font (in that case, Stencil).
Following HWI’s merger with Minnesota-based hardware store franchiser Our Own Hardware in 1998, the combined entity (named Do it Best Corp. after their premium store brand of home improvement products) looked to modernize. Between 1998 and 2001 much of the company’s identity was overhauled, instead using a modified Goudy Old Style over American Typewriter.
Due to the independent nature of these stores, there remain a decent amount of locations that still display this era’s signage both inside and outside.
Proofs sheet of various print sizes
Excerpt from vehicle identification graphics ordering form
Wagner Do it Center in Peru, Illinois. This location would close in 1994.
In 1979, an independent hardware company in Río Abajo, Panama, was the first international member to join the HWI co-op. They would be the first outside the United States to receive Do it Center franchising rights in the 1980s.
Spread from a corporate brochure highlighting Do It Center’s private label products, which also used ITC American Typewriter for the packaging
Typical Do it Center interior in 1982. Upper section of price signage held individual characters (white on transparent plastic) to spell out whichever item was on display, though these are not used in this photo.
Signage and other supplemental materials
