Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...

Those of you who visit on Apos frequently may have noticed a subtle yet important change to our website: we’ve updated our company wordmark, color palette, and now have a logo. Now we know that this may seem like small potatoes, but it’s indicative of more changes to come, so they’re actually decently sized potatoes. Like appetizer taters, tater tots maybe? Appetaters? What we’re saying is that this is the first step in our journey redesigning our brand and website to reflect who Apos is as a company and where we are going. We have come a long way since our founding last year, and while we are still working hard to grow our business and realize our goals, we also appreciate and are proud of all that we have already achieved together.

When we say “we”, Apos decidedly includes you — our customers and community members — and we want to thank you for your support. We truly could not have done this without you. That is why we wanted to write this piece for you, bringing you in on the “why” of our redesign and sharing our decision-making with you, because we believe in openness, transparency, and honest communication. We’re basically the opposite of Lord Farquaad. We believe in making a culture that you want to be part of, so as we grow our business, we want to let you know how we’re investing to better serve our future and yours as a customer.

Our design team has been working tirelessly for months on this project and we are all very proud of the end result. We will be rolling out the redesign in stages over the next few months, because we want to do it right. We also want to keep you on the edge of your seat to see what’s next! Our unveiling should be as exciting for you as when you are next able to request “dine in” seating at your local Taco Bell Cantina. But we understand if you’re more excited about the tacos n’ beer. Either way, when we make an update, we will keep you in the loop with a post similar to this one. For now, let’s take a look at the changes we made to our wordmark, logo, and color pallete.

The changes we made from the old wordmark (above) to the one we’ll be using going forward (below) show our evolution from a small startup in California wondering if we’d be able to afford anything other than Taco Bell, to now being an established name in the audiophile community across the United States (granted we’re still reasonably small and have lots more to do, but we’ve come a long way. Also we still frickin’ love tacos).

We have refined our styling to reflect not only professional aspiration, but also the mark we’ve already made investing in community and customer experience. Apos is an open company that thrives on interacting with its customers and we invite your feedback and input. In some cases, we’ve even redirected our priorities in response to customer requests, like when we became an authorized reseller of Dan Clark Audio and Chord Electronics, or how we now have Live Chat support. We haven’t yet invested in delivering tacos directly to you, but we know there’s people working on it, so we didn’t feel we have to worry about that one right now. We believe that the new wordmark captures our continuing commitment to this openness and genuine invitation for customer interaction, while allowing us to put down our flag as an established and growing company in high end audio equipment. We feel like it’s a pretty good flag.

We have added an icon to our brand and expanded the colors that we’ll be using. We stand by our name and will continue using a wordmark. We also wanted to have an icon that represents our brand equally well. We did not want an icon that was added-on to our brand as an afterthought. We wanted an icon that was a symbol. Symbols are important because they carry meaning, concisely and simply represent larger and complexer themes, and emote the otherwise inanimate. Our icon will be used to represent Apos in the same manner that our whole name and wordmark does. We wanted an icon that could stand on its own and signify our company, culture, and credo as consisting of customer service, professionalism, but also simplicity. Yes, we know at the end of the day it is just an icon, but we also know how we feel driving home at the end of the day and we see the sign for Taco Bell. Right?

We certainly don’t shy away from complex or hard tasks, but our mission always was and is a simple one: that we can do well in business by doing good for our fellow audiophiles, who are our friends and also our customers. As Apos grows and more people hear about us, our reputation for excellence in customer service will then serve us. Why would you buy the same product anywhere else when you can get it from Apos, a company you know and trust who continuously invests in engendering goodwill with you, appreciation for your business, and offers an unparalleled 1-Year Warranty, 45-Day Lowest Price Guarantee, and Free Returns? Now, when you see our icon, you will be reminded of all of that simply by our symbol. Also that we really like tacos.

We also chose a selection of new colors to catch your eye or call you to action, while remaining professionally distinct yet friendly. We chose our colors to be inviting and welcoming while remaining calming. This is another aspect of our intent to signify simplicity: we want your experience on Apos to be a fun pursuit of your hobby and passion. You reading the newest audiophile review or adding new gear to your personal collection should be fulfilling and even whimsical. It shouldn’t involve digging through antiquated blogs, enduring painful shipping times or confusing customs duties, or you personally managing logistics. We want your experience with Apos to be reassuring, easy, inviting, and fun. Let us handle the back office work, so you get to browse our product library, play with the purchases you make, and enjoy peace of mind. We chose the color palette to portray these feelings of comfort and assurance.

Apos has always had three priorities and we’ve been striving to achieve them since when we first opened our doors in Oakland last year. First, we want to contribute to the US audiophile market and push it forward with our effort, experience, and resources. Second, we want to be a company of enthusiasts serving enthusiasts, working with our customers to create an engaged community together. Third, we want to eat tacos because we love them, not because they’re all we can afford. Thank you for being part of our success and joining us on our journey to bring a better musical experience to new listeners who have never experimented with high-end audio before, and to provide second-to-none customer support and products for the audiophiles who already know what the community is all about.

We think that our updated wordmark, colors, and new logo signify to you what we want them to say: that Apos is making its mark in the audio world, and with your help, the best is yet to be. We are truly grateful to have support from awesome customers like you and we will continue to work hard to keep earning that support. Live long and prosper...and enjoy every taco.