Verdict · It worked
Cavendish Yellow and the winking Freddie still front the brand today, though the first typeface gave way to a custom serif in 2020.
Before
Mailchimp was founded in 2001, and CEO Ben Chestnut says design was the first discipline he staffed.1 Its mascot, a winking chimp called Freddie, began as an e-greeting card Chestnut had designed.11 In 2007, when Mailchimp became a proper business, Chestnut told his team they “should probably kill this monkey brand because it's not serious enough”.11 His staff pushed back. “They just about had a revolt,” he told The Drum.11
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Sources for the opening
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