End of the line for Mr Squiggle

Craig Herbison worked with design consultants for much of last year on the new squiggle that is the face of Telecom. Photo / Supplied

Telecom is waving goodbye to Mr Squiggle.

Craig Herbison, general manager of marketing and branding, is the latest Telecom executive to leave the company.

Herbison had worked with design consultants for much of last year on the new squiggle that is the face of the firm under chief executive Paul Reynolds.

Critics viewed the squiggle as the folly of spending up large on branding and highlighted similarities to other logos. Some thought it was an asterisk - others a snowflake.

In November Herbison said it meant "whatever customers wanted it to mean", and that simplicity was part of its appeal.

That was before the XT mobile network breakdowns that led to cutbacks at Telecom retail.

Herbison's position in the new Telecom has gone, as has the role of head of mobile. A sign of the upheavals is that the latter position was disestablished even before newly appointed Kieren Cooney got the desk. Cooney will take over some of Herbison's role in his new position as general manager of marketing.

Herbison's future is unclear. Yesterday he said: "Shaping and relaunching the new Telecom brand has certainly been a career highlight for me. We have built a strong brand and marketing team and I feel like I am leaving things in very safe hands."

Also departing Telecom retail amid executive layoffs is Ralph Brayham, who had overseen the online retail website ferrit.co.nz and more recently TiVo.