Rebranding is undertaken for many different reasons; when a company is going through a big period of change, is coming out the other side of a scandal, or taking the advice of their marketing agency. Whatever the reasons, it’s a bold move for any team to take on.
Logos are iconic for many reasons, including that they become synonymous with products, feelings and, in some cases, an entire generation. Though a logo only forms a small part of a brand, when changed without warning, or without the right communication strategy, it can dramatically impact the perception of a consumer and, if not well-received, takes a considerable amount of time to get used to.
In this article we take a quick look at 4 iconic logo changes that dared to be different and are still doing the business for their global brands many years after the big switch.
Zara
You may remember this one from 2019. Perhaps only the die-hard Zara fans were as devastated as the designers who took to social media to heavily criticize the new direction.
Traditionally, having letters overlap would be considered a huge design faux pas, but as French agency Baron & Baron have shown us, not playing by the rules makes quite the statement. The agency is the creative brain behind Dior and Maison Margiela – both known as high-end, luxury fashion designers.
Zara is very much becoming the fashion house of the high street, and no matter what your opinion on the logo change, it may just have helped them to solidify this position further.
Another social media rebrand that sent shockwaves through the digital world was the rebirth of Instagram in 2016. Users could not believe their eyes when they opted to replace their retro polaroid camera logo with a flat, neon-colored, gradient icon.
At the time, Instagram faced widespread criticism that it was so simplistic that many from outside of the design world claimed they “could have produced something similar”.
The change was drastic, but absolutely the right move for them at the time. The irony is, after such a critical reception, many other brands have followed suit with stripped back, flatter logos in the last couple of years. Instagram took a risk as a trailblazer, and their gamble certainly paid off.
Mastercard
Something must have been in the air in 2016 was certainly the year of the rebrand, with Mastercard getting its first new logo and branding refresh in 20 years. The design keeps the iconic overlapping circles, but is completely modernized with the removal of the dated stripes.
MasterCard’s team had foreseen the major transition into the digital age and created a new logo that would stand the test of time…That is, until January 2019. Just when the world thought MasterCard couldn’t get any bolder, they went against every branding rule in the book and removed their brand name from the logo, leaving behind only the red and yellow circles.
MasterCard opted for minimal in every sense of the word, and reconfirmed what we already knew – their identity is iconic enough that it needs no introduction.
Premier League
Consumers will always be your biggest critics when you make a big brand move, but having a global fan base of loyal football supporters opens you up to a whole new level of scrutiny. A(nother!) rebrand that took place in 2016 saw DesignStudio responsible for the clean, minimal Premier League logo fans have now become firmly accustomed to.
The initial controversy surrounded a miscommunication whereby it was rumoured that ‘Cecil the Lion’ would be removed in the new logo. The hearsay spiralled without being addressed properly and, when the rebrand did finally launch, there was Cecil front and centre.
Perhaps by keeping the rumours swirling, the agency helped to keep the new rebrand the hot topic of conversation. Free PR aside, if anything drastic is to change within your logo, you could consider a full communications strategy to make sure there are no surprises that could affect your reputation in the long term.
Conversely, if you have total confidence in your new direction (as Instagram did), a sudden launch could be just what you need to raise your profile in the media and cause a stir online. The dust will always eventually settle as today’s big rebrand becomes tomorrow’s chip paper.
Why are rebrands such a big deal?
These rebrands are thriving a few years on. Yet it’s not always the case that bold changes guarantee success.
It’s worth considering that a huge portion of global marketing budgets is spent on brand recognition campaigns. In doing so, brands build a rapport with consumers over the years that forms ongoing loyalty and relationships. If a change happens too suddenly, it can feel as though they haven’t been considered in the process. It can come as a shock and suddenly the brand they’ve known and loved throughout their lives is unrecognizable. Of course, most of the time it’s only a new visual direction, but psychologically consumers may feel uneasy about what to expect in the future.
The decision to rebrand is never taken lightly, particularly for global companies. A new logo requires a new set of brand guidelines, tone of voice guidance, color palettes, fonts and more. Having these assets created is the starting point – the rollout across the globe is where the real work begins. Every piece of internal communication, be it email signatures, letterheads, business cards and more, needs to be overhauled. External marketing, websites, employer brand documents, interiors, signage and every piece of collateral needs to be replaced over a period of time.
On the face of it, it sounds like a costly task many would want to avoid. That’s why it’s essential that companies decide carefully whether rebranding is right for them.
If you’ve decided rebranding is the way to go, then making sure you have the technology to roll it out is essential.
However, maybe your teams haven’t had the tools to make your current brand a success, in which case it’s a great time to review your Digital Asset Management and Content Creation solutions.
Whatever stage you’re at in considering your brand’s next steps, check out the insights from our rebranding experts.
