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I am trying to to think of a single rebrand / new logo / new icon that I actually liked at the time—that didn't seem to signal a degradation in the integrity, q

I am trying to to think of a single rebrand / new logo / new icon that I actually liked at the time—that didn't seem to signal a degradation in the integrity, quality or trustworthiness of the entity represented. (There are some cases where the new brand has grown on me, to the point that I have come to prefer it to the old one. The most recent examples I can think of are the 1999 rebrand of Northern Electric as Nortel Networks—I do still love that globemark!—and the 2015 sans-serif Google logo which has become so ubiquitous as to make the previous serif version look weirdly quaint. But I liked neither of those at the time they were unveiled.) Am I just a stick in the mud? Can you point out some rebrands that have been so wildly popular that I might begrudgingly admit that I actually liked them?

taeric 4y ago
I'm trying to think of a rebrand that I truly hated and that led to actual decline in something. I... can't. There are plenty that I confess I don't like. But I would be struggling to put any actual significance to a label. The new street fighter one, as an example. I agree that it feels off that they are ditching the styling that they have used for literal decades. That said, I fail to see how that is at all important to the success/failure of the game they are building. The MIT Press had an amusing amount of thought that went into their logo. But... I would wager the vast majority of folks just don't see it. Reminds me of that parody pepsi logo document. (At least, I think it was a parody?)
- Null-Set 4y ago
  As far as I know it was real, but Lemon Demon's take on it is some classic parody. https://youtu.be/fu3ETgAvQrw https://youtu.be/fu3ETgAvQrw
- cpcallen 4y ago
  > I'm trying to think of a rebrand that I truly hated and that led to actual decline in something. I'm not claiming that a bad rebrand spells doom for the entity (though I guess there are probably examples of that)—only that I can think of few rebrands where the new brand _made me more positively disposed towards the entity in question_. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one; consider this list of brand U-turns: https://www.yourprojector.com/rebranding-u-turns/ https://www.yourprojector.com/rebranding-u-turns/ The last one is particularly hilarious, because I attended the University of Waterloo in the late 1990s when they rebranded from a crest even older than the one shown as "original". In fact, that older crest looked just like the "final" crest. I'm glad they've finally brought it back; pity it took more than a decade to rectify the error. > Reminds me of that parody pepsi logo document. (At least, I think it was a parody?) No, I'm pretty sure that was actually real. At least if it was a parody, even CBS fell for it: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pepsis-nonsensical-logo-redesign-document-1-million-for-this/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pepsis-nonsensical-logo-redesig...
  - taeric 4y ago
    Coca Cola is the classic example for this sort of thing. However, I feel that something is off on that story. For one, the brand has moved on from the "classic" with basically no fanfare. Similarly, they have marched on from the recipe, again with no fanfare. I remember a case study once that showed that they actually did taste test the changes and that, at large, the change was the one that was liked by more people. However, the narrative got out of their control and the perception was that the old way was better. So, they cashed in on that and basically used the event as a way to re-establish their brand. Very odd story. Would be interesting to see what the others are like. The GAP is an odd one, to me. As they, notably, don't have branding on their clothes. At least, not universally? (Do I just not see it on the ones I'm checking?)
    - cpcallen 4y ago
      I own quite a lot of GAP clothing—mostly trousers bought second-hand on eBay since they stopped carrying the design I liked—and none of what I have had has ever had a logo other than on the label.
bombcar 4y ago
The original "Federal Express" logo wasn't bad, but FEDEX rocks it hard. Some of the old LEGO logos aren't great (this may partially be from years of consistency, however). But most of the "best rebrand" articles you find on google are just "logo in one font became similar logo in slightly different font".
- Eleison23 4y ago
  My favorite part of the FedEx logo is the arrow.
- cpcallen 4y ago
  > The original "Federal Express" logo wasn't bad, but FEDEX rocks it hard. I will give you this one, but… > Some of the old LEGO logos aren't great… True, but in the context of my original question, I don't think it's reasonable for me to have an opinion about rebrands that occurred before I became aware of the brand, and LEGO has been using the same logo since I got set 20 in 1977. I _do_ vaguely recall the old Federal Express slanty logo, but I must admit I don't remember the rebrand _as such_, so I'm not sure how much I can count this one. But yes: a good example of a definite win as far as rebrands go.
  - bombcar 4y ago
    I suspect that some sports teams have "rebranded successfully", especially given how silly some of the 80s baseball uniforms look now.
nkrisc 4y ago
I actually liked the Windows rebrand with Windows 8. It’s simpler, cleaner, still recognizable, works as mono or dual tone, and actually looks like the namesake of the product. Most previous versions were complicated messes. Windows 7 was I think the best version of the four color version.
- 331c8c71 4y ago
  The transition from Windows 3.11 to Windows 95 is the greatest leap in the Windows product line for me (including design). I remember seeing the '95 start-up screen and its new UI for the first time - I was quite amazed by how much better it looked (I was at an impressionable age back then).
  - nkrisc 4y ago
    Agreed, but I’m just talking about the logo. The Windows 95 logo was pretty bad as far as logos are concerned.
  - ziml77 4y ago
    The Windows 95 logo always felt unsettling to me. At least part of it is because the main part of the logo curves downwards in a sad/frowning sort of way. The Windows XP logo was a massive improvement.
js2 4y ago
Apple losing the rainbow from its logo? https://imgur.com/DvKPvYz https://imgur.com/DvKPvYz
- 323 4y ago
  - DoctorOW 4y ago
    Generally, no. There is a lot of backlash "around pride merchandise created and sold by companies that do nothing for queer people." [1] [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkwashing_(LGBT)#Corporate_marketing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkwashing_(LGBT)#Corporate_m...
  - js2 4y ago
    Please abide HN guidelines when commenting here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- cpcallen 4y ago
  This is the ultimate example of a _terrible_ rebrand, in my opinion. I _loved_ the colourful logo, and I think that getting rid of it was the ultimate travesty. (At least the flat black Apple is better than those terrible shiny ones, though.) I do wonder if I'd have liked it if I'd previously been familiar with the original woodcut logo, though.
  - js2 4y ago
    Interesting. The rainbow logo (which I grew up with - I had (still have!) an Apple ][) has way too much of an Atari 2600 breakout vibe to me today. I find it looks really dated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakout_(video_game)#/media/File:Breakout2600.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakout_(video_game)#/media/F...
an1sotropy 4y ago
(I don't know about wildly popular, but) I remember linking the older UPS logo (with the string-tied box on top, designed by Paul Rand, who also made the IBM and NeXT logos, and lots more), and thought the new logo was sort of dumb, but now I appreciate its simplicity. https://blog.logomyway.com/ups-logo-history/ https://blog.logomyway.com/ups-logo-history/ (interesting to me: the 1937 logo used a san-serif font)
323 4y ago
The Amazon "smile" logo is pretty good.
- cpcallen 4y ago
  This is _definitely_ a _brilliant_ rebrand, at least in hindsight: I'm not sure I loved it at the time, and seem to recall finding the asymmetry and curviness of the arrowhead slightly disturbing.
bearmode 4y ago
>Am I just a stick in the mud? Yes. But it's normal. People who weren't involved in the project, or don't know design, very commonly have strong negative reactions to a company they know rebranding. I don't know why. Come next year you'll have either completely forgotten about this, or have no opinion at all.
- cpcallen 4y ago
  > Come next year you'll have either completely forgotten about this, or have no opinion at all. I doubt it. There are still so many rebrands / logo changes that I get angry thinking about. Off the top of my head (in addition to the ones mentioned in my replies to other comments in this thread): - Meta. It just confirmed what I already knew but had been desperately denying: Facebook is dead. - The new, nearly indistinguishable multi-coloured Google Apps icons. (Were _no_ UX researchers involved in this decision?) - Apple imposing the squirkle on macOS icons. (My laptop is not a tablet!) - Google imposing the white circle on Android app icons. (Phone icons were already small enough before they were shrunk so as to fit into the stupid circles!) - The new Slack logo. - Instagram ditching their original camera logo/icon for that god-awful squirkly gradient monstrosity. (The day I saw that was the day I knew I would _never_ install their app on my phone.) - American Airlines dropping their previous Vignelli-designed logo (and Helvetica). - The London 2012 Olympics logo (the pink monstrosity described as "Lisa Simpson giving Bart a blow job") that replacing the London 2012 bid logo (with ribbons in the Olympics colours forming the shape of the river Thames). That goes back at least 15 years. I have a long memory and hold grudges, at least when it comes to awful rebrandings.
Nathanael_M 4y ago
Ooh, I'll give it a shot! Burger King: https://jkrglobal.com/case-studies/burger-king/ https://jkrglobal.com/case-studies/burger-king/ Simple, but fun. Retro, instead of over modern. Better than the logo is all the supporting fonts and imagery. Super aesthetic. InstaCart: https://www.wolffolins.com/case-study/instacart https://www.wolffolins.com/case-study/instacart Pretty recent, tech company, not a beloved brand at the time of rebrand, but wow it's a great rebrand. Way more character, way more fun. Leibniz: https://auge-design.com/work/leibniz-design-relaunch/ https://auge-design.com/work/leibniz-design-relaunch/ Subtle changes, embraces the character, modernizes the packaging, makes a consistent design system. Maybe not what you're looking for, but still a cool example of new design done well and embraced. New York State Parks: https://id29.com/our-work/new-york-state-parks https://id29.com/our-work/new-york-state-parks Clean and happy. CNET: https://www.wearecollins.com/work/cnet/ https://www.wearecollins.com/work/cnet/ Big name, awesome rebrand. Tons of character, no one misses the old logo or vibe. Midi: https://www.pentagram.com/work/midi/story https://www.pentagram.com/work/midi/story Really interesting supporting logos and graphics. Maybe a little too heavily minimalist, but man that's a cool idea to have a dynamic icon for your logo! Mojang: https://www.boldscandinavia.com/work/mojang-studios/ https://www.boldscandinavia.com/work/mojang-studios/ Tons of fun, reflective of blocks and pixels. DK: https://www.pentagram.com/work/dk https://www.pentagram.com/work/dk Good example of modernization without losing character. These are some bigger names, but honestly the really interesting stuff is inside smaller companies who don't have to worry so much about legacy. There's some beautiful, character filled work out there.
- cpcallen 4y ago
  > Burger King I like this one. Not spotted the new logo in the UK yet, but it would definitely make me less determined to avoid the company's restaurants. > InstaCart I'm not really familiar with this company so I don't really have any feelings about the rebrand per se. I do like the new logo, which is clever—but after looking up what it used to look like I can say I prefer the aesthetics of the original. > Leibniz Again a brand I'm not familiar with. Fair point about the consistent design system, but again I prefer the original logo. > New York State Parks. Again not one I'm familiar with, but here I can say I LOVE the new logo: who can not love it when an organisation makes it so obvious they wish they were Canadian? > CNET This one I definitely was familiar with. Hadn't seen the new branding. My reaction is "looks weird; those letters make me feel uncomfortable". > Midi WTF. The new logo is cool in and of itself, but this rebranding makes me actively angry: - The MIDI logo has been used as a symbol to identify connectors for decades. Changing it will cause unnecessary confusion. - The important feature of MIDI is that it is _digital_, but the new logo is all about _analog_ waveforms. - It's also stupidly confusing. Literally the first thought that passed through my mind when I saw the new logo is "did the MIDI organisation get bought by Meta??" > Mojang I'll give you this one. The new logo is pretty bad, but the original was _awful_. > DK I am literally* crying. (* not literally). > These are some bigger names, but honestly the really interesting stuff is inside smaller companies who don't have to worry so much about legacy. I think this raises an important point. Smaller companies without much history do not destroy much when they throw their old branding away. Bigger, older companies do.

taeric 4y ago

I'm trying to think of a rebrand that I truly hated and that led to actual decline in something. I... can't. There are plenty that I confess I don't like. But I would be struggling to put any actual significance to a label. The new street fighter one, as an example. I agree that it feels off that they are ditching the styling that they have used for literal decades. That said, I fail to see how that is at all important to the success/failure of the game they are building. The MIT Press had an amusing amount of thought that went into their logo. But... I would wager the vast majority of folks just don't see it. Reminds me of that parody pepsi logo document. (At least, I think it was a parody?)

Null-Set 4y ago
As far as I know it was real, but Lemon Demon's take on it is some classic parody. https://youtu.be/fu3ETgAvQrw https://youtu.be/fu3ETgAvQrw
cpcallen 4y ago
> I'm trying to think of a rebrand that I truly hated and that led to actual decline in something. I'm not claiming that a bad rebrand spells doom for the entity (though I guess there are probably examples of that)—only that I can think of few rebrands where the new brand _made me more positively disposed towards the entity in question_. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one; consider this list of brand U-turns: https://www.yourprojector.com/rebranding-u-turns/ https://www.yourprojector.com/rebranding-u-turns/ The last one is particularly hilarious, because I attended the University of Waterloo in the late 1990s when they rebranded from a crest even older than the one shown as "original". In fact, that older crest looked just like the "final" crest. I'm glad they've finally brought it back; pity it took more than a decade to rectify the error. > Reminds me of that parody pepsi logo document. (At least, I think it was a parody?) No, I'm pretty sure that was actually real. At least if it was a parody, even CBS fell for it: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pepsis-nonsensical-logo-redesign-document-1-million-for-this/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pepsis-nonsensical-logo-redesig...
- taeric 4y ago
  Coca Cola is the classic example for this sort of thing. However, I feel that something is off on that story. For one, the brand has moved on from the "classic" with basically no fanfare. Similarly, they have marched on from the recipe, again with no fanfare. I remember a case study once that showed that they actually did taste test the changes and that, at large, the change was the one that was liked by more people. However, the narrative got out of their control and the perception was that the old way was better. So, they cashed in on that and basically used the event as a way to re-establish their brand. Very odd story. Would be interesting to see what the others are like. The GAP is an odd one, to me. As they, notably, don't have branding on their clothes. At least, not universally? (Do I just not see it on the ones I'm checking?)
  - cpcallen 4y ago
    I own quite a lot of GAP clothing—mostly trousers bought second-hand on eBay since they stopped carrying the design I liked—and none of what I have had has ever had a logo other than on the label.

bombcar 4y ago

The original "Federal Express" logo wasn't bad, but FEDEX rocks it hard. Some of the old LEGO logos aren't great (this may partially be from years of consistency, however). But most of the "best rebrand" articles you find on google are just "logo in one font became similar logo in slightly different font".

Eleison23 4y ago
My favorite part of the FedEx logo is the arrow.
cpcallen 4y ago
> The original "Federal Express" logo wasn't bad, but FEDEX rocks it hard. I will give you this one, but… > Some of the old LEGO logos aren't great… True, but in the context of my original question, I don't think it's reasonable for me to have an opinion about rebrands that occurred before I became aware of the brand, and LEGO has been using the same logo since I got set 20 in 1977. I _do_ vaguely recall the old Federal Express slanty logo, but I must admit I don't remember the rebrand _as such_, so I'm not sure how much I can count this one. But yes: a good example of a definite win as far as rebrands go.
- bombcar 4y ago
  I suspect that some sports teams have "rebranded successfully", especially given how silly some of the 80s baseball uniforms look now.

nkrisc 4y ago

I actually liked the Windows rebrand with Windows 8. It’s simpler, cleaner, still recognizable, works as mono or dual tone, and actually looks like the namesake of the product. Most previous versions were complicated messes. Windows 7 was I think the best version of the four color version.

331c8c71 4y ago
The transition from Windows 3.11 to Windows 95 is the greatest leap in the Windows product line for me (including design). I remember seeing the '95 start-up screen and its new UI for the first time - I was quite amazed by how much better it looked (I was at an impressionable age back then).
- nkrisc 4y ago
  Agreed, but I’m just talking about the logo. The Windows 95 logo was pretty bad as far as logos are concerned.
- ziml77 4y ago
  The Windows 95 logo always felt unsettling to me. At least part of it is because the main part of the logo curves downwards in a sad/frowning sort of way. The Windows XP logo was a massive improvement.

js2 4y ago

Apple losing the rainbow from its logo? https://imgur.com/DvKPvYz https://imgur.com/DvKPvYz

323 4y ago
- DoctorOW 4y ago
  Generally, no. There is a lot of backlash "around pride merchandise created and sold by companies that do nothing for queer people." [1] [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkwashing_(LGBT)#Corporate_marketing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkwashing_(LGBT)#Corporate_m...
- js2 4y ago
  Please abide HN guidelines when commenting here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
cpcallen 4y ago
This is the ultimate example of a _terrible_ rebrand, in my opinion. I _loved_ the colourful logo, and I think that getting rid of it was the ultimate travesty. (At least the flat black Apple is better than those terrible shiny ones, though.) I do wonder if I'd have liked it if I'd previously been familiar with the original woodcut logo, though.
- js2 4y ago
  Interesting. The rainbow logo (which I grew up with - I had (still have!) an Apple ][) has way too much of an Atari 2600 breakout vibe to me today. I find it looks really dated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakout_(video_game)#/media/File:Breakout2600.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakout_(video_game)#/media/F...

an1sotropy 4y ago

(I don't know about wildly popular, but) I remember linking the older UPS logo (with the string-tied box on top, designed by Paul Rand, who also made the IBM and NeXT logos, and lots more), and thought the new logo was sort of dumb, but now I appreciate its simplicity. https://blog.logomyway.com/ups-logo-history/ https://blog.logomyway.com/ups-logo-history/ (interesting to me: the 1937 logo used a san-serif font)

323 4y ago

The Amazon "smile" logo is pretty good.

cpcallen 4y ago
This is _definitely_ a _brilliant_ rebrand, at least in hindsight: I'm not sure I loved it at the time, and seem to recall finding the asymmetry and curviness of the arrowhead slightly disturbing.

bearmode 4y ago

>Am I just a stick in the mud? Yes. But it's normal. People who weren't involved in the project, or don't know design, very commonly have strong negative reactions to a company they know rebranding. I don't know why. Come next year you'll have either completely forgotten about this, or have no opinion at all.

cpcallen 4y ago
> Come next year you'll have either completely forgotten about this, or have no opinion at all. I doubt it. There are still so many rebrands / logo changes that I get angry thinking about. Off the top of my head (in addition to the ones mentioned in my replies to other comments in this thread): - Meta. It just confirmed what I already knew but had been desperately denying: Facebook is dead. - The new, nearly indistinguishable multi-coloured Google Apps icons. (Were _no_ UX researchers involved in this decision?) - Apple imposing the squirkle on macOS icons. (My laptop is not a tablet!) - Google imposing the white circle on Android app icons. (Phone icons were already small enough before they were shrunk so as to fit into the stupid circles!) - The new Slack logo. - Instagram ditching their original camera logo/icon for that god-awful squirkly gradient monstrosity. (The day I saw that was the day I knew I would _never_ install their app on my phone.) - American Airlines dropping their previous Vignelli-designed logo (and Helvetica). - The London 2012 Olympics logo (the pink monstrosity described as "Lisa Simpson giving Bart a blow job") that replacing the London 2012 bid logo (with ribbons in the Olympics colours forming the shape of the river Thames). That goes back at least 15 years. I have a long memory and hold grudges, at least when it comes to awful rebrandings.

Nathanael_M 4y ago

Ooh, I'll give it a shot! Burger King: https://jkrglobal.com/case-studies/burger-king/ https://jkrglobal.com/case-studies/burger-king/ Simple, but fun. Retro, instead of over modern. Better than the logo is all the supporting fonts and imagery. Super aesthetic. InstaCart: https://www.wolffolins.com/case-study/instacart https://www.wolffolins.com/case-study/instacart Pretty recent, tech company, not a beloved brand at the time of rebrand, but wow it's a great rebrand. Way more character, way more fun. Leibniz: https://auge-design.com/work/leibniz-design-relaunch/ https://auge-design.com/work/leibniz-design-relaunch/ Subtle changes, embraces the character, modernizes the packaging, makes a consistent design system. Maybe not what you're looking for, but still a cool example of new design done well and embraced. New York State Parks: https://id29.com/our-work/new-york-state-parks https://id29.com/our-work/new-york-state-parks Clean and happy. CNET: https://www.wearecollins.com/work/cnet/ https://www.wearecollins.com/work/cnet/ Big name, awesome rebrand. Tons of character, no one misses the old logo or vibe. Midi: https://www.pentagram.com/work/midi/story https://www.pentagram.com/work/midi/story Really interesting supporting logos and graphics. Maybe a little too heavily minimalist, but man that's a cool idea to have a dynamic icon for your logo! Mojang: https://www.boldscandinavia.com/work/mojang-studios/ https://www.boldscandinavia.com/work/mojang-studios/ Tons of fun, reflective of blocks and pixels. DK: https://www.pentagram.com/work/dk https://www.pentagram.com/work/dk Good example of modernization without losing character. These are some bigger names, but honestly the really interesting stuff is inside smaller companies who don't have to worry so much about legacy. There's some beautiful, character filled work out there.

cpcallen 4y ago
> Burger King I like this one. Not spotted the new logo in the UK yet, but it would definitely make me less determined to avoid the company's restaurants. > InstaCart I'm not really familiar with this company so I don't really have any feelings about the rebrand per se. I do like the new logo, which is clever—but after looking up what it used to look like I can say I prefer the aesthetics of the original. > Leibniz Again a brand I'm not familiar with. Fair point about the consistent design system, but again I prefer the original logo. > New York State Parks. Again not one I'm familiar with, but here I can say I LOVE the new logo: who can not love it when an organisation makes it so obvious they wish they were Canadian? > CNET This one I definitely was familiar with. Hadn't seen the new branding. My reaction is "looks weird; those letters make me feel uncomfortable". > Midi WTF. The new logo is cool in and of itself, but this rebranding makes me actively angry: - The MIDI logo has been used as a symbol to identify connectors for decades. Changing it will cause unnecessary confusion. - The important feature of MIDI is that it is _digital_, but the new logo is all about _analog_ waveforms. - It's also stupidly confusing. Literally the first thought that passed through my mind when I saw the new logo is "did the MIDI organisation get bought by Meta??" > Mojang I'll give you this one. The new logo is pretty bad, but the original was _awful_. > DK I am literally* crying. (* not literally). > These are some bigger names, but honestly the really interesting stuff is inside smaller companies who don't have to worry so much about legacy. I think this raises an important point. Smaller companies without much history do not destroy much when they throw their old branding away. Bigger, older companies do.