40 Redesigns That Are So Bad, People Had To Shame Them On This Online Community
Interview With Author
We get used to seeing big-name brands like Pringles or Warner Bros everywhere. Like it or not, we form deep and even emotional ties with their qualities, logos, and characteristics. So when these companies decide to shake things up and change their "face" with a great brand refresh, the public takes notice. And since the stakes are this high, an obvious step in the wrong direction fires up our inner critic and almost begs us to poke fun at the results.
The margin for error is thin when it comes to redesigns, but it’s not only brands that get impacted by the obvious flaws designers didn’t pick up from the start. From products to artwork to our favorite animated shows, some updates simply go awry. In fact, they have even inspired one subreddit to go on a quest to shed light on some of the most unfortunate ones.
Aptly titled 'Crappy Redesign', this online community prides itself on sharing only the cream-of-the-crop examples of terrible changes in our favorite brands — and they mercilessly shame them online. Below, we have gathered some of the best cases from the community to share with you all. So continue scrolling, upvote the ones you loved hating most and let us know what you think of them in the comments!
Psst! If you're in the mood for some more poor design madness, check out our earlier pieces here, here, and here.
This post may include affiliate links.
Ruh-Roh!
Fred and Daphne look like they took too much cocaine and can taste sound.
Load More Replies...
I still have murderous intents for the person who created the new ones.
Why the hell do almost all modern cartoons look like they were drawn by someone who failed art school? Like the same someone for every show, they all share the same bad "style", which appears to be a lame attempt to copy edgier styles from the 90's like Ren & Stimpy or Courage the Cowardly Dog.
This version of Scooby Doo is hideous but is actually one of the funniest I've seen. They really leaned in the comedy aspect
When tf did this happen and please tell me they didn’t actually make it into a show using these characters
I'm sorry to inform you they did. it's called "be cool scooby doo" and yes, that is the actual name.
Load More Replies...
The entertainment industry is doing this to ALL retro cartoons. Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, you name it they are making all old cartoons look like the bottom picture. I don't understand why!!!!!!
Oh my gosh, when the hell did that happen. If I had tuned in and saw this version I would have thought it was a cheap knockoff. Actually it is a cheap knock-off isn't it.
They were all wearing era outfits ... now they are looking stupid not like a teenage group and that eyes are not helping
c'mon, Velma's always been a little on the chunky side! That's what made her awesome!
I think someone took one to many “Scooby Snacks” when designing the updated characters.
According to Scooby’s face the artist forgot his “red rocket”
Just Why ? (Porky Pig)
What The Actual Fawk??
We managed to get in touch with the creator of the 'Crappy Redesign' subreddit, Patrick, who was kind enough to have a little chat about the community, its background, and the common redesign trends that get featured on the group. When asked what inspired the subreddit in the first place, he told us that one post on the multi-million-member strong subreddit named 'Crappy Design' is to blame.
"It all started when I saw a post in 'Crappy Design' about a redesigned Tucan. When I went into the comment section, I saw that a user had commented 'r/CrappyRedesigns', Patrick told Bored Panda. "I could not believe that such a subreddit didn't yet exist, so I created it.” And from the looks of it, he didn’t look back.
"The subreddit, to my huge surprise, blew up immediately and received thousands of members in under a day! I couldn't believe it," the creator added. "Currently, the subreddit has close to 8k members. I never expected it to grow that big!"
Heroes In The Half-Shell To Whatever This Is
Take A Design That You Can Use Correctly Even In The Dark And Replace It With An Abomination That You Can Get Wrong Even In Broad Daylight
Well This Is Lame
Ever since this online community was created over two years ago, it has served as the perfect outlet for design enthusiasts to vent their frustrations. With the tagline "Cal Arts Galore", Patrick and the whole moderator team invites its members to share and poke fun at the unfortunate examples they come across online, as well as participate in meaningful discussions.
"The year is 2050, Cal Arts has taken over all forms of creative expression. Can be referred to oversimplified logos/etc..." writes the moderators in the description. The cases featured on the forum include some of the worst redesigns that range from cartoons to objects to our beloved brands and services. This online community is very open to new members and posts, as long as they follow some basic guidelines.
They Removed The Native American, But Kept The Land. Classic
Developer Downgrade
From artistic and interesting to boring and wouldn't even catch my eye 🙄
What Will Be Next ? It'll Finish The Circle ? Nothing Is Going Right With The New Logo
The number one rule on the subreddit is in the name — the post needs to be an example of a crappy redesign. Although when the brand refresh is very minimal (the moderators provided Google’s redesign as an example), it "doesn't change anything because they're similar to the older design." But if the update is clear and very poorly executed, members need to put the before and after images on both sides in the right order. The last thing to consider before posting is that the redesign must be official and made by the company listed.
A Pointless Redesign
Virgin Cgi Bob vs. Chad Clay-Mation Bob
I reject that, that cannot be meant to be Bob the Builder! It can't be! It looks awful, and nothing like him.
Barbie Redesign
Bored Panda was also curious to learn more about the community and what the past two years have been like for the subreddit. Patrick opened up that a few things have changed since he created the group. "The activity in the subreddit has decreased a lot since then, but we do still receive posts every now and then."
"Volunteers have largely taken over with the moderation, so I don't really take care of it anymore," he continued. "It was pretty stressful to manage such a large group for the first time though." But even in the most challenging times, he’s grateful for the people who joined him on this journey. "I really want to thank all the people who joined the subreddit! You really made this an interesting experience for me."
Look How They Massacred My Boy
Modern ≠ Good
When You Sell Classic Fairytale Every Single Kid In Czech Rep 🇨🇿 Loves To China 🇨🇳 (?), Little Mole And Friends Becomes Little Bad Cgi And Panda???!
The vast majority of the posts that end up shared on the group feature oversimplified logos. When asked about this modern trend in the design world, Patrick said he’s not sure where it came from. "Companies are trying to appear more trendy by redesigning logos, but unfortunately, it quite often results in an oversimplification of the logo," he added.
To the creator, however, 'Crappy Redesign' means more than only oversimplified logos. "Crappy Redesigns can be seen everywhere, whether it is a drop in quality of a product in order to reduce manufacturing costs or another way of making a device less repairable for consumers. I would hope to see different types of Crappy Redesigns in the subreddit in the future. Not just oversimplified logos all the time."
From Restoration To Redesign Real Quick
So Will The Films Get More Simplified?
Look How They Massacred Pringles Logo
As you’re scrolling through this list, you may feel a sense of frustration when seeing these well-known products and brands fail so epically with their redesign. But the truth is that sometimes it’s not only the design flaws that make our blood boil. Turns out, there’s a deeper problem in the way our brains are wired — we humans simply don’t like change.
As growth marketer Kushaan Shah explained in a piece on Medium, two factors contribute to the consumer-fueled backlash when it comes to brand redesigns. The first one is the visual disruption: "How different is the logo from the old logo? Does it pass the internet maturity test?" The second one is identity integration: "How integrated is the brand to our own identity?"
It's Soulless, Fits Cia Perfectly
What Did They Do To Ms.frizzle?
This Is Just Awful
Brands that got a positive first reception to a redesign "capitalize on something we know in psychology as the familiarity heuristic — a well-documented shortcut our brains take that makes us feel calm with the familiar, and apprehensive about novel experiences — regardless of their advantages," Shah said, explaining that brands who opt to visually disrupt usually receive all the outrage.
He Looks Cursed Now
From My Favourite Childhood Anime To Another Bland 3D Animated Show
I'll always prefer the old ones. Bring back so many memories of my childhood.
Thousands Of Cgi Assets Wasted In One Fell Swoop
When it comes to identity integration, Shah mentioned a study conducted by Pennsylvania State University called "The Starbucks effect". After surveying 632 college students and asking them to respond to various redesigns, it was found that consumers who are strongly committed to a brand tend to react more negatively toward new logos, while more casual customers typically view the redesigns as a positive development. "When we see a brand that we’ve built an emotional relationship with modify its logo or design," Shah added, "we panic."
The New Intel Logo Is So Boring
History Logo
Why Change It? The Old One Was Just Fine
Probably to save money. Printing in one colour is a lot cheaper than printing in four colours.
"Redesigns take time, effort, and an investment into an identity and visual cue that will stay with the company for the foreseeable future. They’re rarely done on a whim and rarely done without a conversation that spans many layers of a company."
"What we’ve learned above is that there is at least one easy way to avoid backlash altogether and thrive: Make your logo changes simple. Focus on colors and symbols that your customers recognize. Remove ambiguity," Shah suggested.
Probably One Of The Worst Redesigns In Cartoon History
Formula 1. I Understand Why They Changed It, But Dammit, The Old Logo Was Iconic!
Look How They Massacred The Google Photos Icon
How The Mighty Have Fallen
Fireman Sam. Norman Price Looks Like He Works For A Lipstick Company
This Is By Far The Worst Redesign I’ve Ever Seen
Rip Dash
I Can’t Believe They Just Did That
I Don't Like The New Fanta Redesign
Death Of "Avenger Chuck" Never Forget
Did They Really Have To Add A Bird?
Burger King Was Another Victim Of The 90s Redesigns
Note: this post originally had 42 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
And in 10/15 years, we'll have the exact same list. Except the now new and redesigned logo will be considered better.
Sure, there are lots of ways how to screw things up even more.
Load More Replies...
I have so little emotional investment in corporate logo design that I can't even imagine giving a c**p about any of this. And yet, I scrolled the whole thing. I should probably get to work...
Waste waste waste a buck, mess the logo up. Verily horribly awfully wrong. Let traditions get lost in a snap!
So...things change? And you can't stand it? That's the first sign of becoming old.
Oh my gosh yess! The newest my little pony design is horrifying compared to the original
Load More Replies...
Some of these you can see they made their logos more simple to make it easier and cheaper to reproduce them and print. With the childrens programs it is because tech nerds like me learn how to use 3D modelling programs and it's easier and cheaper to use them to create programs.
When the urge to re-design a logo strike, people should just lie down for a bit until it passes. It's usually a waste of time and money. In the 1970s NBC decided to replaces its iconic peacock logo (created to ballyhoo first color broadcasts), it hired a design firm to come up with a new one. For several million dollars NBC got a bland stylized upper-case letter 'N.' No sooner had the network begun using it than they were informed that a small midwestern public-TV station had been using an almost identical logo for about 20 years, and it had cost nothing--some joe at the station had come up with it on his own. NBC made a deal with the PBS station and restored its peacock--but not without damaging it in another-design effort. Google Images probably has examples of both.
When I saw pringles new logo i was like : EmOTiNaL DAMaGe
Why isn't the GM redesign included? As a Ford guy I love they made such a bad decision
Some of these changed so long ago I don't remember the old ones. Some of these I'm yet to see the new ones anywhere other than in lists like these
This topic really depressed me. It's just a small sample cause something's happening and many companies change their logo to something minimalistic and boring...
As a graphic designer myself, I'm so glad I don't work in this field anymore. The flat (that's what it's called) designs and overly-simplified logos are a sad sign. We are too lazy to put effort into the designs anymore, and we have to keep it simple because every freaking thing has to be politically correct or we might offend someone. Or we might get sued for copyright.
Suave childrens shampoo :( I was so mad when they changed the designs
And in 10/15 years, we'll have the exact same list. Except the now new and redesigned logo will be considered better.
Sure, there are lots of ways how to screw things up even more.
Load More Replies... I have so little emotional investment in corporate logo design that I can't even imagine giving a c**p about any of this. And yet, I scrolled the whole thing. I should probably get to work...
Waste waste waste a buck, mess the logo up. Verily horribly awfully wrong. Let traditions get lost in a snap!
So...things change? And you can't stand it? That's the first sign of becoming old.
Oh my gosh yess! The newest my little pony design is horrifying compared to the original
Load More Replies... Some of these you can see they made their logos more simple to make it easier and cheaper to reproduce them and print. With the childrens programs it is because tech nerds like me learn how to use 3D modelling programs and it's easier and cheaper to use them to create programs.
When the urge to re-design a logo strike, people should just lie down for a bit until it passes. It's usually a waste of time and money. In the 1970s NBC decided to replaces its iconic peacock logo (created to ballyhoo first color broadcasts), it hired a design firm to come up with a new one. For several million dollars NBC got a bland stylized upper-case letter 'N.' No sooner had the network begun using it than they were informed that a small midwestern public-TV station had been using an almost identical logo for about 20 years, and it had cost nothing--some joe at the station had come up with it on his own. NBC made a deal with the PBS station and restored its peacock--but not without damaging it in another-design effort. Google Images probably has examples of both.
When I saw pringles new logo i was like : EmOTiNaL DAMaGe
Why isn't the GM redesign included? As a Ford guy I love they made such a bad decision
Some of these changed so long ago I don't remember the old ones. Some of these I'm yet to see the new ones anywhere other than in lists like these
This topic really depressed me. It's just a small sample cause something's happening and many companies change their logo to something minimalistic and boring...
As a graphic designer myself, I'm so glad I don't work in this field anymore. The flat (that's what it's called) designs and overly-simplified logos are a sad sign. We are too lazy to put effort into the designs anymore, and we have to keep it simple because every freaking thing has to be politically correct or we might offend someone. Or we might get sued for copyright.
Suave childrens shampoo :( I was so mad when they changed the designs
