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30 Times Companies Left Many People Disappointed After Changing Their Logo Design
Times change, opinions evolve (or devolve), and businesses need to adapt. Whether they want it or not, modernity creeps up on everyone—and there are plenty of successful examples of such adaptations. Companies change their policies to fit the times, ensure their values match society's, and in general, receive praise for their efforts to pull their business practices into modernity.
However, in some cases, the desire to renew oneself with the times comes with a few steps backwards. A good example would be a change in a company's logo—those are usually easier to redesign than inner workings or policy, but they also display some movement forward, so plenty of businesses jump at the chance to showcase their newfound modern outlook.
However, sometimes eagerness to appear more in with the times and attempts to modernize the look of well-established brands end up creating something that feels flat and without any of the original flair. In some cases, it can be a change of color scheme, going from a bright and vibrant design to a black-and-white and muted logo that doesn't look anything like its source. And sometimes it's the overall simplification of the logo's design that turns it unrecognizable—older companies tended to have detailed logos, which were great to look at, but with the times and automatization, the logo ends becoming more flat (a good example would be Warner Bros' logo).
While the conversation about logos and their usability is nothing new, a comment from a Twitter user Liz Franczak sparked a now-viral discussion if the simplified logos had gone too far. An in this article, we compiled some of these redesign mishaps. Clearly the companies were aiming for the modern feel, but the end result often left the customers disappointed.
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Warner Bros.
Gmail
Yea, I realized that. It's hard to differentiate the logos now that they all have the minimalist look and the same color scheme.
Burger King
Honestly I like the older Burger King logo, but then again that is just what I'm used to.
Pringles
Nickelodeon
J.m. Smucker
when did this happen? the new one is NOTHING like the old one and it just looks awful
I see that they're trying to modernize it, but the logo on the left says NOTHING about the product. On the left - something to do with strawberries. On the right. .. . interior design company? Also, you can't modernize the word 'Smucker's'. .. you just can't. It's like modernizing the name Ethel. And isn't cottage core a big thing now? You should go HARDER in the homemade looking direction.
Fruit spreads make up less than 5% of the total product sales by Smuckers. So I guess they are trying to move away from their fruit spread roots. I think they could have created a new logo for the whole company, but kept the iconic logo for the jams. Maybe that is what they will do. I haven't been to the grocery in almost a year. So I have no idea what the packaging looks like.
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH WHAT DID THEY DO!?!?!? MY CHILDHOOD! MY LIFE! THIS IS A MONSTROSITY! WHO DID THIS?
yea what's the sudden rush to change imagines everyone grew up with and loved it's like our childhood is being swept from under our feet
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Chill out everyone. This new logo is NOT for the Smucker's brand. It is their company logo - J.M. Smucker Company. They updated the company logo because they own multiple brands in both human food and pet food. You will not see products in stores with this logo. My husband worked for them up until Friday.
I theorize that a lot of these more radical designs come from people who see the old logo all the time and get tired of it. I pay attention to Smucker's once every few months, if that. The logo is still pleasant and informative about what I'm getting. Stare at it for too long and you start to crave something fresh and different. You find yourself in board meetings saying "How can we let people know our brand is more than just jelly?" You debate fonts and colors. I guarantee those shapes were adjusted by the millimeter.
Whoever approved the new logo doesn't know the company slogan.
Wow. That's AMAZINGLY bad. Is that a greenish-yellow strawberry? A purple-blighted leaf? The one on the left says, "home-made-tasting, fruity things", on the right says, "international holding firm."
New logo is more accurate because they dont put much actual fruit in their jam. The picture of the strawberries was misleading.
Who did this to poor Smuckers. The older one looks way better
So UN appetizing! You have to stare at the logo to possibly understand the reference; unlike the instant impression of fresh, down home deliciousness. BAD LOGO . Who approved the change to ambiguous, colored, tissue paper shapes ?
I just looked at a jar I bought yesterday & neither one is on the jar! But, I don't like the new one.
It looked so much better before. Like real jam now it just looks like plastic pieces scattered.
I won't be able to find it in the store. Is it just me or are they dumbing down their logos?
Better then, but the NOW is probably cheaper and why they switched...
At least with the old logo, one knew that the company had something to do with fruit.
Gag ... the new whatever is awful. There is absolutely not discernable impression as to what this is about. Boo!
they changed their logo???????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You know, if it ain’t broke, DON’T fix it! The old logo was perfect as is. The new logo is s**t.
I think they changed it because they own/do a lot more than jelly now.
That's messed up, now it looks like colors only before it looked like actual edible stuff
Awful. And it looks too much like the logo on Stop & Shop brand foods.
Hm. I can see why they'd want a refresh, but they've created a brand identity that looks like every food-related start-up ever. I think they strayed too far from the old-timey, artisanal look of their original logo. I would have kept the serif font, for instance, and maybe stylized the strawberries a bit less.
Petco
Holiday Inn
Didn't this happen a long time ago? I remember back in like 2010 I became familiar with the "now" icon.
General Motors
Staples
Starbucks
Mountain Dew
Wendy's
Pepsi
Best Western
Olive Garden
International House Of Pancakes
Los Angeles Rams
You can argue the new logo is clever if you already know they are the Rams, but no one is going to look at that logo cold and think "Rams". Modern or not, the first one is clearly a ram.
Wawa
Wawa is in Florida now and it is literally THE BEST convenience store/deli.
Taco Bell
Hellofresh
Yves Saint Laurent
Syfy
Blue Point Brewing Company
Procter & Gamble
It was changed because back in the late 70's some sort of group thought the logo was Satanic because of the 13 stars causing decrease revenues. I remember this because as a kid I was so upset; thinking how stupid these people were because I love pretty much anything celestial.
Yahoo!
tbh I don't liek the letters with lines at the edges. Just like google's old logo
Airbnb
Note: this post originally had 43 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
My personal theory is that all those graphic designers went to art school in the 2000s and were taught that "the simpler the better" — which they implemented very carefully, for they hadn't notice that a new generation had arisen in the mean time, a very nostalgic one who loved nothing more than slightly outdated designs and small things that stay the way they always were.
Decisions to change and update are most likely based on brand positioning research conducted among consumers, i.e. what is the essence of our brand and how can that be communicated instantly with a tiny image? I've worked on the inside of that industry and the dive into the minds and emotions of consumers is fascinating and revealing of who we are.
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A lot of these are just "get rid of the classy, elegant serifed font and replace it with a homogenous sans serif font." Which, as a graphic designer, I dislike. Too many of the logos look alike now.
I thought that. The font and colours are pretty much all the same.
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*company needs new logo* Designer: How about bland bold black font on a white background?
Be honest: if you grew up with all the ones on the right, and they were changed to the ones on the left, would you feel the new ones are all better?
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It's odd to call some these 'logos' when they're just text - Balenciaga, Balmain Paris, Burberry. A logo seems to imply some kind of artistic, symbolic element, that would be recognizable even without reading the brand name, like the US Open, the Taco Bell bell, even Black+Decker or a stylized font, Meetup or even Syfy or Yahoo to a degree. But hey ... I'm not in the graphic design game so what do I know.
I've been a graphic designer for almost 20 years now so my perspective may be different. I think many people here prefer the old versions simply for nostalgia. "It was the original / the one from my childhood so it's superior." In my humble opinion many of the originals were dated (or plain bad designs) and the new ones are way better. Serif fonts are not as fashionable now and can be hard to read depending of the style.
New ADA regulations require fonts to be Sans Serifs. Serifs are those little lines at the ends of letter. Serif fonts are typically thinner and harder for the blind to read. Hence the reason many logos are becoming thicker and more blocky. It's so the blind can read easier. All ATMs are already required to be Sans Serif with at least 14pt font. Background must also sharply contrast text coloring.
If you really want to dive deep into website compliance, look up WCAG 2.1 requirements.
Load More Replies... As a visually impaired person I like the move to simpler, cleaner logos. It makes it much easier for me to identify the brand without all the fluff.
I never realized, they actually changed some of the logos, I guess I got super used to it and forgot
These new logos fit on cell phone screens and they look better on apps. They are adapting to the environment but some should have kept the old designs and especially at the restaurant like Wendy's. Jeez my dad drives around and he can't see where Burger King is anymore. Thanks for pulling a fast one on the world and taking our memories away. Companies now care less about the customer and the younger generation is so rude to people and a lot of that has to do with making the world a boring looking place. Why care about a business like Pepsi if they don't bother to spell their name on the can. Best Western signs look so cheap now, they match the new app logo outside on the street. We are going lose our society to bad design.
I found that in at least 50% of the examples, I preferred the original version. San serif wording makes new ones all look too similar. I really miss the Smucker's little strawberries as well.
Not being American I didn't recognise half of them... before or after!
I must say I like the THEN on almost every one, only a couple NOWs
Removed the 3d look. Minimalism. Some are better, some are ... less.
My personal pet peeve is the National Instruments logo, it went from being noticeable and different to being something that anyone could accidentally create.
Some companies have removed their name from the logo using only their symbol leaving people guessing what product they are selling ie Starbucks, Pepsi. Are these products recognized the world over that everyone knows what it is?
Largely. Also if you're anywhere close to purchasing either it's pretty clear what they are.
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I think it also has to do with budget. Less graphic means less money spent on mass products.
I think so too. It must be one of the reason, as well as the "look better on phones" reason.
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I don't like change. In fact, most of the above were much better. Why change? If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
They got to butcher all them logos and then they think it looks good
why are so many comments getting downvoted? if you don’t agree with someone’s opinion then leave it alone or engage in a discussion. and why the heck are nostalgic comments getting downvoted?
I dont know if they mean flat in a bad way or not? I think this is interesting as hell! (might be because I work with design and logos) The trend now is flatter logos with few colors. A logo should be simple, so it's not a bad thing I think. Most of these look more "modern" and better than the old ones in my opinion.
Agree. Spent 20 something years managing brands. It’s a lot more complex than people imagine (corporate guidelines, multi media, global vs local presence, diversity, trademark properties yadda yadda)
Load More Replies... I don’t think these have ‘lost their charm’ at all, merely a reflection of current aesthetic style; clean, simple, unambiguous.
I'm glad some graphic designers managed to rip off some big corporations but I don't pay much attention to logos and they sure don't influence my buying decisions.
No question at all that there is solid consumer research behind all of these examples.
Does changing your logo and/or font really make that much difference in the bottom line? I mean a net difference, after they pay for the changes.
My guy. Enough. The point of this post is to show people the difference between the original and the new one and get peoples opinion on them. Not to show how the new logos, although that is a part of it.
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My personal theory is that all those graphic designers went to art school in the 2000s and were taught that "the simpler the better" — which they implemented very carefully, for they hadn't notice that a new generation had arisen in the mean time, a very nostalgic one who loved nothing more than slightly outdated designs and small things that stay the way they always were.
Decisions to change and update are most likely based on brand positioning research conducted among consumers, i.e. what is the essence of our brand and how can that be communicated instantly with a tiny image? I've worked on the inside of that industry and the dive into the minds and emotions of consumers is fascinating and revealing of who we are.
Load More Replies... A lot of these are just "get rid of the classy, elegant serifed font and replace it with a homogenous sans serif font." Which, as a graphic designer, I dislike. Too many of the logos look alike now.
I thought that. The font and colours are pretty much all the same.
Load More Replies... *company needs new logo* Designer: How about bland bold black font on a white background?
Be honest: if you grew up with all the ones on the right, and they were changed to the ones on the left, would you feel the new ones are all better?
Load More Replies... It's odd to call some these 'logos' when they're just text - Balenciaga, Balmain Paris, Burberry. A logo seems to imply some kind of artistic, symbolic element, that would be recognizable even without reading the brand name, like the US Open, the Taco Bell bell, even Black+Decker or a stylized font, Meetup or even Syfy or Yahoo to a degree. But hey ... I'm not in the graphic design game so what do I know.
I've been a graphic designer for almost 20 years now so my perspective may be different. I think many people here prefer the old versions simply for nostalgia. "It was the original / the one from my childhood so it's superior." In my humble opinion many of the originals were dated (or plain bad designs) and the new ones are way better. Serif fonts are not as fashionable now and can be hard to read depending of the style.
New ADA regulations require fonts to be Sans Serifs. Serifs are those little lines at the ends of letter. Serif fonts are typically thinner and harder for the blind to read. Hence the reason many logos are becoming thicker and more blocky. It's so the blind can read easier. All ATMs are already required to be Sans Serif with at least 14pt font. Background must also sharply contrast text coloring.
If you really want to dive deep into website compliance, look up WCAG 2.1 requirements.
Load More Replies... As a visually impaired person I like the move to simpler, cleaner logos. It makes it much easier for me to identify the brand without all the fluff.
I never realized, they actually changed some of the logos, I guess I got super used to it and forgot
These new logos fit on cell phone screens and they look better on apps. They are adapting to the environment but some should have kept the old designs and especially at the restaurant like Wendy's. Jeez my dad drives around and he can't see where Burger King is anymore. Thanks for pulling a fast one on the world and taking our memories away. Companies now care less about the customer and the younger generation is so rude to people and a lot of that has to do with making the world a boring looking place. Why care about a business like Pepsi if they don't bother to spell their name on the can. Best Western signs look so cheap now, they match the new app logo outside on the street. We are going lose our society to bad design.
I found that in at least 50% of the examples, I preferred the original version. San serif wording makes new ones all look too similar. I really miss the Smucker's little strawberries as well.
Not being American I didn't recognise half of them... before or after!
I must say I like the THEN on almost every one, only a couple NOWs
Removed the 3d look. Minimalism. Some are better, some are ... less.
My personal pet peeve is the National Instruments logo, it went from being noticeable and different to being something that anyone could accidentally create.
Some companies have removed their name from the logo using only their symbol leaving people guessing what product they are selling ie Starbucks, Pepsi. Are these products recognized the world over that everyone knows what it is?
Largely. Also if you're anywhere close to purchasing either it's pretty clear what they are.
Load More Replies... I think it also has to do with budget. Less graphic means less money spent on mass products.
I think so too. It must be one of the reason, as well as the "look better on phones" reason.
Load More Replies... I don't like change. In fact, most of the above were much better. Why change? If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
They got to butcher all them logos and then they think it looks good
why are so many comments getting downvoted? if you don’t agree with someone’s opinion then leave it alone or engage in a discussion. and why the heck are nostalgic comments getting downvoted?
I dont know if they mean flat in a bad way or not? I think this is interesting as hell! (might be because I work with design and logos) The trend now is flatter logos with few colors. A logo should be simple, so it's not a bad thing I think. Most of these look more "modern" and better than the old ones in my opinion.
Agree. Spent 20 something years managing brands. It’s a lot more complex than people imagine (corporate guidelines, multi media, global vs local presence, diversity, trademark properties yadda yadda)
Load More Replies... I don’t think these have ‘lost their charm’ at all, merely a reflection of current aesthetic style; clean, simple, unambiguous.
I'm glad some graphic designers managed to rip off some big corporations but I don't pay much attention to logos and they sure don't influence my buying decisions.
No question at all that there is solid consumer research behind all of these examples.
Does changing your logo and/or font really make that much difference in the bottom line? I mean a net difference, after they pay for the changes.
My guy. Enough. The point of this post is to show people the difference between the original and the new one and get peoples opinion on them. Not to show how the new logos, although that is a part of it.
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