My 10 Favorite Rebrands of the Decade
At the end of the year, and the end of a decade (depending on whether or not there was a year zero), we can all expect to see “Best of” lists.
As a designer, I am fascinating by logos and branding. When done well, they are marks that blend the experiential and emotional with business and strategy. Creating an effective and attractive brand can be difficult, but taking an existing brand and evolving it is even more challenging. Designers must take what is loved and evocative from the old mark and enhance it in a way that makes a statement for the company. For designers, it’s daunting and often very contentious.
Plenty of lists highlight failed rebrand attempts. I’d rather focus on the positives, like my favorite corporate rebrand, Jack in the Box (2009) by Duffy.
It took key elements from the original design and enhanced them. The mark was feeling stale in the market and the lettering was challenging in places, but it was playful and iconic. The new mark maintained what was familiar, but added depth and character.
Here are the rebrands from the last decade that I think best represent those same characteristics.
10. Houston Ballet
Pentagram (2015)
The Houston Ballet was founded in 1955, so this was an example of a logo that had been in use long enough that those involved would have an emotional connection to the brand. However, it’s hard to argue when an objectively better design is proposed. The team at Pentagram succeeded in making something recognizable that tells the public a story with a minimal design. The movement and detail formed by the shapes works perfectly.
9. Aer Lingus
Lippincott (2019)
While the changes to the mark itself are minimal, this design really shines with the complete brand overhaul. Ireland’s Aer Lingus had long flown green planes with a shamrock on the tail, and that made sense. However, this was a clear example where the company felt old due in large part to the under-designed brand that was aging. That’s typically not something one wants to associate with air travel.
8. US Soccer
Nike & Type Supply (2016)
The US Soccer crest had always struck me as very disjointed and very 90s. Maybe that’s the same thing? The soccer ball always felt overwhelmingly generic. The stars were distracting clutter and a strange choice considering nations that have won the World Cup place stars on the jersey above the crest for each championship. The new badge harkens back to the oldest versions on jerseys from the early 1900s. It’s simple and excellent.
7. HP
Moving Brands (2011)
If only HP had adopted this for the primary corporate branding. Sadly, it’s only been used for their premium laptops. While it works for a higher end sub-brand, the idea of HP breathing new life into the brand is needed, and this design would have been a great way to launch a new era for the company.
6. Juventus
Interbrand (2017)
While I am generally in favor of maintaining the history of a long-standing brand, this was a bold departure that strengthens Juventus’ status in a global market. The old crest had already departed from the earliest iterations and was just an egg stuffed with a few too many elements. The sleek “J'“ maintains the well-known Juventus stripes in a less literal way and creatively maintains the common crest used by so many soccer clubs.
5. Google Ventures
Internal (2015)
The old logo was the Google logo with “ventures” stuck on and had an interesting mark with the Google colors. The new brand was a departure from the Google logos to that point, but was strategic both for Google Ventures and the multitude of Google brands as a whole with the development of the Material Design system. The strong use of negative space is captivating and the minimal design works well when highlighting the portfolio companies.
4. Sydney Opera House
Interbrand (2016)
This one’s a bit different in that the overall brand was unchanged, but this new element was incorporated for certain use cases. My background in architectural design means that I can’t leave it off my list. It’s just too interesting. Interbrand deeply integrated the forms of Jorn Utzon’s masterpiece into a stunning type that makes any materials produced by the Opera House instantly recognizable. It’s absolutely beautiful.
3. American Airlines
FutureBrand (2013)
This one must have been daunting! American Airlines was iconic modern branding, but with the upheaval and mergers in the airline industry, updating the brand made strategic sense. The rebrand is elegant, evocative, and subtle. It’s conveys America without being too literal and the movement created is very effective and relevant. An added bonus is that even without the wordmark, it’s clearly an airline.
2. Guinness
Design Bridge (2016)
What I find most interesting with this one, is that it goes in the opposite direction from many of the other successful rebrands. While a majority of companies are simplifying and removing clutter, the Guinness brand moved away from the flat design and embraced the centuries of history behind arguably the most recognizable beer in the world. The craft and care shown in Design Bridge’s process is fantastic.
1. Premier League
DesignStudio & Robin Brand Consultants (2016)
I really like this on so many levels. The old logo was fine. Very British with its Union Jack colors and its regal lion pawing a jarring red ball. But the new logo is so simple it creates an entire style. First, the colors!
No more boring blue and red. Now it’s an entirely new palette not found on any flag. The design is taking the league beyond the borders of England and embracing its status as a truly global brand. And the use of the mane as a stylistic element from everything from websites to television broadcasts to video games is so recognizable and effective. The complete brand design allows all aspects of the experience to be coherent and unique.
Sure, there were some themes in my Top 10. Three soccer brands, two airlines, and two Irish companies are the most obvious. But these are rebrands from companies that I experience regularly, and I think the respectful creativity that was brought to these projects have led to me liking the brands even more. (The exception here is the Houston ballet, as I have never been. I just liked the dynamic yet simple design when I saw it.)
When a rebrand is done well, the results are extremely satisfying to not only the designers, but to the customers, advocates, and fans for whom the design is created.