The redesign is an inevitable process for any company, regardless of its scale. In fact, no one in this world can create absolutely timeless corporate identity. Even the strongest brands redesign themselves from time to time to remain relevancy and be in demand. As a business founder, you have to strive to create timeless corporate identity although sooner or later, it will lose its power.
As an employee of DesignContest, I constantly meet with entrepreneurs and business owners. All of them do care about logo design, but only a few know (in more or less degree) the kind of a logo they need.
In the paper, I’m going to consider the way famous world brands redesigned their logos. I hope my thoughts and remarks will help you to better understand the factors to rely on when implementing a redesign.
Running beforehand, I would admit simplification as the main redesign trend. It’s necessary to correctly display the logos on mobile devices, as well as to change the positioning of a brand in order not to look awkward: enjoy the funniest logos by clicking on this url. The companies think far from just about their logos – they try to build perfect UX and the most convenient system for interaction with a user.
Josh Higgins, a creative director of the social network, stated that the new logo is adapted to mobile devices. Every day, Facebook is visited by more than 900 million people, so this restyling is quite natural.
Oculus
The company has become a part of Facebook and totally changed the logo. The new one, in fact, reflects the essence of the product: two lenses in Oculus Rift creates an oval. According to designers, it’s a symbol of future, in which an Oculus Rift user is transferred.
MINI
An automobile company has changed the appearance of its logo by making it extremely minimalist. The new logo is designed in Flat style. However, it remained all key elements. According to the Berlin KKLD Agency, the new logo is fully consistent with the company's philosophy.
In fact, it’s the same six letters in old color, but in a different graphic style. This was the first change in the style of the logo since 2014 and the first radical one since 1999.
The company’s desire to change the logo was announced after the appearance of news about the establishment of the Alphabet holding: the "G" letter was shown in an unusual style, without sans serif at the edges. It became clear that the logo would be updated from day to day.
The changes did not take long. On the first day of autumn, the company introduced a modified logo: the letters become without serifs and the font got changed.
The innovation may seem insignificant, but, in fact, the logo has been updated considerably. The company's official comment says that it is not just about changing the style but the question of new positioning: Google has positioned itself not only as the leading search engine but as a huge platform, consisting of a variety of websites and services. People are using Google products from different platforms, applications, and devices. Presented logo was a symbol of a new reality.
Google’s old logo was perfect for use in a browser on a PC, but the company is no more just a search engine issuing links. Google’s services are presented on a variety of device, from cars and watches to tablets and smartphones. Therefore, the logo was updated to look equally good/clear/concise everywhere.
New Google’s identity not only goes towards topical aesthetic and technical requirements but also testifies the growing ambitions of the corporation. From a functional point of view, the new logo is fully consistent with the latest trends. It’s scalable and looks amazing on the smallest screens of smartphones and smart watches. For very extreme cases, a colorful title "G" letter appears.
For now, there are a few abridged versions of the company’s logo:
- A lowercase "g" was replaced by "G" painted in traditional colors (blue, red, yellow, and green).
- These four points are represented by the same color as the microphone appears when using Google voice
Lenovo
The logo was changed in July 2015 by Saatchi & Saatchi New York agency. It is now written in white letters of a new font. This was made to make possible using the background of any color. At the moment, it’s red. I guess red color was chosen due to its property to attract attention: red is the strongest color in the palette.By the way, you must study color psychology before starting redesign.
Logitech
Logitech is a world-known manufacturer of devices for PCs and game consoles. The new simplified logo indicates a desire to match the spirit of the time.
As in previous cases, an updated version looks equally good on both the company’s products and the network.
Bio: Brian Jens represents DesignContest – a crowdsourcing platform that rocks the industry. Apart from being a designer, Brian loves to research the most interesting topics of the design niche. He’ll gladly consider each and every your idea, so feel free to send suggestions.
