When Changing a Logo Design Turns Out Unprofitable
Your logo is the public face of your company, it represents your identity. There are times when people feel that their public face needs a change, isn’t that why people get cosmetic surgeries done? But would a person undergo a cosmetic surgery without giving it much thought? No they will carefully plan how to beautify their face so the surgery doesn’t turn into a disaster. Companies should also be as considerate when deciding to change their logo design.
WHY SHOULD COMPANIES THINK THROUGH THE LOGO DESIGN PROCESS?
The same cosmetic surgery example applies here, if I were to get something dramatic done to my face my own family would refuse to recognize me or even accept the change I undergo. Likewise people have a relationship with brands, some brands matter more to them than other brands. When a company decides to change their logo design they should take into consideration the people who have a very strong relationship with that company and any change in their identity would affect them. If you think of it, it’s a simple thing to consider yet many corporate giants somehow neglect or forget their customers during this changing process. Here are some brands who changed their logo design, and the results weren’t really fruitful.
TROPICANA
Tropicana is a Pepsi-Co owned brand. In January 2009 Pepsi decided to change its logo on its packaging to give it a more modern, than a traditional look. The image of the logo was changed from an orange to a glass filled with orange juice. This change was widely criticized as people called it “ugly”, “inappropriate”, etc. Tropicana’s sales dropped by 20 percent. People emailed and called Pepsi-Co until Pepsi-Co decided to go back to its old logo.
GAP
In 2010 Gap changed its logo. They tried to give it a new feel where as people were used to the logo being in all capital letters. This new logo was criticized and this criticism was communicated through Facebook. A week after introducing their new logo Gap abandoned its new logo and went back to its old identity.
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CAPITAL ONE
Capital One is a financial corporation, it re branded itself by adding a swoosh sign, whereas the font was the same as the old logo. The new logo was criticized much since people associate a swoosh sign with Nike, so adding a swoosh sign to a financial intuition identity seemed pointless and meaningless to many.
Instagram changed its logo design from a traditional camera to a more vivid colored logo displaying a camera. The new logo was widely criticized and people posted some shocking negative comments and pictures regarding the new logo. Here is one picture:
Instagram said they changed their logo to signify it to be an app which does more than upload pictures and videos.
UBER
When Uber unveiled its new logo it completely turned people off. The old logo that had a letter “U” in the center was replaced by a circle with a squre in in the middle. Uber said that the new logo represented a bit- which was the core of their business philosophy. This logo looks more like a logo of a computer company or a financial institution, quiet frankly it looks like JP Morgan Chase’s logo.
