Horrible Jaguar Redesign Sheds Light On Other Brand Redesigns – Which Ones Did Great, And Which Ones Flopped

Every few months, the internet picks a new logo to collectively squint at. But Jaguar’s recent redesign didn’t just get a few spicy tweetsit triggered the kind of reaction usually reserved for a season finale where the writers forget the main character exists. People weren’t only asking, “Do I like this?” They were asking, “Wait… is this still a car company?”

And that’s why Jaguar’s makeover is oddly useful. A controversial brand redesign is like a flare gun: bright, loud, and impossible to ignore. It lights up the same questions every rebrand should answerWhat are we changing? Why now? What are we keeping that people already love? And most importantly: will customers still recognize us in the wild, at 70 mph, on a phone screen, or in aisle seven next to the orange juice?

Let’s use Jaguar’s “what on earth is happening?” moment as a lens for other famous brand redesignssome that absolutely nailed it, and some that face-planted so hard they left a logo-shaped imprint on the pavement.

Jaguar’s Redesign: When “Copy Nothing” Looks Like “Copy This From a Fashion Deck”

What Jaguar actually changed (and why people noticed immediately)

Jaguar didn’t do a tiny logo tweak that only designers can detect with a microscope. It went for a full identity pivot: a new stylized wordmark (with quirky capitalization that made a lot of people read it twice), a refreshed cat emblem, and bold graphic elements meant to feel modern, artistic, and a little rebellious. The messaging leaned into slogans like “Copy Nothing,” whichon papersounds like confident brand strategy. In practice, it landed like a dare.

The rollout was also a choice. Instead of leading with metal, horsepower, or even a dramatic shot of a hood ornament catching the sunrise, the early creative leaned heavily into vibe: models, color, art-world energy, and a conspicuous lack of actual cars. If your product is cars, launching a redesign without cars is the branding equivalent of throwing a pizza party with no pizza. People will remember it, but not for the reason you intended.

Why the backlash hit so fast

Jaguar has decades of brand equity tied to a specific feeling: British performance-luxury, sleek lines, “I arrived” energy. When a redesign suddenly shifts the tone from “gran turismo” to “gallery opening,” you create a recognition gap. That gap is where confusion breeds. Confusion turns into jokes. Jokes turn into headlines. Headlines turn into “Is Jaguar okay?” group chats.

The deeper issue wasn’t merely aesthetics. It was context. People can accept a bold visual identity when it’s paired with a clear product narrative. Jaguar is positioning itself for an electric future, and that’s a real strategic reason to modernize. But the early campaign asked the public to buy the story before showing the next chapter.

What Jaguar might be trying to do (and why it’s risky)

Here’s the generous interpretation: Jaguar wants to reboot as a modern luxury EV brand, compete more directly in a high-end space, and be culturally relevant again. That’s not crazy. But the risk is enormous because luxury depends on trust, heritage, and unmistakable cues. You can evolve those cues. You can refine them. You can even reinvent themif you bring people along. If you don’t, your redesign becomes a guessing game, and nobody wants to play “Name That Brand” when they’re about to spend six figures.

The Two Laws of Brand Redesign: Keep the Memory, Change the Meaning

The best brand redesigns understand a simple truth: customers don’t “download” your new identity instantly. They carry a mental shortcut of youcolors, shapes, typography, packaging silhouettes, mascots, jingles, taglines, even the way your app icon looks at 6 a.m. with one eye open.

Great redesigns keep enough of that shortcut to preserve recognition (the memory), while updating what it signals (the meaning). Flops usually do the opposite: they erase the shortcut and then act surprised when people can’t find them on the shelf, can’t recognize them on a screen, or can’t connect the new look to the old promise.

Brand Redesigns That Did Great (and why they worked)

Mastercard: Same circles, better manners

Mastercard’s evolution is a masterclass in “don’t torch your distinctive assets.” The interlocking circles were already doing the hard work of recognition worldwide. So the redesign focused on simplifying form, improving digital legibility, and creating a flexible system that works on tiny screens and payment terminals. Later, Mastercard even dropped the wordmark in some contextsbecause the symbol had earned that privilege. This is the dream: you redesign to improve usability, but your identity remains unmistakably you.

Burger King: A throwback that tastes new

Burger King’s rebrand leaned into nostalgia without getting stuck in it. The updated logo and visual system nodded to older branding but was executed with modern cleanlinessperfect for social media, packaging, and signage. Most importantly, the redesign matched the product story: a renewed focus on “real” ingredients and flame-grilled heritage. When the visuals and the message align, customers don’t feel whiplashthey feel coherence.

Google: Built for every screen (and every future product)

Google’s 2015 identity update wasn’t just a prettier logoit was an ecosystem move. The goal was consistency across devices, products, and contexts, from a massive desktop header to a tiny favicon. By designing a cohesive identity family (and a custom typeface), Google made itself easier to recognize in a world where users bounce between apps, widgets, and voice assistants. Even subtle later tweaks to the “G” icon still fit within a system that’s already familiar.

Airbnb: “Belonging” made visible

Airbnb’s “Bélo” logo launch sparked jokes, parodies, and plenty of “it looks like…” commentarybecause of course it did. But Airbnb had something many redesigns lack: a strong narrative. The brand wasn’t just renting rooms; it was selling a feeling of belonging. The identity system was deployed widely and consistently, and the company didn’t panic at the first wave of memes. That matters. A redesign that aims for emotion has to survive the internet’s sense of humor long enough to become normal.

Slack: Fixing a logo that couldn’t behave

Slack redesigned because its old logo was hard to use consistentlyangles, colors, and layout problems made it awkward across backgrounds and formats. The new logo wasn’t about “being trendy.” It was about being functional and recognizable everywhere Slack appears. Slack also did something smart: it explained the reason for the change in plain language, which reduced the sense that the redesign was change-for-change’s-sake.

Dunkin’: Dropping “Donuts” without dropping the soul

Dunkin’ made a name change that could’ve felt like abandonment. Instead, it felt like clarity. Customers already called it “Dunkin’,” and the business strategy was shifting toward beverages. The redesign kept familiar brand assetscolors, typography vibe, and overall toneso recognition stayed high while the meaning tightened. That’s what a successful corporate rebrand looks like: evolution you can explain in one sentence.

Brand Redesigns That Flopped (or at least got cooked at launch)

Gap (2010): The six-day logo that launched a thousand parodies

Gap’s logo redesign is practically a case study tattooed onto the branding industry’s collective arm. It swapped an iconic mark for something that looked generic, rolled it out abruptly, and then tried to crowdsource alternativestelegraphing uncertainty at the exact moment a brand should be most confident. The speed of the reversal became part of the story. The lesson: if your redesign makes people feel like you forgot who you are, they’ll remind you loudly.

Tropicana (2009): When shoppers couldn’t find their orange juice

Tropicana’s packaging redesign is a classic warning from the grocery aisle. The update removed or diminished key visual cues that helped shoppers locate the product quickly. Consumers complained, and the company reversed course after reports of a significant sales drop. Packaging redesign is not just artit’s navigation. If your new look makes your product harder to find, you’ve redesigned the wrong problem.

Pepsi (2008): A million-dollar manifesto and a shrug emoji

Pepsi’s 2008 logo redesign became famous not only for the change itself, but for the lore around itespecially the widely mocked “strategy” explanations that circulated online. Even if the design was fine, the story around it made it feel self-important. Branding isn’t just what you change; it’s how you justify the change. When the justification becomes a meme, the redesign becomes a punchline. (Pepsi later updated its branding again, proving that even giant brands keep iterating when culture shifts.)

Uber (2016): The “bit” that didn’t click

Uber’s 2016 identity system went abstract, leaning into shapes and a central “bit” concept meant to represent technology meeting the real world. Many users just found it confusing or unattractive, and the app icon didn’t read as “Uber” at a glance. Two years later, Uber moved to a clearer wordmark approach. This is a recurring redesign trap: going so conceptual that your identity stops functioning as a quick label.

Kia (2021): The “KN” problem (a warning label disguised as a logo)

Kia’s new logo looked sleek, modern, and dynamicuntil people started reading it as “KN.” That confusion sparked waves of search queries and jokes. Over time, recognition improved as more cars hit the road and the badge became familiar. Still, the lesson is gold: readability matters. A logo isn’t only a design object; it’s a decoding task people do in motion, at distance, and in imperfect conditions.

So… Is Jaguar Really “Horrible,” or Just Early?

Here’s the fair take: a rebrand can feel “wrong” at first and still succeed long-termespecially if it’s attached to a genuinely new product experience. Jaguar is betting on a future where it’s electric, ultra-luxury, and culturally “now.” Big bets often look weird at launch because they’re not fully visible yet.

But Jaguar’s redesign also triggers a very real alarm: it temporarily weakened instant recognition, and it asked the audience to follow an art direction before revealing the next-generation cars that would justify it. In other words, it led with the movie poster before releasing the trailer. If the upcoming vehicles and customer experience deliver something unmistakably Jaguarupdated, but still Jaguarthe redesign can recover. If not, it risks being remembered as a vibe shift with no vehicle attached.

How to Nail a Brand Redesign Without Setting the Internet on Fire

1) Start with a business problem, not a design mood board

A logo refresh won’t fix a fuzzy brand promise. Define what needs to change: audience, category, pricing power, digital legibility, product mix, or brand perception. “We’re bored” is not a strategy.

2) Audit your distinctive brand assets

List what people recognize instantly: colors, shapes, mascots, packaging structure, typography, tone of voice. Keep at least one or two anchors so customers can still spot you in two seconds.

3) Design for reality: shelves, screens, speed, and search

Your identity has to work on a billboard and a smartwatch. It also has to work in Google Images, in app stores, and in a blurry photo someone took from across a parking lot.

4) Tell a simple story for the change

If your audience can’t summarize why you redesigned in one sentence, you’ve created friction. The story doesn’t need to be poetic. It needs to be clear.

5) Roll out with proof

If you’re repositioning (especially upmarket), launch the redesign alongside product, experience, or service changes that make the new promise believable. Identity without evidence is just decoration.

From the Redesign Trenches: on What It Feels Like When a Brand Changes Its Face

If you’ve never lived through a brand redesign, picture a family reunion where everyone agrees the house needs “a little update,” and then immediately argues about paint for six months. Someone wants modern minimalism. Someone wants heritage. Someone wants to “go bold.” Someone quietly asks if the logo can be “more premium,” which is corporate for “I don’t know what I mean, but I’ll know it when I see it.”

The early stages feel deceptively fun. People brainstorm brand identity like it’s a personality quiz: “If our brand were a celebrity, who would it be?” (It’s always Ryan Reynolds, somehow.) Then reality arrives. Someone asks, “Will this work on packaging?” Someone else asks, “Will this work on the app icon?” And the person in charge of signage reminds everyone that changing one storefront sign costs more than the entire font budget.

The real stress test isn’t the internal approval meetingit’s the day the redesign touches the public internet. That’s when you learn how customers actually recognize you. If you remove the color they associate with you, you’ll see confusion in comments like “Is this a scam?” If you change the product name, you’ll see it in search queries. If you swap your packaging silhouette, you’ll see it in photos of people holding the “new one” next to the “old one” like they’re presenting evidence to a jury.

From an SEO and content perspective, redesigns are also sneaky. A brand refresh often triggers site changes: new navigation, new messaging, new product category pages, new imagery, new tone of voice. Done well, it improves user experience and conversion. Done poorly, it causes organic traffic to wobble because pages move, internal links break, and your brand search results suddenly look inconsistent across platforms.

The smartest teams treat a redesign like a product launch. They map every URL change and maintain redirects. They update title tags and meta descriptions to match the new positioning without nuking relevance. They refresh structured data, business listings, and social profiles so Google and Bing don’t see a brand that looks fragmented. They coordinate PR so the narrative is visible the moment people start asking “Why did they change?” And they keep enough recognizable assets so customers feel a smooth handoff instead of a jump cut.

The weirdest emotional moment comes a few weeks after launch: the redesign starts to look normal. Humans adapt fast. The outrage cools. The memes slow down. And what’s left is the thing that actually determines whether a redesign “worked”: did it make the brand clearer, stronger, easier to recognize, and more desirableand did the business deliver on the promise the new look implied?

Conclusion

Jaguar’s redesign became a lightning rod because it pushed hard on style while temporarily loosening the ties to familiar Jaguar cues. That doesn’t mean the strategy is doomedbut it does mean Jaguar has to back the new identity with unmistakable product and experience, fast.

The broader lesson is simple: successful logo redesign and rebranding strategy isn’t about being “modern.” It’s about being unmistakable. The best redesigns keep the memory (the parts people recognize) and update the meaning (the promise you’re making next). The flops usually erase recognition and hope explanation will fill the gap. It won’t. Customers don’t read brand guidelines. They recognize brands in a blinkor they don’t.