Subtle Changes: Why Are Logos Redesigned?

Contents:

• "Gazeta.Ru"
• BBC
• Canon
• Opel
• Visa
• Alfa-Bank

At first glance, this logo may appear modern, but upon closer inspection, many differences are noticeable. Over the course of a century and a half, its lettering has undergone significant changes. For example, in 1896, the hyphen was removed and the article was added. The proportions of the letters have also changed: they have become slightly wider. In the letter N, some decorative elements were removed, and the connecting stroke was made straight, unlike the previous curved version. In addition, a small arrow pointing upwards appeared to the right of the T.

By the mid-19th century, the design aesthetics had undergone certain changes: the letters still had their characteristic structure and ascenders, but had become somewhat more elegant. In some areas, on the contrary, there is an increase in the thickness of the lines, which is especially evident in the horizontal stroke of the letter T.

The current version of the logo has already achieved a high degree of compliance with modern requirements. The current version removes the period at the end, and the arrow following the letter T has been replaced with a diamond. The design was created by Edward Benguiat. In addition to the text version, the company also introduced a T-shaped symbol logo, which is used as an icon on digital platforms.

Over the course of a century and a half, various designers worked on the logo, each making minor changes. It was extremely important for the publication to maintain its recognizability, but it is unlikely that the lettering could have remained unchanged for such a long time, as design trends are constantly evolving. If you compare the first version of the logo with the final one, you can see that it has become more restrained and relevant. Gradually, the decorative elements executed in thin lines were eliminated, and in the current version, very few remain - the font has become more readable. The letters have become bolder: now they instantly attract attention and can compete with the bright headlines of other publications.

It is noteworthy that during the evolution of the design of The New York Times, certain elements have changed, but this has not affected the existing logo. At different historical periods, the font was created with less contrast and wider lines, but currently its contrast and proportions are reminiscent of the original version, which appeared in the mid-19th century.

Gazeta.Ru

Since its founding in the late 1990s, this publication has undergone several design changes. One of the significant moments was the creation of one of the logos by Art. Lebedev Studio, which led to a minor online scandal. The problem is that the letter G, designed as a feather, was perceived by readers as too similar to the old logo of The Guardian.

From that moment on, the Russian publication adopted a compressed version as its main logo, which is a simple inscription, where an oval replaces a period.

This summer, the company presented an updated website design, which is aimed at giving it a modern look and improving the ease of reading on mobile devices. The logo has also been updated, although less radically: the dot in it is now round and bright red.

Most likely, the company does not need a radical update to its visual style. Apparently, when they were upgrading the site, they decided to take advantage of the opportunity to remove the oval dot, which most users hadn't noticed before. Rambler&Co, the owners of Gazeta.Ru, took this innovation with humor:

BBC

С Since the 1950s, the British Broadcasting Company has used a discreet logo consisting of three letters set within squares. Over the course of five decades, this logo has undergone several minor changes, such as rounding the corners of the background and transforming the squares into diamonds. Since 1997, the company logo has taken on the following appearance:

In 2021, a redesign was carried out, which caused a strong reaction from users online. The updated logo has received significant criticism and backlash from the online community.

Many viewers would likely not have noticed the changes. The space between the squares became wider, the letters became slightly smaller, and the grotesque was replaced with a new, higher-contrast font used by the BBC. However, the storm erupted due to the stated cost of this work. According to the well-known British publication The Sun, the redesign cost a significant sum, amounting to tens of thousands of pounds, and since the company is state-owned, these funds were spent from the pockets of taxpayers.

Commenting on the situation in the tabloid, a BBC representative noted that "the costs of the new design are not significant," but specific figures were not provided. In support of the decision to redesign, the license for the Gill Sans font, which the brand previously used and for which it regularly made payments, is mentioned. Perhaps, the transition to the BBC's own Reith font will save taxpayers money in the future.

Canon

The Japanese brand of cameras under its current name has been on the market for 86 years. The company's first logo bore some similarities to its current version, particularly in the unique shape of the lowercase A.

In 1953, the concept was refined, retaining the slanted "a" and its serifs, but increasing the contrast of the lines. This has already begun to resemble the modern version:

The familiar letter A, sharp serifs, and high-contrast font create the Canon visual style we all know well.

The logo of the Japanese camera manufacturer that we see today was created three years later. It features text rendered using a custom-designed Canon Font. The designer for this project was Italian Gio Fuga. During the process of creating the typeface, meticulous attention was paid to details, making it more aesthetically pleasing: the width of the letter C was reduced, and the letter O was given a slant that harmonizes with the diagonal line of the letter A. Fuga also emphasized the characteristic features of the previous logo by enlarging the serifs and enhancing the contrast. Thus, Canon has maintained its visual identity from 1956 to the present day.

The mid-20th century was a landmark period for the Japanese company. Canon began actively expanding into the US and European markets, producing not only professional but also amateur cameras. The logo, created in 1953, was refined to better represent the brand internationally. These small design changes seem to have had a positive impact: Canon still hasn't resorted to a redesign and looks quite current.

Opel

Over the past five years, almost all automobile brands have made subtle design changes. Skeuomorphic logos have given way to flat versions, making them more relevant and easier to use online. An example of this approach is the update of the Opel logo in 2017:

The flat logo in black and white tones did not last long: in 2020, the company decided to update its visual style. The new design turned out to be quite unusual for the automotive sector, especially in terms of color scheme.

The choice of bright neon yellow color was due to the desire to update the logo of the company, which aims to expand its production in the field of electric vehicles. It's hard to find a well-known car brand that uses bright colors as its primary color—Opel now clearly stands out from the competition. The updated logo not only features a yellow background, but also a thinner circle and a slightly longer lightning bolt. Additionally, an inscription in the new Opel Next signature font has been added.

Yellow is nothing new for a brand that has been around for over one hundred and fifty years. Throughout its history, it has appeared from time to time in logos across different eras, but has most often been used only as small accents. The introduction of neon gives Opel's redesign a noticeable effect, even though the logo itself has undergone only minor changes.

Visa

The payment system adheres to a traditional approach to design, which is evident in the fact that its logo has undergone only minor changes since 1977. The company name has always remained recognizable, although its design has occasionally been supplemented with various graphic elements or the color scheme has been changed. In 2021, another redesign was carried out, which included the return of some elements from previous versions of the logo. The evolution of the brand names was demonstrated in a special case:

The work on updating the visual identity was entrusted to the Mucho design studio. The shape of the letters in the name remained unchanged, but the color was significantly enhanced, unlike previous versions. In the digital age, the company no longer faces the limitations of the CMYK palette. Three stripes, which had been retired from the company's visual materials since 2004, were chosen as the new brand symbol.

The company presented an updated design in connection with the expansion of the range of its services. Visa intends to focus on developing consumer payments, improving the reliability of its network, and establishing partnerships with fintech companies.

Alfa-Bank

Since 2005, the organization has used a logo in a distinctive red color, which contained the brand name and a unique element - an underlined letter "A". This design remained unchanged until 2019:

Three years ago, visual communications were modernized. In the basic version of the logo, only the letter "A" remained, but its shape was changed: now, at the base, the strokes form a horizontal line instead of a diagonal cut. In addition, the corners of the elements have become sharper, unlike the previous version, where they were slightly rounded.

These small changes are due to two main factors. Firstly, visual communications had already begun to adapt to the digital format, necessitating a simpler and clearer logo. As noted in the bank's press release, the rounded corners were incorrectly rasterized, leading to their removal. Secondly, the company needed to update its corporate typeface, and the new logo needed to harmonize with its form.

The brand chose Styrene A as its new primary typeface. Here's what the alternative version of the logo looks like with the full name spelled out:

In this updated version of the logo, the sign is integrated directly into the word, which distinguishes it from the previous one. The font has acquired a cleaner, more streamlined look, with more straight lines and fewer curves. However, the full logo is rarely used: on the website, in the app, and on social media, only the letter "A" is often used. The brand is likely already established in the market and is easily recognizable even without the name.

Despite the minor changes to its visual identity, the bank did not engage an external branding agency for this work. The design development process was carried out by in-house specialists, and Ilya Ruderman acted as a consultant.