Timeless or Tired? How to Keep Logos Relevant

Our Director, Jess Kaye, recently featured in Advertising Week, giving her expert view on tackling the ultimate branding dilemma: how to keep a logo relevant without losing its soul. She argues that while giants like Pepsi and Starbucks make evolution look easy, many brands are currently falling into the trap of oversimplifying, to the point of losing their distinctiveness.

Here are the key takeaways from Jess’s deep dive into brand identity.

Jess points out that in the rush to fit onto smartphone screens, many brands have flattened their logos to the point of anonymity. To stay distinct in a crowded FMCG market, she insists a logo must hit four non-negotiable notes:

• Simplicity with Personality: Like Apple, it should be clean but never boring.
  
• Memorability: It needs to pass the one-second glance test.
  
• Versatility: It must work perfectly, whether static or in motion.
  
• Timelessness: Consistency beats trend-chasing every time.
  

Jess calls Burberry a cautionary tale: they ditched their heritage for a clean look and ended up losing their soul in the process. They had to bring back the knight to get that spark back.

Meanwhile, Guinness is playing a totally different game. They’re the kings of the micro-change. They tweak things so subtly that you just feel like the brand is staying current, rather than being reborn. No confusion, just pure confidence.Looking ahead, Jess believes the future of design lies in motion and authenticity. While AI might speed up the process, she warns that it can’t manufacture the real feeling a brand needs to connect. Her final advice? Update with intent, not panic. A logo should be a concentrated expression of a brand’s DNA: past, present, and future. Find the full article on Advertising Week here.