Logos are used by companies to identify their business. They can be based on specific fonts, colors, and designs. It can be difficult to redesign a logo because many companies have used the same logo for years. We review the most recent logo redesigns by popular retail and technology brands in 2019.

Numerous brands have redesigned their logos for 2019. Some logos, like Facebook’s, caused controversy and heated debate. Other logo changes, like Zara’s, were mostly ignored.       

People are resistant to changes and prefer old logos. People will choose to have their logos redesigned by Lord & Taylor or Slack.

Customers remember logos that are positive and memorable.

To find out how Americans feel about logo redesigns for companies and new logos for companies, we surveyed 1,000 people in the U.S.

Our findings

• The majority of people prefer the old logos for Facebook (80%), Sears (79%), Zara (56%), or Yahoo (58%).
• People prefer the redesigned logos for Slack (73%), and Lord & Taylor (63%).

Facebook: Old Logo Liked by People

In 2019, Facebook updated its iconic, lower-case logo. Many consumers were not happy with the redesign. The logo was updated to remove the iconic lower-case design and replace it with a modern, all-caps design.

Our 2019 survey revealed that 80% of respondents prefer Facebook’s older logo over the company’s current design.

Users were not impressed by the new logo’s all-caps styling and color-changing font. Only 20% said they preferred it to the original Facebook logo.

Facebook can also modify its logo design based on the colors of its subsidiaries’ brands, moving from the distinctive blue to the bright tones used by Instagram and WhatsApp.

Multicolored options for the new Facebook logo make it easier to see the other apps and platforms Facebook has.

People who disliked the new logo posted memes and tweeted comments to protest NBC’s tweet that stated “Facebook announces it is now FACEBOOK.”

Many comments and tweets criticized the all-caps logo. They also linked it to scandals regarding the company’s handling of racism and conspiracies via the social networking platform.

Facebook’s logo redesign was also criticized by professional designers, who also criticized the dynamic color palette.

“A shifting color palette may look great in GIFs but it can make branding inconsistent and can lead to confusion about how to present the logo in different contexts,” Dawson Whitfield, founder of the logo design software company Looka.

Facebook’s new logo, despite its sleek redesign and attempts to increase transparency, is not as popular with most users.

Facebook made another change in 2021 that was criticized by users. The company was meta.

Facebook changed the name of their company to Meta to reflect their ambitions beyond social media.

Although it’s early to see how Meta will dominate the online world, it is evident that the negative nature of Facebook‘s news feed isn’t being overshadowed in any way by the new logo and name.

It will be fascinating to see Meta’s transformation of the internet and design spaces, as it becomes more mainstream in the consumer mind. 

Yahoo! People are Divided by the New Logo

Although Yahoo! introduced a subtle redesign to its logo, people still prefer the original.

Only half (58%) of those surveyed prefer Yahoo’s older logo with all-capital letters in a thinner font to the new, all-lower-case logo.

Only 42% of people like the new logo by the logo design company Pentagram. It retains the brand colors and uses a thicker font.

This change prompted headlines like “Yahoo reinvents its logo to remind users that Yahoo exists” by The Verge. These headlines highlighted consumer ambivalence towards the change.

Yahoo! is an older company than many Silicon Valley businesses and has had many branding and logo changes.

The company’s 2013 sans-serif font is still used in the new logo. Sans-serif fonts eliminate the “serifs,” which are small lines that appear on larger letter strokes. Contemporary technology companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook love Sans-serif fonts.

Yahoo’s new logo received positive reviews from more than half of its users, who were used to the brand’s changing faces.       

Slack: People prefer the new logo

Many businesses use Slack for their internal communications. Slack recently updated its logo. A new icon replaced the original hash-symbol design.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73%) stated that they prefer Slack’s redesigned Logo to the old one.

The colors of the new logo are the same as the icon, but the design has been updated from the old hash symbol.

Slack directed us to a thoughtful blog post explaining the reasons for the change and including his opinion that the original logo was “simply terrible.”

“The new logo uses a simpler color palette, which we believe is more refined and still retains the spirit of its predecessor. It’s an evolution and one that scales easily and works better in many places,” the post said.

Slack’s new logo shows how a tech company can be redesigned to resonate with customers and streamline the brand. It uses the same colors as the old logo to create a modern and cohesive design.

Zara: The Logo Redesign Has Split the Consumers

In 2019, Zara, a popular Spanish clothing retailer, changed its logo. The black-and-white text was retained, but the letters are now larger and more overlapping.

56 percent prefer Zara’s older logo to the redesign.

This was the second logo design in the company’s 45-year history. It was so subtle that casual consumers may not have noticed the change.

Jeilan Devansen of infographic software company Venngage stated that Zara is not a brand known for its originality or quality as a fast-fashion brand. “The new logo design conveys elegance and sophistication to differentiate itself from other fast-fashion brands like H&M.”

Zara’s original logo looks like Versace’s logo from 2008. The 2008 logo has more space between letters.

Zara’s new logo could help consumers associate Zara with high-end retailers as consumers abandon fast fashion.

Sears: The Old Logo is Preferred by Most

After closing 175 stores, the Sears brand had its logo redesigned in 2018. The new logo isn’t a great way to inspire customer loyalty.

More than three-quarters of consumers (79%) stated that they prefer the old Sears Logo to its redesigned counterpart.

Sears is trying to recoup from the ” Retail Apocalypse“, a common term for shifting consumer demand in the fashion and retail industries.

“Retail logos such as Sears have become sleeker and crisper partly because they aren’t ‘dated’ or the same old school retailers our grandparents grew up buying,” stated Baron Hanson (owner and lead consultant at RedBaronUSA).

Sears’ new logo didn’t catch on with customers in their case. Some compared the new shape with the logo of the popular vacation rental company Airbnb.

Because it could be considered copying, the similarities between Airbnb’s logo and Sears’ could alienate the younger customers Sears is trying to attract.

Sears must rebrand to attract a younger and more diverse customer base if they are to succeed.

Lord & Taylor: People prefer the new logo

Lord & Taylor’s current logo received positive reviews from consumers, unlike Sears.

In 2019, the oldest department store in America left behind stylized calligraphy in favor of a new brand.

Responding positively to the redesign, 63% of consumers preferred the logo over the old one.

Lord & Taylor’s new logo is similar to the Sears logo. It features bright colors and a simple sans-serif font that digital consumers can use.

These logos are part of the growing trend in retail toward digital-friendly designs. They are rebranding designs that were created in the traditional advertising era of catalogs and billboards.

Hanson stated that long-standing brands like Lord & Taylor had to consider how difficult their calligraphy or cursive logos are for users to read on limited mobile app screens.

The Lord & Taylor new logo will offer a better digital user experience for mobile apps and browsers.

Redesigning logos can help retailers stay relevant during turbulent times. Lord & Taylor’s redesign of their dated brand was well received.

Consumers are reluctant to embrace logo redesigns

Numerous companies, including major retailers and technology brands, have changed their logos for 2019.

Consumers prefer the old logos of companies to the new ones, except Lord & Taylor or Slack.

A company’s logo is a crucial part of its brand. Logo redesigns are risky, especially if a logo is closely linked to brand identity.       

If brands want to redesign their logos, they should consult experts before doing so.

Search our directory to find the best logo web design agency in Miami.