This is What a Good Logo Redesign Looks Like…

At Creative Juice, we love a good logo redesign. To finish up a great creative year, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite logo updates from the past 2 years.

1. Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut’s new logo keeps the main elements of their old logo, the iconic hut roof and script word mark, but now the logo is placed inside a circle element that represents a smear of tomato sauce. We love that the gradient and multiple colors were removed and that the logo was reduced to a single color. This much simpler logo is more versatile, allowing the logo copy to be removed from the circle and used in different applications.

2. PayPal
Redesigned in 2014, the new PayPal logo has been around for a while, but we still love it. By reinventing the stacked P’s as overlapping shapes and making the blues more vibrant, the mark is bolder and more eye-catching. The double-P monogram signifies people coming together. Not only does the new logo have meaning, it is a smaller size that fits perfectly in a mobile icon. PayPal’s logo redesign has helped the company make necessary modern updates to their website and app.

3. Google
Google’s new logo was possibly the biggest redesign of 2015; and we’re on board. Google made subtle changes, but kept a lot of elements the same. They changed the old serif typeface to a new sans serif typeface that makes the logo mark much bolder. Google used Product Sans font for there now logo. At the same time, they kept their traditional color palette of yellow, red, blue, and green that’s easily recognizable. Both of these elements keep the original brand in tact, while improving visibility in all of the different applications the logo appears in. Other additions like fun animations and the single capital “G” logo work together to increase awareness of the redesign. While it wasn’t a big change on the surface, the logo is now easier to read and more adaptable across various platforms.

4. OpenTable
The former Open Table logo was definitely dated and needed a redesign. The new logo takes the same round table approach, but makes it more modern and clean. Instead of multiple dots approaching the table, there is a single dot at the table, presumably waiting on the arrival of their party. The less literal interpretation for the icon opens it up for many other applications, especially video advertising. Besides the icon, the typeface was updated from the condensed, futuristic font to a more round and personable font. This font works well with the large, chunky circle icon. Overall, it’s a great new look and a necessary update for Open Table.

5. Netflix
While the Netflix logo was updated in 2014, it took some time to translate the updated look into all applications. The new logo removes the drop shadow and features a thicker font in a single color. Since the logo is no longer held together with the drop shadow effect, it can easily be changed to their iconic red, black, or white color. While we kind of miss the old cinema drop shadow from the previous logo, the new logo is cleaner and more versatile. The new look has allowed Netflix to update all their branding with a new “stacked” approach. This approach uses flat colors to be stacked on top of each other displaying different text or visuals. With the old logo and drop shadow, this new dynamic application would not be possible.

It has been a great couple of years for logo redesigns. It was hard to pick just 5, especially with such large brands revealing new logos recently. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for branding in 2016.