In a smart piece for Creative Bloq, Niklas Mortensen dissects the public backlashes against logo redesigns. As designers, we know it’s more than the logo. I mean, sometimes it is the logo and how terribly crafted it is, but most other times, it’s what the redoing of the brand identity represents.

People don’t love brands because they look good. They love them because they’re familiar, consistent, and emotionally resonant. The same way we return to a childhood game or a worn-in pair of trainers – if we see a brand we recognise, we will feel comfortable, content, even safe.

So when a brand ditches its serif, swaps its colours, or goes full minimalist (not design’s finest moment), it can feel like an act of erasure. And while sometimes that change is necessary, the emotional cost should never be underestimated, especially when the brand in question belongs to an organisation that’s been a part of people’s lives for generations.

Done carelessly, a rebrand can fracture the trust and equity a brand has spent decades building.