Jaguar just got rid of the jaguar. I saw the rebrand and was reminded of Facebook’s 2019 logo (before it became Meta) — both feel cold and robotic, as if these companies are trying to become Eye of Sauron-style Tech Giants instead of what they actually are. Here’s Jaguar’s before and after:
When you see a rebrand this drastic, it’s (sometimes) a cry for help. Jaguar is an 89-year-old brand whose sales have dropped 80% since 2017. It’s too uncool to compete with Bentley, too retro to rival Tesla. After years of declining relevance, Jaguar is suspending new car sales for a year before it reincarnates as an electric-only car manufacturer. It’s a brave strategy: Instead of incrementally improving their product, they’re going all-in on a vision they believe will save them long-term.
That’s why there’s no car in the ad.
Marketing vet Madelaine Lucy Hanson thinks the rebrand will alienate Jaguar’s core customer base: conservative men. Brand designer Aakansha Raj feels underwhelmed; now Jaguar looks the same as everyone else. And it’s true — so many brands have sanded down their edges over the last decade. Why is everything… bland?
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| https://fluxbranding.com/the-rise-of-blanding/ |
One reason: Simpler shapes play better across today’s screens — especially on an internet where low-resolution images travel widely.
Still, if you want to stand out, maybe add some detail? In the words of design leader Himanshu Bharadwaj, “the decision to ditch the iconic leaping cat feels like swapping a timeless tuxedo for a tech startup hoodie. It whispers ‘relevance’ but risks losing the roar of rebellion.”
Source: Harris Sockel
https://medium.com/blog/how-jaguars-logo-lost-its-roar-83bf42475bcb
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