The year 2024 was marked by a number of major rebrandings, some embodying bold strategic shifts, others raising passionate debates and questions about their relevance. More than just an aesthetic exercise, these transformations reveal the profound challenges brands face in a constantly changing world: appeal, loyalty, innovation and cultural adaptation. By revisiting their visual identity and positioning, companies are often redefining their DNA, striving to combine internal aspirations with external expectations. But what do these metamorphoses say about our times and the way in which brands build themselves to remain relevant?
1. Embracing the new codes of our time: the case of Jaguar
In November 2024, Jaguar undertook a radical transformation of its brand identity, with the aim of repositioning itself as a manufacturer of luxury electric vehicles. This spectacular rebranding provoked contrasting reactions, highlighting the challenges and opportunities associated with such a significant rebranding. This strategic decision is aimed at attracting a younger clientele and symbolising its commitment to the environment.
A wave of changes has overturned the brand’s identity, starting with its logo. Gone is the famous leaping animal, and the brand has opted for a mixed typography, combining upper and lower case letters to form ‘JaGUar’. The choice of this typeface reflects a strong desire for innovation, in line with its transition to an all-electric range. At the same time, the colour palette has been revitalised with bright hues, moving away from the traditional tones previously associated with it. The rebranding campaign was also marked by an advertising approach that broke with the sector: there were no visible vehicles in the brand’s promotional video, placing the emphasis on the brand’s renewed values rather than its products. This strategy has provoked debate, with some seeing it as a committed approach, and others as a disconnection from consumer expectations. Gerry McGovern, Jaguar’s Chief Creative Officer, defended the approach, saying that the brand embraced an ‘exuberant modernism’[1], drawing inspiration from Pop Art to inject new energy into its image. Slogans such as ‘copy nothing’, ‘delete ordinary’ and ‘live vivid’ illustrate this desire to break with the past and constantly innovate.
In response, some design experts have hailed Jaguar’s courage to break with convention and adopt a vibrant visual identity. Others have criticised the abandonment of the traditional elements that made up the essence of the brand, believing that this transformation risked destabilising loyal customers.[2]
https://www.jaguar.fr/copy-nothing/jaguar-type-00.html
After Jaguar’s audacity, another 2024 rebranding illustrates that an ambitious gamble can sometimes run into headwinds, even forcing a brand to backtrack.
2. Looking back: the Lydia case
The story of Lydia in May 2024 is a striking illustration of the risks of rebranding that strays too far from a brand’s DNA. By becoming Sumeria, the French peer-to-peer payments application wanted to conquer a new position in the European market as a neobank. However, this strategic change, supported by a complete overhaul of its visual identity, did not meet with the hoped-for approval, leading to an unexpected return to its initial identity 6 months later.
By renaming itself Sumeria, Lydia was aiming for a global transformation, evolving from a popular and user-friendly application to a more mature and credible positioning.[3]
From a graphic point of view, the Sumeria identity marked a clear break. Lydia’s bright, accessible blue, combined with its modern, minimalist sans-serif typography, was replaced by a more sober palette and earthy tones evoking solidity and durability. The choice of typeface was a combination of serif and sans-serif with classic proportions, giving it a more formal, institutional feel. As for the logo, it was based on a rigorous geometric construction, favouring angular and symmetrical shapes, symbols of stability and balance. Despite these well-considered choices, the public didn’t buy it. Users, used to a brand perceived as light, intuitive and close, felt disconnected. The new visual system, although technically mastered, was judged to be too austere and far removed from the values that were the essence of Lydia.
This disconnect revealed a fundamental pitfall: graphic design can only work if it is based on a clear strategy that is aligned with the image perceived by its audience. At Sumeria, the gap between strategic ambition and user perception was too wide, making adoption of the new branding difficult, if not impossible.
A few months later, the brand took a radical decision: to return to its original name and identity. This return to Lydia was accompanied by a clear message: listening to its users is essential. This return to clean sans-serif typography, bright colours and a more accessible design enabled Lydia to re-establish an emotional relationship with its audience. This episode shows that a graphic identity, however carefully crafted, must remain a tool serving a strategy aligned with the public’s expectations and attachment to a brand (as Gap showed in 2010: with a radical logo change that offended its public, and which chose, just 7 days later, to revert to its old identity).[4]
The Lydia/Sumeria case is a lesson for design professionals: a visual overhaul must never sacrifice emotional coherence for ill-calibrated ambition. The choice of colour palettes, typography and symbolism must not only reflect the new ambitions, but also resonate with the brand’s original values (should it wish to retain its existing customer base).
3. Successfully reinventing timelessness: the case of Decathlon
When a brand as established as Decathlon decides to modernise its visual identity, it’s a risky move. Why change what has worked for decades? Because graphic design, like communications strategy, sometimes has to anticipate expectations, surprise, and reflect renewed ambition.[5]
In March 2024, Decathlon took this step with a new design, driven by a vision that embodies a clear repositioning: to open the doors to accessible, inclusive and sustainable sport on a global scale. At the heart of this rebranding is a central element: the Orbit. This powerful graphic symbol embodies an idea: movement – the pillar of sport – and circularity, a direct echo of Decathlon’s commitment to sustainability. The Orbit’s simplicity and versatility make it a unique and instantly recognisable visual marker.
Despite this change of symbol, the designers’ choice was not one of total rupture but of reinterpretation. While Decathlon’s historic blue remains, it has become more contemporary, with variations that adapt to a digitalised world. This approach is a reminder that modernising a logo should not deny a brand’s roots, but rather transcend them. Decathlon remains Decathlon – a popular and open brand – while projecting a new image: ambitious, international and resolutely forward-looking.
This new vision of the brand ‘Getting people moving through the magic of sport.’[6] is not limited to amateurs; it includes everyone, from beginners to experienced athletes. The new design thus becomes a powerful lever for conveying this message of universality and human connection. Decathlon has succeeded in retaining the DNA that makes it familiar, while giving itself a visual identity that is ready to face the challenges of the coming decades.
Rebranding as a mirror of our times
These examples show that rebranding is more than just a visual transformation; it is a genuine strategic lever, capable of addressing societal and economic changes. Whether in response to environmental concerns, integrating technological advances or adapting to changing consumer expectations, rebranding reflects the issues and tensions of our times (for example, authenticity, inclusion, transparency or even ecology)[7].
But it also raises a crucial question: how far can a brand evolve without betraying its essence? The quest for relevance requires a delicate balance to be struck between the need for modernisation and respect for brand identity. Ultimately, rebranding does more than simply reinvent an image; it redefines a brand’s place in the hearts and minds of its audiences, becoming a powerful tool for shaping its future.
By Alwine Morel
[1] https://www.autoplus.fr/actualite/le-patron-de-jaguar-prend-la-parole-apres-la-polemique-sur-son-rebranding-1356392.html#item=4
[2] https://www.etapes.com/2024/11/27/jaguar-un-rebranding-audacieux/
[3] https://siecledigital.fr/2024/05/16/lydia-devient-la-banque-sumeria-et-part-a-la-conquete-de-leurope/
[4] https://www.liberation.fr/mode/2010/10/12/comment-gap-a-enterre-son-nouveau-logo-en-7-jours_685999/
[5] https://rmc.bfmtv.com/actualites/economie/decathlon-fait-sa-revolution-avec-un-logo-un-slogan-en-anglais-et-moins-de-marques_AV-202403130394.html
[6] Céline Del Genes, Chief Customer Officer
[7] https://www.elias.studio/blog/top-7-rebranding-en-2024-decathlon-deezer-la-ligue-1#:~:text=Branding-,Top%207%20rebranding%20en%202024%20%3A%20Decathlon%2C%20Deezer,%2C%20La%20ligue%201%20…
