Radical logo redesign: MuchMusic

MuchMusic is a very popular TV channel which used to mainly broadcast music related programs. Now, it gradually changed to showcase reality TV and movies. Recently, MuchMusic adopted a new identity to its logo, breaking ties with the old logo which gained tremendous recognition over the past 15 years.

The channel used to have a very dynamic and vibrant logo, with a disco ball using warm colors in the background. It looked young and active, similar to a night club signature, and made to attract teenagers’ eyes. The new logo, on the contrary, has a totally new design, with light colours and a different typeface. It has a fresh and relaxed feel. The pastel colors reflect the change in identity, making the logo less eye-catching but modern and attractive. The letters are straight, giving a sense of professionalism, and Zen attitude. The channel’s new positioning can explain the choice of such a radical new logo, but the downside of this approach is that loyal fans that had a strong connection to the previous identity will be disappointed. When changing any aspect of your brand, your target audience is a key consideration. If young music listeners don’t like the new logo, the logo change can harm the brand’s equity. Many people have already expressed their thoughts about the new Much Music logo, and most are dissatisfied. They often compare the new Much logo to Martha Stewart’s.

 Others think it is finally time for Much to come up with a different logo, as it was often seen as old-fashioned and as a music sticker from the 90’s. However several comments explain the rejection: “I like the old logo: it looks like a symbol that would be on a superhero’s chest”, “the new multi-color design looks feminine”, or “It is completely forgettable and boring”. The former logo has been on screen for 15 years, so discontent should be expected,, especially when it is not made with a progressive but radical way.
On Much’s website, a gray version of the new logo is displayed, which may be their attempt to find a middle ground between Martha Stewart and superhero:

Gradual logo redesign: Red Lobster

A world- famous seafood restaurant, Red Lobster recently launched a new advertising campaign and a new logo design.
The new logo doesn’t look dramatically different from the old one as we saw with Much Music: the outline around the brand name has been removed, a tagline now appears below the brand name, and there’s also a new background color. It seems more consistent and premium, especially with the black background. Here again, the feedback has been quite negative regarding the shift to the new logo. People mentioned the lack of space, the inappropriateness of the tagline – especially “Live Lobster”. Not many have recognized the logo change as an improvement: “It doesn’t allow enough breathing room within the bland black box” or “I don’t like the shiny happy lobster. It makes me think of a mascot for a sports team”.
The restaurant has over 40 years history with a logo that has never changed during that time . Maybe it was the right time for a logo rejuvenation, despite the criticism of some.

Conclusion
How can you decide whether or not to change your brand logo, and if you are going to change, whether it should be a dramatic or a subtle redesign? It depends on several things. If there has been a noteworthy shift in who your target customers are, or what your target audience likes, and you have to signal a repositioning of the brand, a change might be a good idea. However, to prevent losing loyal customers and existing brand equity, there should be some degree of consistency between the old and the new logo, through colours, typeface, symbol, or otherwise. If it is completely different, as we saw in the Much Music example, it is very likely both loyal fans and potential consumers will be confused and turn away.
If your brand has been around for a long time and just needs a bit of a face lift to communicate to the market that the brand is progressive and evolving, a subtle logo rejuvenation may be a good option. Whether the logo redesign is radical or progressive, it is sure to generate a lot of attention in the press and social media, which can build brand awareness. However, if the commentary is predominantly negative, the visual identity change may end up doing more harm than good. It is a decision to be made carefully, in relation to your overall brand strategy and positioning, with the preferences of your target market in mind.