Stay relevant.

Be different.

Be inspiring.

Stay trending.

Updating a brand isn’t as simple as you think. It’s an arduous journey that emotionally impacts any company and its people.

The fear of alienating existing clients or a faction of employees, loss of capital, and even a lack of understanding of branding relevancy, make these businesses stay in their comfort zones without aspiring for something greater. Ultimately, this can lead them to redirecting their annual budgets to other departments of the business instead where the immediate outcome is instant.

However, for those who embrace the challenge, and are prepared to be bold, a new dawn of success awaits them.

A rebrand is not just a logo update, it’s a brand’s ability to evolve and connect with new audiences and solidify long-term partnerships with existing customers. It’s an opportunity to align their values and mission with their client’s and employee’s needs, and reinvite themselves to become an inspiring brand and be pioneers in their industries.

In 2023, we’ve seen iconic brands going through transformational and powerful rebrand processes. Here are five that grabbed our attention:

Wise

A subtle but smart evolution of the old brand that displays a stronger and crisper font alongside the iconic flag and a change of color from blue to green to represent money and progress. “Direct, distinctive, and truly global”, the new brand was designed to disrupt the old one money system and make money accessible for everyone and everywhere. These changes also further help distinguish the company from its former brand name ‘TransferWise’.

State Street

“Modernizing our brand – to better reflect our exciting new future”. This year, State Street presented us with a brand-new identity, their first in more than 50 years. It’s possibly the boldest and bravest on this list with its striking visual identity and a punchy blue color tone that was designed to reflect the full strength of its business as a leading, transformative, and client-centric organization. This is a perfect example of a brand that aimed to stay ahead of the curve and aligned its values and mission with today’s customers’ challenges and needs.

Myers & Briggs

The minimalist logo and emblematic symbol, that, according to Parkerstudio, ‘represents personal growth through understanding’, brings a modern approach to the visual identity. The typography in use, ‘Graphik’, provides the brand a sense of establishment due to its soft geometric design. The whole brand system aims to integrate Myers & Briggs’ wholly owned subsidiaries into one global company, to ultimately better serve their customers.

Western Union

A comprehensive evolution from the old brand where the new fresh look defined by an eye-catching logo and human-centric photography emphasizes authenticity and suggests the idea of a network of connections that stretch across the globe to reposition the company for the future.

Nokia

A leap of greatness. The nostalgic brand that was once everyone’s go-to has developed a bold and impactful brand that captures Nokia’s aim to unlock the organizations’ network potential. The new logotype with omitted letters complemented with a strong color palette and gradients creates a distinctive brand identity with a fresh look and feel that successfully positions Nokia as a progressive player in the tech industry and break its association with mobile phones.

Here at Cognito, we’ve had the pleasure of partnering with some visionary companies, working closely with their teams to set new business objectives and (re)define key values such as environmental impact and employer branding while reimagining a strong and relevant creative strategy that deeply connects with their audiences and resonates with their heritage. A special thanks to VCMI, CAD Trust, Snowflake, Singapore Pools, MarketAxess, and others for working with us.

As we look ahead, successful rebranding projects will require a deeper understanding of the audience’s goals and behaviors, meaningful storytelling, dynamic visuals, and many other factors. But, most importantly, if brands want to stay relevant and stand out from the crowd in 2024, they must reflect sustainability and social challenges in their values and brand vision.

Adriano Nunes is Cognito’s Associate Creative Director