The Burger King’s New Logo Reveals
The “Home of the Whopper” just had its first major redesign in 20 years, and it somehow manages to both effortlessly play to customer nostalgia while embracing new digital-first design trends. On January 7, Burger King announced that it had made sweeping changes to its brand, from its logo and packaging to its menus, merchandise, and decor, right down to its social media, leaving not a single burger unflipped. It plans to launch this updated imagery worldwide over the next few years.
The company is seeking a more natural, old-fashioned look, with minimal noise and colors like red, brown, and green that customers already associate with food.
The rebrand was done in tandem with design agency Jones Knowles Ritchie, which has dabbled in fast food makeovers before, having worked with Dunkin’ to drop the “donuts” from its name in late 2018, and redesigning the Popeyes brand after its wildly popular 2019 chicken sandwich launch. The Burger King redesign nods back to the company’s classic 1969 logo by once again encapsulating the Burger King name between the two buns. It also wisely does away with some of the questionable additions from the last rebrand in 1999, most notably the blue swish and the accented sheen symbols on the buns. When reflecting on why the company was moving away from the colors and imagery of the 1999 rebrand, Burger King’s global chief marketing officer Fernando Machado told Business Insider, “There’s no blue food” and “buns don’t shine.” In other words, the company is seeking a more natural, old-fashioned look, with minimal noise and colors like red, brown, and green that customers already associate with food.
By referencing the old, the brand feels familiar to existing Burger King fans, yet the new fonts and color changes bring a freshness to the look that could draw in potential new customers. The rebrand also speaks to a broader change: More and more brands are starting to consider their digital presence and how well their brand translates onto the web and especially on mobile, as consumers increasingly interact with companies through mobile ads and social media profiles. Burger King’s latest look is a shining example to other brands of how to jump on design trends without losing the soul of your company.