17 Company Logo Rebrandings That Were a Complete Disaster

Rebranding a company logo is a risky venture that can either rejuvenate a brand or lead to a public relations nightmare. While the goal is often to modernize and refresh the brand's image, sometimes the results are disastrous. From facing fervent backlash from loyal customers to grappling with a tarnished reputation and plummeting sales, rebranding efforts can have far-reaching negative consequences.

Here are 17 examples where companies' logo rebrandings missed the mark and became infamous for all the wrong reasons.

Gap's attempt to update its classic logo in 2010 was met with such severe backlash that the company reverted to the original design in just six days. The new logo, which featured a simple Helvetica font and a small blue gradient box, was criticized for being too bland and uninspired. Customers and designers alike took to social media, calling out the brand for trying to fix something that wasn't broken to begin with. 

The incident also served as a cautionary tale for other companies considering major changes to their established brands. 

When Tropicana redesigned its packaging and logo in 2009, it underestimated the power of brand recognition. The new look, which replaced the familiar orange logo with a straw in it, led to a 20% drop in sales within two months. Customers found the new packaging generic and unappealing, leading to widespread confusion and dissatisfaction among the brand's loyal customers.  

Tropicana quickly reverted to its previous design, but not before learning an expensive lesson on the importance of brand identity.

In 2006, MasterCard unveiled a new logo that replaced its iconic interlocking circles with a more abstract design. The change was met with widespread confusion and criticism, as the new logo failed to convey the brand's heritage and trustworthiness. Many customers also felt the redesign was a poor attempt to modernize the brand without preserving the essence that made it so recognizable in the first place.

MasterCard eventually refined the logo by bringing back elements of the original design. But in 2019, the company dropped its name from the logo, leading to backlash from some customers who said it looked like a Venn diagram.

Animal Planet's rebrand in 2008 aimed to reflect a more adventurous image. The new logo, which featured a bold text and removed the iconic planet and elephant, also hoped to be more distinctive from other brands. But much to the PR team's chagrin, the new logo failed to resonate with viewers. Many loyal fans also felt alienated by the departure from the more wholesome, family-friendly branding. 

The backlash was significant enough that the network had to rethink its strategy, eventually returning to a more inclusive and approachable image. In 2018, the network once again rebranded — this time featuring a more modern logo that brought back the elephant (albeit in a more cartoonish way) and incorporated vibrant colors. 

Rebranding to Syfy in 2009, the Sci-Fi Channel hoped to broaden its appeal beyond science fiction enthusiasts. However, the new name and logo were met with ridicule and confusion. Fans felt that the change alienated the core audience and diluted the channel's identity. "Syfy went from having some good shows to cheap reality TV like every other channel now," writes one Redditor in response to the rebrand. 

Despite the initial backlash, Syfy eventually carved out a niche for itself, but the rebranding process was a rocky one. Now the channel hopes to attract a wider audience by offering a mix of original sci-fi content and mainstream programming. 

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Yahoo's 2013 logo redesign, led by then-CEO Marissa Mayer, aimed to signal a new era for the struggling internet giant. But the new logo, which featured a less whimsical and more corporate design, failed to impress fans. Critics argued that it lacked the fun and quirky personality of the original logo. 

The rebranding did little to revive Yahoo's fortunes, and the logo change was seen as a missed opportunity. 

Pepsi's 2008 logo redesign, which introduced a new, more rounded design with a tilted "smile," was met with mixed reactions from fans and critics. The $1 million cost for the redesign, which was leaked in a PDF, was widely criticized as excessive. Many also felt the new logo lacked the boldness and clarity of previous versions. 

"I wonder how much more I could charge by simply adding circles to everything I show them," writes one Redditor in response to the logo's steep price tag. Despite the backlash, Pepsi stuck with the new design, which has since become more accepted.

When the U.K.'s post office made the risky decision to rebrand itself as Consignia in 2001, the public reaction was overwhelmingly negative. The new name and logo were seen as confusing and irrelevant to the company’s heritage. The rebrand was so poorly received that it was scrapped within a year, but not before costing millions of pounds and damaging the company's reputation in the process. 

According to the Royal Mail, the revamp was done in hopes of making the brand more recognizable and mainstream in order to compete with couriers like FedEx and UPS.

In 1997, British Airways rebranded itself to be the "undisputed leader in world travel." The company aimed to modernize its image with a new logo and colorful tailfin designs representing global destinations. But the new look was criticized for losing the brand's long-established British identity and heritage, with customers and employees alike rallying for the return of the more traditional Union Jack tailfin.

The airline eventually reverted to a more classic look after acknowledging the importance of maintaining national identity in its branding.

In response to increased competition, Pizza Hut attempted a major rebrand with a new logo and menu overhaul in 2014. “Today’s consumer is always looking for new flavors,” said chief marketing officer Carrie Walsh at the time. But the new logo, which featured a red roof and a more modern font, was met with a lukewarm response. Customers felt it lacked the warmth and familiarity of the previous design. 

The rebrand also did not have an impact on increasing sales, prompting the company to gradually reintroduce elements of the old branding.

Kraft Foods' 2009 rebrand introduced a new logo with a swoosh design that featured a slimmer font and a colorful "flavor burst" above the name. Though the thinner styling was meant to suggest a healthier line of products, the change was criticized for being overly generic and corporate. Customers and industry experts also felt the new design did not reflect Kraft's heritage and quality and would lose the recognizable and trusted image of the previous logo. 

Though the company eventually tweaked the logo to better align with its brand identity, it merged with the Kraft Heinz Company in 2015 after struggling with sales. 

As part of its effort to regain relevance and establish itself as an "entertainmet hub," MySpace rebranded in 2010 with a new logo featuring the word "my" followed by a space. The minimalist design was intended to symbolize the social media platform's focus on user-generated content. However, the new logo was widely critized for its lack of creativity and lackluster design. 

Though the rebrand failed to revive the platform's former glory, it highlighted the challenges of remaining popular in an ever-changing social media landscape.

Airbnb's 2014 logo redesign introduced the "Bélo" symbol, which resembles a paper clip, the letter A, or an upside-down heart. The symbol was intended to represent belonging and connection. “Belonging has always been a fundamental driver of humankind. So to represent that feeling, we’ve created a symbol for us as a community,” Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky wrote in a blog post.

But much to the disappointment of Airbnb's PR team, the new logo was met with criticism. Despite the initial backlash (and savage mockery), Airbnb stuck with the new logo, which has since become more accepted as the company grows.

Verizon's 2015 rebrand introduced a new logo with a minimalist design and a small red checkmark. But the change was criticized for being overly simplistic, generic, and uninspiring. Customers felt the new logo lacked the boldness and reliability associated with the previous design. Some also though the redesign failed to capture the essence of the company's technology prowess and leadership. 

Despite the criticism, Verizon maintained the new logo, which has gradually become more accepted over time as more customers get used to it. 

In 2005, following its merger with Nextel, Sprint introduced a new logo featuring a yellow pinwheel design. It also changed its name to Sprint Nextel Corporation. But the change was met with confusion and criticism, as the new logo was seen as lacking the strength and clarity of the previous designs. "The old logo from 'Sprint' was always very nice looking," writes one Redditor in regards to the brand's previous design. 

Customers and employees alike struggled to connect with the new brand's identity, and in 2020, the company was sold to T-Mobile. It now operates under that name. 

When Tacoma, Washington, unveiled its new logo in 2024, the city faced unexpected backlash. The design, which featured a stylized depiction of Mount Rainier in an abstract shape, was quickly dubbed the "drunk panda" by locals. Critics also argued that the logo was confusing and did not accurately represent the city’s identity. "Reminds me of an icon out of Windows 95,” said one user on Facebook (now Meta). 

Despite the widespread mockery and criticism, the logo stuck, albeit to the chagrin of many locals. "Add my name to the list of people who immediately thought 'why' and 'how much is this costing,'" wrote another user. 

In 2016, Instagram replaced its iconic vintage camera design with a simplified, gradient icon. The new logo was initially met with significant backlash, with users criticizing it for being too generic and losing the app's identity as a photo-sharing platform. Despite the negative reaction, Instagram stuck with the new design, which has since become more accepted as the platform continues to grow.