6 iconic logos redesigned: Can you recognise them?

Renowned brands around the world have managed to capture mindshare and raise awareness as a result of their branding. While there are many building blocks that help create strong branding, the importance of a strong visual identity still has a part to play. 

According to creative software company Kapwing, a strong logo can undergo a revamp without losing its essence. However, can it resist being dominated by one of graphic design’s cornerstone styles? In an attempt to uncover the answer for the question, Kapwing took six iconic logos and redesigned them into six essential styles. The six styles are the "Art Nouveau", "Bauhaus", "Psychedelic", "Pop-art", "Retro 80s", and "3D design".

For "Art Nouveau", users can expect an elegant, sinuous, and romantic design from the turn of the 20th century. As for "Bauhaus", the designs are said to favour functionalism, geometrics, and space. When it comes to "Psychedelic", one can expect to see acid-colored patterns and stream-of-conscious lines.

Meanwhile, "Pop-art"  designs will include kitsch, comic-style pop culture references that channel 1950s Americana through the eyes of Andy Warhol. "Retro 80s" designs are said to feature grids, vector curves, clipart, and blocky fonts. Whereas for "3D design", one can expect the logo design to have playful renders "popping out" of the screen. 

Here's a look at how these six iconic logos would look like if they were redesigned according to these styles.

Apple

Apple is often seen as a leader in the branding space. From smartphones to smartwatches, tablets, and laptops, Apple has built a name for itself in the consumer electronics goods industry. Throughout the years, Apple has not only become one of the popular tech brands in the market but also underwent some logo changes. 

While Apple initially focused on computers, it eventually branched out into smartphones and the wearables space. During the announcement of its new iPhone 13 last year, the tech giant also made new moves in the streaming and fitness space, and shortly after, released new marketing tools for developers to create custom marketing assets. 

McDonald's

Ba-da-ba-ba-ba, are you lovin' it? It might be hard not to think about McDonald's when one thinks of fast food. Founded in 1940,  McDonald's has grown to be one of the largest fast-food chains. It even set foot in the NFT scene last November, celebrating the return of the McRib in the US with NFTs, marking the second series of NFTs it has created. The first came about on 8 October 2021, with its NFTs titled "Big Mac Rubik's Cube" in China. McDonald's China said the launch of the NFTs was in celebration of the chain's 31st anniversary in the market, as well as the opening of its new headquarters in Shanghai

(Read more: McDonald's SG pushes out 'McDelivery Night In' campaign with branded Jenga set)

Instagram

Instagram has grown to be one of the well-known social media platforms for brands and users. Since releasing its "Instagram Stories" feature in 2016, brands have been doing "story drops" to create hype for a product or add a personal touch by engaging with its followers. Aside from helping brands to foster meaningful interactions, Instagram also allows users to discover new brands through suggested content or the "Discover" icon.

Just last week, Instagram launched its first round of tests for its "Instagram Subscriptions" feature which would allow creators to develop deeper connections with their most engaged followers and grow recurring monthly income by giving subscribers access to exclusive content and benefits. This came after the Meta received strong creator feedback from Facebook Subscriptions, which was launched in 2020. 

Google



While there are a variety of search engines available such as Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari, Google is known to be one of the most popular browsers used. With a variety of marketing tools made available to businesses, Google is part of the holding company Alphabet which also comprises Waze and Fitbit. Google said it will be phasing out third-party cookies in 2023, giving the ad industry some time to put in place plans for a post-third-party cookie future.

NASA

For more than 60 years, NASA has been breaking barriers to achieve the seemingly impossible, from putting man on the Moon to pushing the boundaries of human spaceflight. According to NASA, the company is comprised of passionate professionals that united by a common purpose, to pioneer the future in space exploration and scientific discovery. Working in space and laboratories around the world, NASA has sought to explore some of life's fundamental mysteries, including what is out in space.

WWF

One usually thinks of the iconic panda when speaking about WWF, an independent conservation organisation that is active in nearly 100 countries. WWF's purpose is to tackle the deepening crisis of nature loss caused by human activities. Its ambition is to set nature on the path to recovering in the coming decade for the benefit of the people and the wildlife. Working with many others, WWF protects and restores natural habits, stopping the mass extinction of wildlife. 

Image courtesy: Kapwing

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Do you recognise these 6 reinvented logos?