A Change of Brand

The Olympic Games have come to represent the best of the best — incomparable athletics, state-of-the-art facilities, host cities that pull out all the stops, and of course, outstanding branding. In 2012 London hosted the Summer Games and wanted to capture the world’s attention with an identity that would turn the notion of the modern games on its head. Sairah Ashman, global CEO at creative consultancy Wolff Olins shares the firm’s design thinking for the brand that would go on to be one of the most talked-about, unforgettably modern Olympic Games emblems. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited by Gabe Kitzman, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, co-written by Pamela Henman, and artwork by Rachel Jackson.

Although its identity wasn’t on the rocks, iconic bourbon brand Maker’s Mark needed to better connect with the Millennial crowd. We spoke with Creative Director Jared Britton at branding firm Turner Duckworth, who worked directly with the distillery founder’s grandson to refresh a brand that’s been untouched since 1958. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited by Gabe Kitzman, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, co-written by Pamela Henman, and artwork by Rachel Jackson.

From a logo emulating its sleek black cars to an abstract representation of “bits and atoms,” Uber’s brand identity has taken a few detours over the years. We catch up with Amanda Munilla, strategy lead at Wolff Olins, to get the inside track on how the global branding agency created the latest and most enduring rebrand for the rideshare company. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited by Gabe Kitzman, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, co-written by Pamela Henman, and artwork by Rachel Jackson. 

The launch tactics of a rebrand can make or break the success of the change. In this bonus episode, host Blake Howard and Brand New’s Armin Vit have a casual nerding-out as they each share their best and worst rebrand launch examples. Brands covered in this episode: London 2012 Olympics by Wolf Ollins  Block 2022 done in-house  MailChimp 2017 by CollinsKia 2021 by Blackspace  Iceland Football Team 2020 by BrandenbergAirBNB 2014 by DesignStudio Staples 2019  Comcast 2012  City of Florence 2022 by Tatum DesignToyoko 2020 Olympics  Gap 2010 by Laird and Partners Best Buy 2018 done inhouse  For more on Armin Vit visit: https://www.underconsideration.com/ or https://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/To see the changes of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), edited by Gabe Kitzman , and artwork by Rachel Jackson. 

In the final episode of Season 2, we learn how Sweetgreen, a brand raising the bar on fast to-go and good to eat food, found a way to keep it real with a reimagined brand identity. COLLINS Creative Director - now turned Sweetgreen Executive Creative Director, Tom Wilder - and COLLINS Senior Designer, Sanuk Kim, give us the recipe for what led to one of the best new identities to debut in 2021.To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited by Matt Owen , fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, co-written by Pamela Henman, and artwork by Rachel Jackson. 

Carnegie Hall, the renowned 130-year-old music venue and pride of New York City, conducted a brand refresh in early 2020. All was going seemingly well until the pandemic stole the spotlight and shuttered the Hall’s doors for nearly 12 months. Jennifer Kinon, co-founder of Champions Design, gives us a look behind the curtain on their resilient and thoughtful process. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited by Matt Owen , fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman, and artwork by Rachel Jackson. 

Just like traveling, the creative process can be an adventure where not every journey is the same. Tripadvisor's 2020 refresh is no exception, and Matt van Leeuwen of Mother Design serves as our tour guide for this Change of Brand that veered off the beaten path. Matt led the work, which had plenty of twists and turns but ultimately resulted in a delightful update to TripAdvisor's dated, 20-year-old brand.To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited by Matt Owen , fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman, and artwork by Maliq Faulks and Rachel Jackson. 

How can a brand go from bargain to beauty? In this episode, Michael Keller of Blackspace, gives us a look under the hood of the recent KIA rebrand and how his work redefined what it means to be an automobile manufacturer of the future.To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited by Matt Owen , fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman, and artwork by Maliq Faulks. 

Today Spindrift is one of the largest independent sparkling water brands, but in 2016 that wasn’t so. How did they break away and grow beyond niche specialty stores? Adam Renfree and Adam Nathanson, founders of brand design firm Colony, led the work and share how their packaging redesign helped crack open new opportunities for the beverage brand. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited by Matt Owen , fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman, and artwork by Maliq Faulks. 

In 2021, after more than a decade, Pepsi Co and Quaker Oats announced their leading pancake brand, Aunt Jemima, would become Pearl Milling. In this episode we hear from sociologist and professor, Dr. James Bowie,  and naming expert, Mark Speece, to get their opinion on the rebrand and the larger forces at play for renaming a brand based on a racist stereotype. Dr. Bowie's research and writing: www.emblemetric.comTo see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.Credits: Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard, (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, fact-checked by Jill Jefferies, co-written by Pamela Henman, art work by Rachel Jackson, and edited by Matt Owen