A Change of Brand

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 acha...

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...

Dropping a name from your logo is a tall order. In 2011, Starbucks did just that. Some found it too strong while others felt it was just right. Connie Birdsdall, senior partner and Global Creative Director at Lippincott, led the work and gives us an unfiltered account of the strategy, process, and how it all unfolded. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us o...

When Fiverr, one of the world's largest freelance marketplaces, spent more than a fiver on their own rebrand, it raised many eyebrows. James Greenfield of Koto gives us the behind-the-scenes take on the ethics behind the decision to accept the project, the creative process, and how they handled the backlash. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Ins...

In 2014, Mastercard took a swipe at evolving its iconic red and yellow circles to eventually dropping its name altogether. We dig into the behind-the-scenes creative process, with Michael Bierut of Pentagram, who led the charge to see the work eventually get approved. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand . Credits: Produced by...

Southwest is a much beloved brand, but in 2014 a heart-felt rebrand process caused some turbulence inside the largest domestic air carrier. Rodney Abbot, Senior Partner at Lippincott, lead the process and gives us a first hand account. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand . Credits: Produced by Matchstic ( matchstic.com / @matc...

Get ready for a new season of A Change of Brand, starting Sept. 21st.  ––––– We continue to go deeper than color palettes and typography, to unpack first-hand accounts of change stories of much-loved consumer brands. This season we have episodes on classic rebrands, like Starbucks (2011), Southwest (2014), and Mastercard (2016). We've also thrown in the mix a few recent stories, like Fiverr (...

Burger King woke everyone out of a food coma when it revealed a delightfully retro rebrand in January 2021. But did the fast food giant make a whopping branding mistake that may not be so obvious? For more on this change of brand, we got the secret sauce from Lisa Smith, Executive Creative Director at Jones Knowles Richie, the creative firm behind BK's rebrand that was two years in the making...

As one of the largest technology companies in the world, Google’s influence has no limits. Their 2015 rebrand launch was a massive, carefully detailed effort to orchestrate a rollout of over 10,000 branded assets with the flip of a switch. In this week’s episode, we catch a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes muscle for this mighty change as we talk to Jonathan Lee, one of the in-house designers lead...

Loom is a video messaging service that makes collaboration happen when in-person interactions are hard to come by. The company's 2020 rebrand is notable for being one of the most transparent processes ever, with an updated identity for all the world to see, literally. For more on this change of brand, we got the inside story from Stewart Scott-Curran, senior director of brand at Loom.   To se...

As an organization dedicated to fighting the good fight for the people, the American Civil Liberties Union had for decades presented an image of restraint, unity, and Lady Liberty. In 2017, the nonpartisan nonprofit org shook things up with a change of brand that's brighter, bolder, and decidedly riskier. Open, a firm out of NYC, took the lead in designing the new look, and creative lead Mart...

In the wild, wild west of the internet in the late 90’s and early 00’s, domain registration and hosting company GoDaddy made a name for itself as a plucky maverick. The company’s racy ads and irreverent humor might be memorable to some, but what happens when a brand matures beyond frat humor? In January 2020, GoDaddy launched a rebrand to shed it’s cheeky image and refine itself in order to reach...

How do you evolve a 100-year-old brand that has become unbelievably iconic? In this week's episode, we get a look behind the big screen curtain with Emily Oberman of Pentagram as she retells the story of rebranding one of the big five major film studios.  To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand . Produced by Matchstic, matchs...

In 2017, Dropbox turned heads with a change of brand that some would call creative, others chaotic. The file management platform's rebrand came complete with clashing colors, abstracted illustrations, and wide-ranging typography. But did this rebrand fling Dropbox too far outside of the box? Collin Whitehead, Dropbox's Director of Central Design, drops in to discuss a new identity made f...

What's in a name, or a donut? In 2018, Dunkin' Donuts riled up Bostonians and traditionalists nationwide with a name change and rebrand that shifted focus from its signature breakfast staple. Tosh Hall, the Global Chief Creative Officer at Jones Knowles Ritchie , sheds light on how the firm navigated the tension and intense interest in Dunkin's change of brand. To see the change of...

Rebranding is always a ballsy move, and some would argue Airbnb took the challenge quite literally when it revealed its refreshed look in 2014.  Jowey Roden, one of the designers on the project and now Executive Creative Director of Koto , gives us an inside scoop into the process that set off an unintentional flurry of snickers, winks, and innuendos. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit...

Mailchimp’s 2018 rebrand, led by Collins, made headlines for brave and bold choices. In this debut episode, we interview Mailchimp’s VP of Brand Mark DiCristina to get the inside scoop on this change of brand. We cover everything from how a new look shifted the tech darling’s perception as an email-only platform, to other design concepts Mailchimp considered along the way. To see the change of bra...

A Change of Brand, produced by Matchstic , is a podcast about the world’s most loved consumer companies and their rebrand glory, drama, or disaster. In this series we will go deeper than color palettes and typography, talking with brand leaders and agency creatives to retell the story behind the change. Getting into the nitty-gritty, we learn about their leading-edge work, creative process, and ap...