In my opinion, modern-day corporations have no originality or uniqueness. Every time a company reinvents its identity, it is almost always a crude modernization of the entire brand. When did this become the status quo?
Companies are constantly changing things up to keep themselves from becoming outdated, but from 2016 onward, these changes have mainly been to simplify and modernize things instead of creating an image that can be associated with a company. A prime example of this would be the Pringles mascot. The iconic mascot for Pringles lost his hair and his outline, essentially removing all character from him. It seems that the company that started this trend is Apple, a pioneer of minimalism.
This trend is not isolated to logos, but expands to product design as well. McDonald’s buildings used to be lively and chipper, especially on the outside. However, in 2019, McDonald’s began its change to a square, modern and simplistic design. The same goes for Subway and many other fast food restaurants. This trend has taken so much of the joy out of the experience of eating in a restaurant because it feels dead.
Most companies’ success stems from imprinting themselves on people when they are younger so they associate the company with good memories. An example of this would be McDonald’s with Happy Meals. The way they do this is through their branding. However, this may not be the case in the future. The sleek and minimalistic images that are popping up are more oriented towards adults, which may hurt companies in the future.
This is often seen as parallel with the effort a company puts into its products. People often associate design with the product. If the design is bad and the product is slightly mediocre, that product will almost certainly be shunned from the shelves. This is slightly less prevalent with big companies that have already made a name for themselves.
The effects of this trend are exaggerated in smaller companies that partake in this trend because they have not made a name for themselves, which is why most small companies still have that liveliness and chipper that big companies lack these days. For example, mom and pop shops, indie bookstores, and record stores often have creative marketing.
If anything is to be taken away from the redesigns, it is that society should prioritize smaller companies over their bigger counterparts.