Burger King showcases a new but very familiar logo update.
We’ve talked about Burger King in the past… quite a lot actually, a lot of it good, some of it questionable and others just plain bad, but this… this is interesting.
The new logo, which is actually their old logo, apparently signals a commitment to digital-first expression and improvements to taste and quality with the removal of artificial colors, flavoring and preservatives.
Burger King’s Restaurant Brands International head of design says, “Design is one of the most essential tools we have for communicating who we are and what we value, and it plays a vital role in creating desire for our food and maximizing guests’ experience,” He goes on to say, “we wanted to use design to get people to crave our food; its flame-grilling perfection and above all, its taste.”
So, while not a one-to-one recreation of the logo used between 1969 and 1994 nor the 1994 and 1999 version, it’s an amalgamation of both. Designed by Jones Knowles Ritchie, the new logo follows the color scheme of the ‘94 version but modernizing the font choice from the ‘69 version. Except the G. I actually like the original G and I wonder if they’re going to play with that in the future. I can totally see someone putting ketchup on a whopper in the shape of that ‘G’ for an advertisement.
I think this logo gained more praise than GM’s, because it falls back on nostalgia design or nostalgia marketing. This is the logo of my childhood. When I showed my partner this, who’s 8 years younger than I am, she said “Oh my god! I remember that logo.” With a big smile on her face.
Their press release and their marketing spin does play on this, but only slightly, saying the new logo colors are based on the fast-food chain’s “real and delicious food”, calling the logo minimalistic and paying tribute to the brand’s 64-year-old history. But come on, it’s the old logo, slightly updated.
And that’s a big part of why I like it. Good design doesn’t need to change. Marketing usually dictates when good design will be retired. Usually for something inferior to the design it’s replacing.
Now, the difference between this and GM, Burger King has a new Design Language and style guide that goes with the logo. The color and font choices are all retro-inspired. I’d say, following that of the 60s and 70s style. The colors are not those muted or monochrome pigments we’re so used to but instead, bright and bold. The new font called Flame, also vintage-inspired would work well on computer screens, phones and print, as seen by the uniform design and packaging.
Honestly, I’m extremely biased regarding this logo. I understand what they’re doing… they’re trying to get people around my age, to go back to Burger King. Let’s face it, the health food craze or, at least, healthier eating habits have prevailed and enjoy dominance in this day and age. That’s why you’re seeing restaurants like Friday’s and Chili’s going under and why fast-food brands went hard on the chicken sandwich craze. Mostly because it got people in the doors. You can even see it here, with Burger King trying to associate the updated branding with more natural – wholesome food.
We did a video a while back about color meaning and went in-depth about blue, you can watch it here… but to truncate that video, blue has always been an artificial color, something that doesn’t necessarily say, natural. Getting rid of blue was probably a good choice for Burger King.
To me, I love this, I absolutely love the vintage inspired design, the bold fonts and colors. Like I said, a lot of these brands are going the way of that posh, minimalist style. Burger King is betting on nostalgia design to boost sales and my guess is, it’ll probably work.
So, let me know in the comments what you think about their new logo and brand identity. And let me know if you remember this logo from the 90s and if that has something to do with you either liking or hating it.
