Last week, a blog post called “Logo Soup” captured considerable attention. It highlighted a bold move by Hulu and Disney – a logo refresh designed to get the news out about a video collaboration between the two entertainment brands.
By just using the first syllables of each company’s logo, the Canadian agency, Courage, ended up creating a bold billboard (thanks in no small part to one version featuring Kim Kardashian’s eyes:
The post generated a number of comments, some of which criticized the changing (or cropping) of both companies’ logo for promotional purposes.
“Radio’s Best Friend,” Art Vuolo (pictured) was especially critical:
“Do (radio) stations understand their logo is their brand? Do they think Nike would ever change their very famous “swoosh?” Not a chance. Would Chevrolet change the “bow tie?” Some things are designed to stay the same. We are bombarded with enough designs every day. Stop doing dumb things like changing your logo, unless a station undergoes a major format change and or alteration in call letters. So there!”
And I’m sure many people agree with Art. Changing or refreshing a logo isn’t something a radio station wants to do with regularity. So often, it’s the people inside the station who tend to tire of things long before listeners do. Whether it’s shaking up benchmark features and bits, the station’s production voice, and particularly the logo, change for change’s sake is almost always a bad idea.
And Art is right. The logo is a key component in a station’s brand identity. It is the visual representation of a station, whether a van wrap or an app icons on a smartphone home screen. Many see it as sacred – something that should rarely be messed with.
Unless, of course, you’re Apple. Recently, the Cupertino gang
changed up the familiar red Apple Music logo, a native app on iPhones, iPads, Watch, Apple TV, Macs, and most other places where the company. We’re talking billions of devices and tech environments. So, changing it up was not a frivolous decision. If Apple Music’s logo hasn’t changed on your devices, it will “evolve” when you get the iOS 27.2 update.
You can see the new look of Apple Music at the top of this post. It has that wavy, reflective look Apple calls Liquid Glass. The effect creates a movement effect that is an evolution from conventional “flat” app icons.
Many fans of Apple and its subscription music service were not at all thrilled about the change. In fact, many were downright critical of the morphing of the familiar red Apple Music logo. Some even took out their frustration on social media:
Most people simply don’t like change. This seems to be especially true when “unwelcome” updates just happen on our devices. Thank goodness there are multiple social media outlets so they can vent.
So, reactions to the Apple Music logo weren’t especially positive. That was until they released an elaborate “explainer” video that tells the story of how the logo was created – with music. It made an immediate positive impression. One of the best reviews of Apple’s rebrand was ars technica‘s Aurich Lawson. Referring to the brand remake as “human crafted,” the subtitle was well-worded:
“In a world of AI slop, showing the human hands making things helps.”
Apple’s three-word explanation, “Made by Sound,” accompanied by a short video (just over a minute) brilliantly walks us through the process. It’s impressive. And it tells the story behind the logo refresh. It is now connected to the music.
In the process, Apple also created a mnemonic – that’s right, an audio signature that’s associated with the brand.
As reviewer Lawson points out, Apple is one of the few companies with the resources and the innovation DNA to pull this off. While a new logo isn’t the same as releasing a new device, this elaborate treatment for a logo seems like something Jony Ive might have dreamed up when he was Apple’s design czar.
For this new Apple Music makeover, the company turned to design specialists, TBWA/Media Arts Lab, along with music producer Fred again (yes, that name and spelling are correct).
So yes, Apple has modified a familiar logo as it seeks to grab some attention and music credibility from Spotify, the runaway leader in the streaming music category. It is easy for consumers to take familiar, legacy brands for granted, or to overlook them entirely. When a powerful music source becomes just another app on your phone, it is easy to ignore.
That’s what smart logo refreshes are all about, and why they’re worth the money and time. When a strong brand with stellar logo association feels the need to step out, it can draw positive attention.
For example, when that iconic band – say, the Rolling Stones – comes to town, a half dozen stations are vying for the association, the “halo effect.” Radio stations do these temporary logo morphs (they usually don’t last long), and are no worse off for doing so. And if executed well on the air (and on other platforms), it can be a win.
I took a shot at this when I was programming WRIF. A new station in town, WLLZ (Detroit’s Wheels), debuted, taking the market by storm.
While I had a number of on-air and marketing tactics planned, I needed to be sure they’d cut through and get noticed. I also wanted to communicate we were in it to win it. Hence:
It was a huge bumpersticker campaign. As you can imagine, there was high demand for them from the jump. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to convince management to put it up on billboards as they were concerned the word would stir up controversy. Of course, that’s what I was hoping for.
The “Kickass” stickers did not last long. I was asked to stop promoting them a few weeks after they were made, as well as taking the language off the air.
You can read the “Kickass” story here.
And my how our mores and standards have changed. Over the weekend, I saw a TV spot for Chipotle, pushing a tote bag called “The Big Ass Bag.” As you might imagine, it’s all over social media:
Things are a bit different today than they were back in 1981 when I attempted my “Kickaass” logo refresh stunt. As they say, timing is everything.
But with apologies to Art, these calculated changes by strong brands with cajones can work if they are executed well.
I’m headed over to Chipotle to get one of those bags, as they’ve captured my attention. I’m preparing for a long line.
President & Founder at Jacobs Media
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched – a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created – a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the “connected car” and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media’s commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
