Notable Rebrands of 2021 See the Metaverse and Brands Focusing on Simplicity

Applying a fresh coat of paint can transform a home. And for brands, undergoing a rebrand is like applying a fresh coat of paint. This past year saw a slew of brands getting their homes in order, approaching their look and feel with fresh eyes and redefining their products, logos and messaging. At the heart of these decisions was a focus on reaching a younger consumer base and creating a look that can thrive in the digital age. With the year almost over, here's a look at the year in rebrands: Making the metaverse a reality Technology outfit Meta was easily the most notable rebrand of the year. When Meta announced in late October that the company was changing its name from Facebook, there were so many questions—including if it was all due to leaked documents. Looking to create a metaverse powered by augmented and virtual reality, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also saw an opportunity to refresh the brand identity and shake loose from the brand of Facebook, which saw its fair share of negative press over the past year. “Right now, our brand is so tightly linked to one product,” Zuckerberg said during the company's Connect 2021 virtual event. “It is time for us to adopt a new company brand to encompass everything we do. Starting today, our company is now Meta. Now we have a new North Star to help bring the metaverse to life.” Though the company kept the Facebook name for the actual social media app, the company name change reflected its pursuit in developing a metaverse, which has been its focus for some time now. What Meta did wasn't the first of its kind. In 2015, Google LLC rebranded into Alphabet Inc. The brand struggled to get several projects off the ground including Loon and Waymo. Some experts speculate whether Meta will suffer the same fate with its future projects. Flatter than a pancake This year was the year of simplicity. The recurring theme was how many brands opted to go flat and simplify logos that they has previously complicated at the turn of the century. Cheese brand Velveeta went flat, eliminating the red underline, white background with blue trim and “liquid gold” description that has been with the brand for more than 20 years. The new Jones Knowles Ritchie design will be used on Velveeta products starting in 2022. Velveeta wasn’t the only vintage brand to transform itself with an updated logo. At the top of the year, Burger King went back to a more traditional design, dropping its 3D look that it had established in 1999. The 111-year-old brand Florist dropped its sharp golden accents on its Mercury Man logo, making the finished product sleek and flat. Flat designs for logos are pretty much everywhere these days, from your favorite consumer product to your favorite sports team. In a reflection of societal changes and consumer evolution, brands are altering their designs to look better online amid consumers spending more time on the web and their smartphones. These changes are also a two-pronged attack to play up to customer nostalgia of the 1970s and 1980s, while also embracing the minimalistic style of younger brands that usually appeal to Gen Z and millennials. More than a logo Rebranding is not an easy endeavor. It usually requires an all-hands-on-deck approach to pull off successfully. "At a minimum, a well-thought out rebranding project requires creative, PR, internal communications, marketing, sales, technology, product owners, account managers, facilities and administrative participation," managing partner at Bay Leaf Digital, Abhi Jadhav, wrote two years ago. Much of the focus on rebrands usually starts with a new logo or new name, but sometimes a new way of thinking is enough for a brand. Motorola’s batwing logo is simple yet memorable, but the mobile phone maker needed to reshape its messaging. Motorola has renewed its focus, targeting a younger audience with principle- and purpose-based messaging, including a claim that it was the first mobile phone maker to support the indigenous language of people in the Amazon. The company also wants to be an alternative option for young users to target if they opt against Samsung and Apple products. Color enhancement for the digital age Credit card company Visa also rebranded this year while beginning a global multiyear marketing campaign. Looking to distinguish itself as more than just a credit card company, the brand evolved to include b-to-b payments and peer-to-peer transfers. As part of its rebrand, Visa updated its visual brand to a lighter shade of blue while showcasing a streamlined logo with three horizontal bars in blue, white and yellow. Much like competitor Mastercard, which dropped its name from its logo and replace it with a Venn diagram nearly three years ago, Visa is looking past the plastic card age and has its eyes set on a digital future.