Hidden Power of Debranding

In 2021 the popular snack brand Pringles gave its logo a makeover. Mr. Julias Pringle is seen in a totally new avatar. His eyebrows are more prominent, his eyes are larger, and he is bald. By simplifying its logo, Pringles was able to produce various versions of the same. Let us see why some of the world’s biggest companies have discarded depth and detail to debrand. 

What is Debranding?

De-branding, also known as decorporatizing, is the process of removing a brand’s name from marketing collateral, such as the logo, website, and packaging. Brands give up their names to appear more consumer-centric and less corporate. It may also mean simplifying their logos for a cleaner more minimalistic effect.

Why do brands debrand?

We are living in a world in which attention spans are getting shorter all the time. We live in a world filled with a vast variety of everything, which is why keeping things simple is important. Making your brand simple will help consumers easily recognize it. Logos that are simple highlight the most important aspects of a brand easily. But these also come with more pros like:

• Cutting down on the cost of marketing and advertising. 
• Focusing on improving product quality and a better customer experience. 
• By debranding, the products come to reflect their real value and not the value which includes exorbitant marketing and advertising costs incurred by the brands.

a. Need for Mobile-first designs

Earlier clients would ask designers to make their logos bigger in size. The shift to mobile technology however has forced the logos to size down. Today the trick is to shrink the entire identity of the brand into a tiny box. Most logos even become illegible when scaled down. Debranding helps to avoid these issues. This is done by designing at least four different versions of the logo by keeping the important elements intact. Take a look at how Disney has achieved the same.

b. The play with computerized design elements                                        

Even though this 2D look is old after computers took over design there was an outburst of designs spiraling out of control. Computers can easily create complex lighting, gradient effects, and customize shadows. All of this underpowers the actual design of the logo. 

c. Maturity

As the big companies grew their logos were forced to mature. The whacky, cartoonish logos took a more corporate and bland look. Creating the power of debranding is professionalizing.  

• Brands should be capable of communicating their meaning and customer value beyond their products or services.
• Display high levels of awareness in the present and successfully increase that level of awareness over time.
• Embrace progressive practices and vision, but with values, promises, and meanings already firmly embedded in customers’ minds, making it hard for them to forget or change.

d. Flexibility

By debranding and becoming more simple brands have opened a portal of whole new opportunities. A brand that takes on different identities, eg WB and Baskin Robbins can quickly adapt its main logo to showcase a wide variety of genres. 

For all these reasons debranding may be here to stay. But who can tell when the trends reverse to detail or complexity. If you looking for a fresh look for your brand we have you covered. Check out our work at luxeveda.com or get in touch [email protected]