Following our own rebrand to Chaptr, we thought it’d be nice to showcase our favourite rebrands of 2016.
Throughout the year we saw some surprising wins and losses, with some big name brands changing their style and direction in the fast paced world of corporate identity.
We’ve selected four rebrands which we feel are worthy of a mention, so without further ado, let’s get to it.

Brentford Football Club

Rebranding a football club must be one of the most challenging identity design exercises. Ensuring you don’t upset lifelong club devotees and appeal to a mass audience of all ages and tastes is no mean feat. In our opinion Brentford FC have done a superb job.
The club’s previous badge was starting to show its age and in need of a radical rebrand to match the forward thinking nature of the club, both on and off the pitch. The new badge is classic, clean and free from intricate detail. A defined, rigid bee framed with faint lines is complemented by the fuss free sans serif typography.
UK sports clubs leave a lot to be desired when it comes to their brand identities but Brentford’s new look is a shining example of how to marry the modern and classic to produce a strong and recognisable sports brand and should get a loud cheer from all their fans!

Premier League

One of the most noteworthy rebrands of the year was undoubtably the Premier league. They’ve moved forward in a modern, yet arguably rogue, direction. With updated lion iconography, new typography and the removal of the classic crest, it’s safe to say the Premier League has quite ruthlessly left its original branding behind. The bold colours and range of patterns keep the new brand interesting and its ability to seamlessly adapt to multiple media applications is an obvious win, unlike its predecessor which struggled to keep pace with the modern world.
Our favourite element has to be the new lion which is aggressive, more geometric and versatile. Our only nitpick would be the choice of type; does it really work for such a diverse audience, or only a youthful crowd? How long before it becomes outdated? Only time will tell. Either way, we’re big supporters of the new look.

Co-op

We’re calling this one a rebrand although it was simply a reversion to an older brand identity. This brave move was on of our favourite ‘rebrands’ of the year. The new/old clover shaped logotype was originally used in the 1970s and replaces the tired and basic full named logotype which we was so ubiquitous. We simply love the weight and symmetry of the new identity, there’s something classically modern about it.
We think reinventing their existing logo will work in their favour, it’s a subtle nod to their heritage and is sure to conjure a sense of nostalgia for the generation who grew up with the original, whilst a younger audience will know it simply as an exciting fresh new look. It’s always nice to see a company with enough courage to look to its past for inspiration.

Camden Town Brewery

We’ve been fans of Camden Town Brewery’s products for a while now and were even big fans of their old corporate visuals. Albeit one of the more subtle rebrands of 2016, the new brand is cleaner and more refined. The use of the popular ‘Gotham’ typeface in the inner badge works perfectly and the filling of the unfinished circle gives it a bit of breathing room. Overall it may not be the most ‘stand out’ rebrand of 2016 but the subtle refinement is definitely worthwhile and, hey, we noticed!