Burger King undertook a comprehensive redesign of the brand in all elements of its visual brand – and it is a master class on how to deliver a makeover with design first. As with many recent redesigns, BK joined the flat design party, but unlike some other brands, it did so in a personality-filled way that looks celebratory.
With new and bold elements focused on replicating the shapes of BK’s menu items, the atmosphere is delightfully retro. It includes a new font that, together with the personalized color palette, evokes the psychedelic of the 1970s and a much improved logo based on a combination of the original 1969 iteration (a candidate for the best logos of all time) and the version latest in 1999.
The brand redesign by Jones Knowles Ritchie is a major redesign, with no stone unturned. There is a new packaging, menu design, merchandise, decoration, social media and, well, everything really.
The new logo (complete with an iteration of the brilliant monogram, see above) looks familiar because it is very similar to the 1969 original. The name Burger King is once again simply sandwiched between the two halves of the hamburger bun, with the blue noise far away. to be seen. But it looks fresh too, and that’s mainly due to the new font, which is as plump and sticky as you would like your hamburger to be.
This is exactly what Burger King wanted to achieve according to Restaurant Brands International design chief Raphael Abreu, who said in a statement that “we wanted to use design to make people crave our food; its perfection on the grill. calls and, above all, I like “.
The typography, called ‘Flame’ (see above in loco on the hamburger packaging), is inspired by the food format – “rounded, bold, delicious” and, according to Abreu, it is a font that “makes you want to eat a bite”. we sincerely agree.
‘Firey Red’, ‘Flamin’ Orange and and BBQ Brown ‘appear in the bold color palette, which is designed to evoke fun and freshness – changing the perception of fast food from inauthentic and bland to vibrant and boiling. And the illustrations (see above) aim to do the same, showing people having fun with their food, while rolling onion rings around their fingers, turning cucumbers into binoculars and covering themselves with ice cream.
It’s a flat design done in a way we haven’t seen from many great players yet, with block colors and bold shapes working perfectly on digital platforms as well as physically. The design community is already taking this approach with open arms, with totally positive reactions flooding social media. It looks like a collective sigh of relief after recent concerns were expressed on Twitter that 2020 ruined the art of logo design.
Design was the first consideration here, and it is a triumph – we just hope that other companies start to take note to reverse the ‘bland’ issue in branding. Want to read more about it? Check out our post discussing whether branding has become boring.
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