7 designers on the most influential rebrands of 2025

Over the past several years, the art of the rebrand has increasingly become a spectacle sport. From cultural institutions like the Philadelphia Art Museum, which reportedly fired its CEO over a poorly received rebrand this year, to the furniture brand La-Z-Boy, which was widely praised for its modern revamp, the internet’s attention economy has meant that almost no notable rebrand is safe from social media’s deluge of hot takes.

In 2025, that was more true than ever. Brands that rolled out a new look this year were scrutinized for everything from their font and color choices to the potential ideological implications of their visual pivots. In September, after the design firm Pentagram received major flack for its official branding of the city of Austin, partner DJ Stout told Fast Company, “It’s because of social media. Back when I first started about 40 years ago, nobody even knew what an identity system was.”

To close out the year, Fast Company asked seven design experts to choose one rebrand that—for better or worse—will be remembered as the most influential of 2025, shaping both design and discourse in the months ahead. Here’s what they told us:

Cracker Barrel’s “woke” rebrand

In a testament to the major impact of Cracker Barrel’s rebrand, two of the seven designers we contacted identified the brand as their top pick.

News of Cracker Barrel’s rebrand initially emerged in mid-October, when the company unveiled a new color palette, typography, and plans to revamp its restaurant interiors. But what really stood out to fans was the brand’s new logo, which removed the former rendering of an older man leaning on a barrel, known as “Uncle Herschel” or “the Old Timer,” in place of a more modernized look. 

“In the hope of presenting a more contemporary image to the world and attracting younger and more affluent customers, they eroded the brand’s identity and character (literally: goodbye Uncle Herschel),” says Matt Boffey, chief strategy officer at Design Bridge and Partners in the UK and Europe.

Online, right-wing commentators framed the swap as a radical, “woke” move, with everyone from conservative activist Robby Starbuck to President Trump himself weighing in with increasingly negative takes. The backlash was so severe that Cracker Barrel lost nearly $100 million in market value in the following days (though it later rebounded). It publicly walked back the rebrand, reinstating Uncle Herschel and assuring customers that it would no longer move forward with restaurant renovations. 

According to Stout of Pentagram, the unwanted attention around Cracker Barrel’s rebrand actually had ripple effects for the reception of his team’s City of Austin identity, which was unveiled around the same time and similarly became the target of criticism for what he calls the “logo mob.”

“To be fair, I think the Cracker Barrel identity rebrand was nicely done and a much needed evolution,” Stout says. “The effort was unfairly judged by merely comparing the ‘before and after’ versions of a single element (the logo) of the comprehensive identity system, which is the typical online parlor game of rebrand criticism these days. The complete identity system is smart and exactly what I would have done–which is why I may need to think seriously about retiring.”

Stout adds that, in his opinion, the worst part of the whole fiasco was the fact that Cracker Barrel chose to revert to their “dated, out-of-touch” identity.

“That spineless decision by the parent company didn’t acknowledge the months of thoughtful deliberation and work that went into the development of their new identity system—and it threw their design partner under the bus,” Stout says. “This knee-jerk reaction and the online mob mentality it has stoked is a concerning trend and detrimental to my industry moving forward.”

Walmart takes a trip into the archives

Undoubtedly the largest company to rebrand this year was Walmart. The brand got its first update in two decades, courtesy of the design firm Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR), which gave it a subtle facelift that amplifies its blue and yellow color palette and sprinkles in some callbacks to the company’s ‘60s and ‘70s archives. 

“My favorite part is how that custom typeface is put to work,” says Delta Murphy, an associate partner at Pentagram’s Austin outpost. “It nods to their past while still giving them room to grow, and that kind of balance is incredibly hard to pull off. I’m not sure I’d call it a trend as much as a principle of design I appreciate, but I get excited when rebrands tie into meaningful heritage and push into modernity, especially through typography.”

Murphy adds that the Walmart rebrand actually hit a similar note as Cracker Barrel’s new identity—the difference being that Cracker Barrel “got tangled up in politics and internet outrage,” which stalled the roll-out before it could ever get off the ground.

“If I had one wish for the future of graphic design and branding, I’d wish for more curious conversation and a lot less cynicism,” she says.

Cash App is not your mom’s banking app

One undersung branding hero of 2025 is Cash App, according to Kimia Fariborz, senior designer at the global creative agency Further.

In March, Cash App introduced a new set of brand guidelines that brought playful motion elements and expressive graphics to the brand, making it feel more like an artsy, design-centric brand than a baking app. These broadened guidelines, Fariborz says, helped pave the way for Cash App to roll out new features throughout the year that represent how the modern customer is actually banking, like through bitcoin payment options and an AI assistant named Moneybot.

“What I appreciated most is that Cash App embraces its reality instead of posturing as a traditional bank,” Fariborz says. “It recognizes the unconventional ways people use it and builds a tone that reflects that world. That honesty gives the brand permission to be vibrant and layered in a category that often defaults to seriousness.”

Grammarly gets a new name

Nearly two decades after its founding in 2009, Grammarly traded its brand name in October in favor of “Superhuman,” the name of a younger, less well-known AI company that it recently acquired. The swap came alongside a massive brand overhaul designed to signal Grammarly’s shift into a new era focusing on agentic AI. 

David Placek, CEO and cofounder of the firm Lexicon Branding, believes the change is bound to pay off. He notes that we’ve seen other companies reverting back to a component of their old name or debuting a new iteration—like MSNBC to MS NOW and Gannett to USA Today—but Superhuman’s naming shift was by far the boldest.

“I expect this to be influential because Grammarly is extremely widely used today, but their name has always held them back a bit,” Placek says. “I think it’s a great call to action for companies to reflect on whether their brand name is stunting their growth and if so, to rebrand.”

Apple TV loses the “+”

If Superhuman represents a major brand name swap done right, then Apple TV+’s new identity as Apple TV, which was revealed in October, is an example of a small identity tweak that actually makes sense. 

When streaming first emerged as a new way to consume content, the “Plus” symbol became a ubiquitous way to let consumers know what kind of service a brand was offering. Today, though, streamers like Disney+ and Apple TV+ are recognizable without the extra punctuation tacked on—so, Apple made the decision to simplify things by taking it out altogether. A month later, the company also unveiled a new Apple TV branding system created using practical effects.

Matt Sia, executive creative director at the design firm Pearlfisher, says the update will have an impact on branding moving forward because it demonstrates a future-facing truth: when categories become cluttered, clarity becomes the differentiator.

“Instead of proliferating sub-brands and product names, adding bells, whistles (or ‘+’s), Apple pulled everything into one coherent idea,” Sia says. He believes that consolidation will spark a wave of simplification across the industry, as others begin to question how they can reduce noise in their own positioning. 

“Apple crafted an identity that feels more visceral and immediate. It doesn’t rely solely on software animation to convey emotion, but ensuring the logo, typography, and graphic system hold expressive power on their own,” Sia says. “Filming in an entirely practical way without relying on CGI sends a message that human touch and crafting experiences, using process and materials, still hold value.”

Gap gets its groove back

This year, one iconic American company didn’t rebrand in the traditional sense, but it did manage to completely turn its brand perception around: Gap, the apparel purveyor that, mere months ago, may have seemed like an outdated relic, but is now the fashion darling of Gen Zers everywhere. 

“Gap’s brand resurgence into the cultural lexicon this year wasn’t a story of refreshing identity but one of reclaiming ethos,” says Alexa DePasquale, head of strategy at the design agency CBX. “The brand focused less on overhauling aesthetics and more on doing things in the world that doubled down on the core equities that once made it so iconic: essential silhouettes, American optimism, and visual language engrained in memory.”

Stand-out moves from Gap this year include aligning with Zac Posen, partnering with designer Sandy Liang, and bringing back the y2k jean through a collaboration with the pop group Katseye. All of these moves have resurrected the brand from the back of your childhood closet to the front of the cultural zeitgeist. 

“Brands are recognizing that distinctiveness matters far more than novelty, and Gap’s confident return to what only it can do proves why it is a staple,” DePasquale says. “I’m loving the clarity that comes from the brand’s conviction to buck trends. More legacy brands will realize the power that comes from moving forward without abandoning the DNA that once made them inevitable.”

source https://www.fastcompany.com/91459850/7-designers-on-the-most-influential-rebrands-of-2025