Burger King has embarked on a fresh rebrand in over 20 years across all elements of its visual branding. It brings back a 70s logo and introduces a new brand font inspired by the shape of its burgers, with a rich new colour palette, to create a more digital-friendly identity.
If you have noticed, the trend of redesigns has trended towards flat design and Burger King has definitely joined the bandwagon. To its credit, the redesign was pulled off in a brilliant way, filled with the right dose of personality. It is a flat design done in a way we haven't yet seen from many big players, with the block colours and bold shapes working perfectly across digital platforms as well as physically. The design community is already welcoming this approach with open arms, with entirely positive reactions flooding social media.
The overall vibe is deliciously retro - with new and bold elements that replicate the shapes of BK's menu items. This includes a swirly new typeface. The custom colour palette evokes 1970's psychedelia, and a much-improved logo based on a combination of the original 1969 logo and the most recent 1999 version.
"We redesigned our logo intentionally inspired by our identities from 1969 to 1998, which were authentic, confident, simple, genuinely Burger King," said Raphael Abreu, global head of design for Restaurant Brands International, Burger King’s parent company.
The new logo feels familiar because it is similar to the 1969 original. The Burger King name has been returned to be sandwiched between the two halves of the burger bun. And thanks to the juicy new typeface, it feels fresh, too. Imagine a plump and squidgy burger that you could ever wish for - that's the vibe that this new friendly redesign is going after.
The typeface, called 'Flame', is inspired by the shape of the food – "rounded, bold, yummy"
The bold colour palette aptly named 'Firey Red', 'Flamin' Orange' and and 'BBQ Brown' is designed to evoke fun and freshness – shifting the perception of fast food from inauthentic and bland to vibrant and sizzling. This is further cemented with illustrations depicting people having fun with their food, as they hula hoop onion rings around their fingers, turn gherkins into binoculars and get covered in ice cream.
With a strong digital presence, the Burger King rebrand was also designed to work across multiple digital platforms. The digital experience is a huge driver in developing the Burger King's rebrand with a digital-first approach. As part of the digital overhaul, Burger King will be using a new favicon that turns the letters B and K into a burger on its app and some other online platforms. It is a genius monogram iteration which is playful – turning the mark into a hidden B and K – an Easter egg for true design aficionados.
The rebranding exercise which was helmed by agency Jones Knowles Ritchie is a major overhaul. The new identity can already be spotted on the Burger King website and will roll out to everything from new packaging, menu design, merchandise, uniform, social media and interiors at its 18,800 restaurants globally over the next few years. Well, just about everything.
"The new logo pays homage to the brand's heritage with a refined design that's confident, simple and fun," says its designer Lisa Smith, executive creative director at Jones Knowles Ritchie. "We were inspired by how it has grown to have such an iconic place in culture – from Back to the Future, Gremlins through to more recently Stranger Things and BK’s Warhol campaign."
Last year, JKR worked with another mega food brand, Heinz. It also revamped the identity of fast-food chain Popeyes, also owned by Restaurant Brands International.
Commenti