{"id":2635,"date":"2024-12-04T10:34:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T10:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/miligram10.miligram.pt\/?p=2635"},"modified":"2026-06-22T16:01:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T16:01:57","slug":"deromanticizing-brands-the-price-of-minimalism-in-branding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miligram10.miligram.pt\/en\/deromanticizing-brands-the-price-of-minimalism-in-branding\/","title":{"rendered":"Deromanticizing Brands: The Price of Minimalism in Branding\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In recent years, we have witnessed a silent but profound transformation in the world of Branding, more specifically with regard to rebrandings. The search for simplicity and functionality, apparently harmless, has progressively stripped many brands of their stories, their soul and, above all, the emotional connection they have built with their audiences over decades. I call this phenomenon:the deromanticization of brands<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jaguar: Modernity or Disconnection?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One of the most recent and controversial cases is the rebranding of Jaguar. The British brand, once synonymous with classic luxury, has swapped its iconic three-dimensional logo for a minimalist, flat and monochromatic approach. A decision that, according to the company, reflects the transition to the electric vehicle market and a new era of modernity and boldness. However, is this modernity synonymous with evolution or just a disconnection with its own essence? Many fans of the brand point out that the new design and new campaign sacrificed the Jaguar mystique for a cold, generic appearance that could belong to any technology manufacturer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It must be recognized that, by opting for a design that completely distances itself from Jaguar’s visual tradition, the brand has remained faithful to its ‘Copy Nothing’ signature. In fact, they fulfilled it to the letter, creating something that breaks with any reference to the past \u2014 but the question that remains is: was this break necessary or desired? It is worth remembering that more important than the controversy surrounding this subject is understanding the opinion of the target audience. He is the one who will decide whether this rebranding is right or wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Burberry Affair<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jaguar is not alone in this trend. In 2018, Burberry made a similar leap under the creative direction of Riccardo Tisci. Designer Peter Saville redesigned the brand, abandoning its traditional serif logo for a cleaner, more modern sans-serif typography. In 2023, under the direction of Daniel Lee, the brand made a \u201creturn to its origins\u201d, reversing part of the changes. With all these transfigurations, the brand’s results are in decline. Burberry’s CEO even attributed this failure to an “inconsistent execution of the brand” and the attempt to “move too far from its core”, something that reinforces the argument that a redesign that does not align with the target audience can have negative consequences for the brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move generated mixed reactions. On the one hand, modernization attracted a younger, more cosmopolitan audience; on the other, it alienated customers who saw Burberry as a symbol of British heritage and tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This phenomenon raises an essential question: to what extent is minimalism, now almost mandatory for digital adaptability, dehumanizing brands? To what extent does the Herculean effort to make brands \u2018woke\u2019 or controversial, entering debates and trends, align with your values \u200b\u200bor audiences? The need to participate in everything seems forced, and generates results that shock more than captivate. Forcing relevance is not a strategy; It’s despair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not about devaluing or ignoring the aesthetics of a redesign \u2013 on the contrary, all the identities mentioned are visually pleasing, well constructed and functional. In the case of Jaguar, as mentioned by the brand’s CMO, the rebranding was designed over three years and is aligned with a repositioning that aims to completely transform the brand. However, the crucial point here is alignment with the brand’s original positioning and preserving its history and values. If the rebranding deviates so much from its legacy, the question arises whether, in practice, it wouldn’t be simpler to create a new brand than to try to reimagine something so deeply rooted in Jaguar’s identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Miligram, we believe that branding should be more than focusing on trends. It needs to reflect the core of the brand: soul, will and balance. Of course, modernizing is essential \u2014 no one wants to be stuck in the past \u2014 but this evolution must respect its roots and legacy. Design isn’t just about aesthetics: it’s about function and meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As consumers and creatives, it is up to us to question and challenge these decisions. Modernity does not need to be synonymous with monotony, and innovation should not mean the loss of identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brands without history, without roots and without authenticity are nothing more than a business like any other. Deromanticizing the brand is often losing its human side \u2013 and, without that, how can we expect brands to truly captivate consumers? Only time will reveal the impact these changes will have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The search for simplicity and functionality, apparently harmless, has progressively stripped many brands of their stories, their soul and, above all, the emotional connection they have built with their audiences over decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1893,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-branding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miligram10.miligram.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miligram10.miligram.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miligram10.miligram.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miligram10.miligram.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miligram10.miligram.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2635"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/miligram10.miligram.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2664,"href":"https:\/\/miligram10.miligram.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635\/revisions\/2664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miligram10.miligram.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miligram10.miligram.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miligram10.miligram.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miligram10.miligram.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}