Most brands work tirelessly behind the scenes when they embark on a refresh. Like Dr. Dre, the brand and whoever they hire to work on the refresh go back into the lab with a pen and a pad, and we, the public, donât see the work in progress until it is ready.
Some brands, like Twitter, now known as X, and UK stationery retailer WHSmith, decided to go another way.
While most of us were on holiday during the last week of 2023, WHSmith went ahead with what they dubbed a âtrialâ of a new logo and rebrand. The response was, to be kind, tepid at best. For many, the new logo was reminiscent of the UKâs National Health Service (NHS). For uninitiated Americans, the NHS is the United Kingdomâs single-payer health provider, a thing your Fox News-watching MAGA relatives consider âsocialism,â despite the existence of things like Veteran Affairs (VA) health care and Medicare.
