The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we see the world around us. While two years ago, seeing someone in a face mask was a rare occurrence, now we’re finding ourselves avoiding those without them. Hand sanitising stations are a standard practice when we go to the shops, to work, to a restaurant. We truly are living in a ‘new normal’, and as the pandemic slows down and life opens up, things look very different. So what does that mean for brands?

There are a number of brands who have taken the time during the pandemic to re-invent themselves, emerging from lockdown with a new face to mark this new age. We’ll be taking a look at three brands from within Treacle’s specialisms who we think have come out of Covid-19 looking better than ever.

Rolls Royce

Rolls Royce has been the pinnacle of luxury in the automotive sector for generations; built on elegance and wealth, the brand’s well established past faced a challenge. How do you maintain the brand’s class and sophistication, while ensuring the brand stays relevant and, dare we say it, cool?

Pentagram, a multi-disciplinary, independently-owned design studio, tackled the challenge beautifully. Balancing a sleeker look with nods to Rolls Royce’s past, they updated the Spirit of Ecstasy emblem, and refined the brand’s iconic double-R monogram.

Introducing a new, purple palette, their colour selection perfectly complemented traditional royalty and wealth with a gender-neutral, funky choice, appealing to the masses. Overall, it’s a beautiful rebrand that welcomes younger generations into the lap of luxury, a true emblem of the new age.

Majestic

Majestic, a major wine retailer based in the UK, has emerged from the pandemic with a new and updated roundall. Their previous logo was given a modern and classy re-vamp, modernising the font, imagery, and colours to transform and elevate the brand. However, their re-vamp wasn’t purely cosmetic. To reflect the diversity of its offering, ‘wine warehouse’ along the bottom of the logo has been replaced with ‘wines, beers, spirits’.

According to The Drinks Business, the decision to rebrand the original logo was inspired by the results of a series of customer focus groups that found the fuchsia pink tilted wine glass logo to look “cheap” and “not the recognisably the Majestic we know or love”. “A rebrand should be part of an evolution – not revolution. We were perhaps guilty of moving too fast and too far away from what our customers recognised and loved about our old look,” Majestic’s CEO, John Colley, said of the redesign.

Majestic’s rebrand during the pandemic is, therefore, especially epitomic of changing customer needs and wants. Consumers more and more are looking for luxury and clarity, two characteristics Majestic’s rebrand has achieved.

Zoopla

Zoopla is another brand that has taken the time during the pandemic to redefined their branding in line with an updated brand ethos.

Brand consultancy Zag has designed the new look, which comprises an updated logo, change in the signature colour as well as a new visual system. The studio was briefed to “help Zoopla get its mojo back”, Cummings adds, and to incorporate “that human spirit, joy, warmth and playfulness that the competitors don’t have”.

Moving away from angles, Zoopla has embraced a more fluid and rounded design language in what they are describing as their ‘Journey Lines’ concept. According to Zoopla design lead Gabriel Weichert, the complexity of the house-buying process is “reflected in the range of forms; sharp turns and flowing curves and the combination of upper and lower case characters”.

Zoopla’s rebranding arguably was led from a desire to bring the brand’s ethos to the surface, putting their best face forwards and showing they truly understand their audience.