Graphic Designers Need to STOP Redesigning Every Brand

The Angry Designer Graphic Design, Freelancing, Branding & Creative Business Podcast

The episode explores the critical distinction between brand evolution and unnecessary overhaul, using Calendly's recent rebranding as a prim

Key takeaways

• Calendly's recent rebrand by Smith & Dixon focuses on their transition from a scheduling app to a broader productivity platform.
• The previous Pentagram-led rebrand for Calendly was criticized as being too much of an overhaul that felt disconnected from the brand's core identity.
• Smith & Dixon created a comprehensive system including icons and AI tool support, rather than just focusing on a new mark.
• Cracker Barrel serves as a cautionary tale about the risks of removing iconic elements like 'Uncle Herschel'.
• Burger King is cited as a successful example of returning to brand roots by moving away from an ineffective blue-themed logo.

Main topics

• Brand Rebranding Strategies
• Calendly Case Study
• Pentagram vs. Smith & Dixon

Notable quotes

It's not just about changing everything. It's about changing the right thing.

Conclusion

The ultimate takeaway is that a designer's value lies in their ability

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) Hey, coming up with something cool for the wrong client, Speaker 1 (0:02) still the wrong. It's still the Speaker 2 (0:04) wrong move. It's still the wrong move, right? They created something that was cool. They created something that got a lot of high fives with their friends. I'm sure they went out and they're like, oh, we killed this. Look at how sick it looks up on a billboard. People are Speaker 1 (0:15) walking by and being like, well, what is it? A new fashion brand? New alcohol? Speaker 2 (0:18) Looked good, sure. But it was the wrong rebrand for the wrong kind of company. Speaker 2 (0:30) And like what? Five years later, there's a new Calendly logo. Yeah, because dude. Five years. Maybe even less. How long have we been doing this? I remember. I remember doing Speaker 1 (0:42) our logo thing Speaker 2 (0:45) on this. And that's exactly it, right? So it's like we did a whole episode. Okay, this is back when we were starting. Dope or Nope. To see how we were Dope or Nope episode. That's right. on the new Calendly logo, which is now the old Calendly logo. Remember that? Yes. And I mean, we did it and some people laughed and it was good, right? We made a lot of toilet jokes. They made a lot of toilet jokes because there was a lot to hate about that logo. There was. Okay. So, okay. You know, when it comes to like great branding, okay, it's not just about changing everything. It's about changing the right thing. There we go. What happened, you know, just to give everybody a little bit of history is Calendly got like $350 million of investment money. And, you know, they were valued at three. No, no. This was before. Okay. They valued at $3 billion, right? But they were still the old logo. It was still very, the logo was very dated. Was it the Speaker 1 (1:39) calendar Speaker 2 (1:40) with a little seal in it? Yeah, it was a little Speaker 1 (1:41) calendar with just a calendly font, right? And it was their own font. I mean, it was okay for what they were, but they outgrew it. Yes. Speaker 2 (1:48) And they were like, hey, we're now a $3 billion company. We need a right brand. We need the right mark. We need the right system in place. And so they went to Pentagram with this. And, you know. The one thing that everybody liked about Calendly is that it did work and it worked seamlessly. Yes. That was the thing, right? It worked. It was so easy. It was, you know, fluid. It was one click and boom, it worked. Yeah. Yeah. Well, somehow Pentagram translated that into fluency. Yeah. Speaker 1 (2:20) And Speaker 2 (2:21) they Speaker 1 (2:21) created this Speaker 2 (2:22) brand mark that was very fluid. And it was, you know, let me make this letter C that looks like a toilet seat. You know, and then let's put these Mobius figures around and slap all these colors. They went so far with that logo, right? Where really, you know, if you're looking at it from the outside in, you could be like, okay, that was an overhaul. Speaker 1 (2:44) Yeah. But Speaker 2 (2:44) they didn't need an overhaul. No. Because they were the same company. Right. They were just, you know, they were proven. It was a great company. And, you know, they were still growing. So it was like, we just need mature. Yeah. But they didn't see it that way. They completely overhauled it. So needless to say, boom, that was the story and how they got there. Speaker 1 (3:02) Right. Speaker 2 (3:02) Wah, Speaker 1 (3:03) wah, wah. Speaker 2 (3:04) Five years later, Calendly's at it again. Yes. And, you know, not for the bad thing. But now the company has changed yet again. Okay. They've outgrown what people thought that they were because they used to think that Calendly was just a, you know, just scheduling app. Yeah. Yeah. Well. It's not that anymore, okay? Now they want to be a lot more of a note taker, scheduler, you know, contacts, more like a business management tool, okay? A productivity platform. Right. Still on that whole idea that, hey, it's all fluid, works together really easy. They want to take that simplicity, okay? But this is now the new change. So now it has genuinely evolved into a different kind. of product. So it is time for a rebrand. So this is when, you know, hey, do we want to change it completely? Do we want to overhaul it? Now it makes sense because it is, it's a very different company now and they had this whole, and well, what did Smith and Dixon do, right? Yeah. I mean, it's funny because it's like, it feels. Like a logo evolution. Yes, Speaker 1 (4:12) yes, definitely. Speaker 2 (4:13) And if that middle logo didn't exist, I would say, yeah, from the very first Calendly logo to this, it was a beautiful evolution. Because it took their basic scheduling app with a simple font and they've evolved it to what we have now. Speaker 1 (4:30) But because of that little thing in the middle, Speaker 2 (4:31) it's like Speaker 1 (4:32) they Speaker 2 (4:32) knew they had to cut ties with what it was and kind of return into this whole new thing. So even though this new Calendly brand looks simpler. Yes. Speaker 1 (4:43) Okay. Speaker 2 (4:44) And it could look like a logo evolution. It was Speaker 1 (4:47) pretty much an overhaul in my opinion. Yes, I totally agree with you 100%. It's subtler than what Pentagram did. But why does it need to be anything crazy? But that's exactly it. And that's why I think I like it so much. Yeah, exactly. Speaker 2 (5:02) It's Speaker 1 (5:03) very... And I didn't hate the Pentagram stuff, but it was so bold. It was so in your face. I just thought it was off-mark. You're right. It was too much. Whereas this seems to be... Exactly right. Speaker 2 (5:17) They did a great job because this matches, number one, it matches what the company is. Yes. Okay. It feels now like a brand that belongs to a business productivity platform. Yes. Yes. That's exactly it. And that's what they built it to, right? They knew that they weren't going to change the name. The name stayed to Calumley, so that was one issue, but Speaker 1 (5:38) they rolled with Speaker 2 (5:39) it. They made the logo itself with the letter C. They made it look like it vibrates within its icon. Beautiful. I love that. It's Speaker 1 (5:48) so nice. So nice. Could Speaker 2 (5:50) have just done a funky C, but they added that little element inside there. They still put it in the box, which made it feel like an app, because, again, it is an app. Yes. But then the rollout thereafter. Okay, before we even go into the rollout. the word mark to join in. Speaker 1 (6:07) It Speaker 2 (6:07) was pretty nice, right? The way it flowed in together. Speaker 1 (6:11) I bought the first one.