Why Do Rebrands Elicit Such Strong Reactions?

Change within the design world isn’t generally well-received, and just this year, we’ve seen rebrand after rebrand followed by seemingly inevitable collective internet outrage.

People have a hard time with change in general, but why is change so difficult with design?

Change is hard when we feel like we’re losing autonomy. Brand design changes can be challenging because we identify with the brands we interact with often and the ones we use to display something about ourselves to others. There’s a sense of trust that comes with this familiarity, so when a favorite brand changes something fundamental about its own identity, people feel like they’re being forced to change something about theirs too. Hence, the more people identify with a brand, the more they’ll resist design changes. 

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