How Jaguar’s logo lost its roar
🤏 [this is where we hold space]
Issue #215: Dorothy’s silver slippers and your win bin
Jaguar just got rid of the jaguar. I saw the rebrand and was reminded of Facebook’s 2019 logo (before it became Meta) — both feel cold and robotic, as if these companies are trying to become Eye of Sauron-style Tech Giants instead of what they actually are. Here’s Jaguar’s before and after:
When you see a rebrand this drastic, it’s (sometimes) a cry for help. Jaguar is an 89-year-old brand whose sales have dropped 80% since 2017. It’s too uncool to compete with Bentley, too retro to rival Tesla. After years of declining relevance, Jaguar is suspending new car sales for a year before it reincarnates as an electric-only car manufacturer. It’s a brave strategy: Instead of incrementally improving their product, they’re going all-in on a vision they believe will save them long-term.
That’s why there’s no car in the ad.
Marketing vet Madelaine Lucy Hanson thinks the rebrand will alienate Jaguar’s core customer base: conservative men. Brand designer Aakansha Raj feels underwhelmed; now Jaguar looks the same as everyone else. And it’s true — so many brands have sanded down their edges over the last decade. Why is everything… bland?
One reason: Simpler shapes play better across today’s screens — especially on an internet where low-resolution images travel widely.
Still, if you want to stand out, maybe add some detail? In the words of design leader Himanshu Bharadwaj, “the decision to ditch the iconic leaping cat feels like swapping a timeless tuxedo for a tech startup hoodie. It whispers ‘relevance’ but risks losing the roar of rebellion.”
🧙♀️ Plus: How Wicked became a $1 billion franchise
Wicked began as a 1995 prequel to L. Frank Baum’s now-famous children’s book. It’s essentially a cautionary tale about labeling anything “evil,” and it was Gregory Maguire’s first novel for adults (he’d written 10 children’s books already). He was 41. None of his children’s books had caught on, and he was desperate. So he started Wicked, naming the protagonist, Elphaba, after L. Frank Baum’s initials. “I thought that I had to throw everything that I cared about into this book,” he remembers, “because I would never write another one.”
It didn’t sell well at first. But it was a sleeper hit, finding more readers each year until it was adapted into a $1 billion-grossing Broadway musical (the second-highest-earning show after The Lion King). The movie has already made more money than any other non-sequel film opening in 2024. Its themes — female friendship, good vs. evil, political propaganda — are evergreen yet timely. Also, everyone feels like an outsider.
One Easter egg: Dorothy makes a brief appearance in the film, and her slippers are… silver! Turns out ruby slippers are copyrighted by MGM (which is now owned by Amazon) until 2035.
🏆 Your daily dose of practical wisdom: the win bin
Create a folder on your desktop called “wins.” Did someone just compliment you on Slack, Teams, email, or text? Take a screenshot and drop it into your own personal win bin—great for inspiration or writing self-evaluations. (Melissa DePuydt)
Deepen your understanding every day with the Medium Newsletter. Sign up here.
Edited and produced by Scott Lamb & Carly Rose Gillis
Questions, feedback, or story suggestions? Email us: tips@medium.com
Like what you see in this newsletter but not already a Medium member? Read without limits or ads, fund great writers, and join a community that believes in human storytelling.
