In a significant rebranding move, healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson is replacing its instantly recognizable cursive logo that has been in use for over 135 years.
The new logo features a simplified, modernized writing of the company name with an ampersand.
The logo change comes as J&J splits into two separate publicly traded companies – one focused on consumer health and the other on medical devices and pharmaceuticals.
The iconic cursive logo will remain on popular consumer brands like Band-Aid and Tylenol that will be part of the new consumer entity called Kenvue.
For the new medical and pharmaceutical focused company, J&J says the redesigned logo aims to project a sense of care, humanity and ability to respond urgently to health challenges through a contemporary color like red.
While undoubtedly difficult to retire such a historic logo, the changes signal J&J’s desire to forge a new identity for the businesses going forward.
J&J is following a growing trend among major corporations to simplify complicated logos into cleaner, easier to recognize designs. In the mobile and digital era, brands recognize logos need to stand out clearly at small sizes on devices
Ditching intricate styles and complex font in favor of simpler signatures has become de rigeur.
Other examples include Pepsi’s recent dump of its stacked logo for a single-line design. Apple also pared back its complex logo over Steve Jobs’ return.
The aim is logos that translate consistently across all platforms without losing impact or legibility.
While J&J shoppers likely won’t notice logo changes on familiar consumer products, the medical focused company debuts a thoroughly modern look.
It seems even some of the longest-tenured brands eventually relent to updating historic looks as tastes and technologies evolve rapidly. J&J’s new logo marks both a new chapter and an industry-wide trend of simplified signatures.
