As a designer, I was pretty put about by the rebrand that Jaguar launched not long ago. For me, the iconic British brand was destroyed in one fell swoop! Yes, this sounds rather drastic, but the rebrand is so far from what we expected, it really does feel that way.

I’m all for brands freshening things up, in fact, I strongly encourage it. But can brands like Jaguar afford to go so far away from what we’re used to?

Jaguar has always been very well known for its sleek designs, beautiful cars and rich heritage. The new logo, typography and overall visual identity are an absolute far cry from the Jaguar we all know and love.

Why have Jaguar rebranded?

So why do we think they decided to rebrand?

Building a new audience

From what I can gather, the main reason Jaguar decided to rebrand is to try and appeal to a new, younger audience. It looks like Jaguar is set to release a new EV range (not sure when) and they want to try and reposition themselves as a leader in this space.

Global expansion

Jaguar wants to expand its global presence, particularly in emerging markets like China. The rebranding effort also aims to create a more modern and appealing image that resonates with a global audience.

Digitalisation

Digitalisation also plays a huge part in the rebrand. The car industry is undergoing a significant transformation, with digitalisation playing a key role. Perhaps Jaguar’s rebrand aims to create a more modern and tech-savvy image that appeals to a younger, more digitally savvy audience.

Taking all of this into account though, my opinion is that they might have thrown the baby out of the bathwater by alienating a huge audience!

My thoughts and opinions

For brands as big as Jaguar, I’d have expected them to try and simplify their logo and maybe even go down the debranding route, as opposed to a complete rebrand. But hey ho, we’re here and these are my thoughts on the new visual identity:

The Jaguar “leaper” looks a little lost

Is it just me, or does the Jaguar “leaper” visual we all know and love look a little bit out of place? As if too many things are fighting for attention. It’s almost as if this is an after thought to the rebrand.

No cars in the launch advert?

What’s the point of a car brand’s launch advert if it doesn’t feature any cars? I feel like this is a small mistake (I might eat my words here), and a missed opportunity to showcase Jaguar’s beautiful vehicles, even if it was a small teaser towards what their new cars might look like.

The rebrand launch advert featured lots of models in bright, avant-garde costumes, complete with bold backgrounds and new messaging. Not a single car to be seen – it made me think of a fashion brand.

In the media, Nigel Farage was slammed by the Jaguar boss who defended the new rebrand after Farage had claimed the brand ‘would go bust’ after this. We also saw high flyers like Elon Musk questioning the rebrand on Twitter. I have to admit, this did make me chuckle.

The typeface is okay, but is it trying too hard?

The new typeface is decent, but I feel like it’s trying too hard to be modern and trendy. It doesn’t feel like a natural fit for the Jaguar brand, and it’s not doing enough to differentiate the brand from its competitors either.

Not a fan of the new JJ icon

The new “signature” icon, featuring a stylised J and J is a complete change in identity. Surely there could have been a subtle way of including a jaguar into the emblem, is the brand Joseph Joseph?

What if it’s all a marketing ploy?

So let’s consider the chance that Jaguar might be trolling us, or playing a big game.

For me, the teaser was almost too far away from what we expected to be a mistake. Their brand awareness is the highest it’s ever been with lots of chat (both negative and positive) on social media, TV and other digital channels. Everyone’s talking about Jaguar! Even this blog is helping them get more awareness and presence, it’s actually crazy.

Maybe the teaser being so ‘off-point’ was for a reason? If it is, then Jaguar have played an absolute blinder when it comes to digital marketing. I guess only time will tell with this one.

It looks like Jaguar is due to release a second phase of the rebrand on the 3rd of December. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next for the rebrand launch.

The teaser EV vehicle looks pretty cool

The new EV vehicle from Jaguar (albeit a small snapshot of the back-end) looks to be a sleek machine that hints at what’s to come from the brand. The EV’s bold lines and angular shapes give it a truly modern look that’s sure to turn heads on the road.

While we’ve only caught a glimpse of this vehicle, it’s clear that Jaguar is pushing the boundaries of electric vehicle design and creating something innovative. With its focus on sustainability and performance, this EV is poised to be a game-changer in the luxury car market.

Here’s a snapshot of the ‘new era’ EV from Jaguar:

Take a leaf out of Volvo’s book

Volvo’s approach to electrification is a great example of how to do things. Instead of rebranding their entire company, they created a sub-brand, Polestar, which is focused solely on electric vehicles. This approach allowed them to appeal to a new audience while still retaining their loyal Volvo customer base.

What’s more, many people don’t even realise that Polestar is owned by Volvo, which speaks to the brand’s ability to create a distinct identity for its EV range. By creating a separate brand for their EVs, Volvo was able to innovate and experiment without alienating their existing customer base.

In my opinion, this is a strategy that Jaguar would do well to learn from, rather than trying to rebrand their entire company and risk losing their loyal following.

My version of the new logo

Here’s how I’d approach fixing the Jaguar rebrand (with some epic music for good measure), combining the best of their heritage with a modern twist and a simple debranding approach:

So what’s next for Jaguar?

So, what happens next? Will Jaguar stick to its guns and roll out the new rebrand with a new audience? Or will they listen to the outcry from their loyal fans and revisit the rebranding effort?

Will this be known as the Jaguar rebranding disaster, or the rebranding masterclass?

Only time will tell.