You'd be excused for not noticing that peanut butter brand Jif has a brand new look. With its subtle tweakments and the obvious eclipsing thanks to Instagram's controversial new logo, it's safe to say Jif's new look has flown under the radar – and that might be a blessing.
Recently, rebrands have started feeling like witch trials; too subtle and you're lambasted for playing it safe, too much and congratulations, you've become the next victim of social media critics. In a rebrand world of major changes and audacious design, perhaps Jif's concise refinements are the key to surviving the rise in branding backlash, at the expense of attention.
Jif's new logo is essentially a refined makeover, removing the old design's drop shadow border and reintroducing its iconic tri-colour banner. It's a cleaner, more contemporary look that is equal parts effective and slightly unremarkable, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
As the first major refresh in 30 years, naturally there was temptation to go big and debut a grand reinvention, but Jif stuck to its brand. Shaped by consumer continuity, the new look is refined, modern and fresh without losing sight of its core identity. So why does nobody want to talk about it?
The truth is, the internet is hungry for rebrands that push the boat out – ones where purists can say the brand has lost its soul, and design snobs can claim it's trying too hard. While grand reinvention is far more exciting, the best rebrands aren't the most radical; they're the ones that build on a brand's existing legacy.
Compared to the scathing backlash against the Instagram rebrand, Jif's humble glow-up is too functional to gain social media traction. The online discourse around branding only seems to ignite when there's something to hate, and Jif's 'safe' approach might just have saved it from public execution. Nowadays, when brands look to revamp, they first have to ask themselves – do we want function, or attention?
