Is the ridiculed 'Abrdn' rebrand the biggest branding misfire of 2021?

Some might say a key requisite for a successful brand name is the ability to read and pronounce it correctly. But it seems that wasn't a concern when it came to the recent rebrand for Standard Life Aberdeen, which saw the removal of all vowels from its name. Yup, the financial firm is now (too) simply known as 'Abrdn'. The move has left the whole endeavour subject to confusion and, we're sorry to say, ridicule. 

Many assumed the rebrand was so ridiculous it couldn't possibly last – but here we are, a whole week in, and the brand remains vowel-less beyond that initial 'a' – with a total of three 'e's dropped altogether. It certainly can't be considered one of the world's best logos due to the fact people are likening the whole thing to a typo. So why did this happen in the first place?

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Georgia is lucky enough to be Creative Bloq's Editor. She has been working for Creative Bloq since 2018, starting out as a freelancer writing about all things branding, design, art, tech and creativity – as well as sniffing out genuinely good deals on creative technology. Since becoming Editor, she has been managing the site on a day-to-day basis, helping to shape the diverse content streams CB is known for and leading the team in their own creativity.