The “less is more” hangover
Minimalism in branding has been the dominant design religion for over a decade. Companies ditch detail, texture, and personality in favor of “cleaner” shapes and fonts. And every time it happens, the internet revolts.
We’ve seen it a hundred times:
Black & Decker shaved its industrial grit into a flat orange stamp.
Airbnb went abstract, which led the entire internet to point out that its logo looked… well, let’s just say not family-friendly.
WWE flattened its logo into something that looks like an energy drink logo for accountants.
Petco turned its cute little pets into a sterile sans-serif identity.
Now Cracker Barrel - a brand whose whole identity is wrapped in nostalgia and Americana - has gone from “your grandma’s front porch” to “airport brunch spot.”
And sure, the pancakes taste the same, but logos aren’t just graphics. They’re cultural shorthand. When you flatten everything, you flatten identity.
The backlash is the point
Part of why these rebrands cause outrage is because the internet loves to yell. But part of it is that customers sense what’s happening: companies are so afraid of being “dated” or “busy” that they erase the very quirks that made them stand out in the first place.
Minimalist logos all look modern, but they also all look the same. You could swap half of them around and nobody would notice. And isn’t that the exact opposite of what branding is supposed to do?
The pendulum will swing again
Here’s my prediction: in a few years, some massive company - probably Apple, since they’re always first in line to reinvent the wheel - will decide it’s time to go against the grain. They’ll drop their flat, ultra-simple logo and announce a glorious return to texture-rich, multi-colored, elaborate design. Suddenly gradients will be back. Shadows will be back. Maybe even chrome.
And just like that, every other brand will rush to follow. Suddenly the same design departments that told us “less is more” will insist “more is better.” The same way skinny jeans gave way to wide-leg pants, and vinyl made a comeback, logos will get loud again.
When that happens, Cracker Barrel might regret throwing their cowboy in the rocking chair out with the barrel.
It's just a phase
People overreact to logo changes, sure. After all, It’s just a haircut. But just like when Britney shaved her hair, sometimes a haircut is also a signal - and the Cracker Barrel rebrand feels like one more step into a world where every logo looks the same.
The funny part? Sooner or later, design will swing back. Nostalgia will come roaring in. And when it does, companies will pay millions to put the detail and personality back into the very logos they stripped bare.
