Rebrands Gone Wrong: Lessons from Jaguar and Cracker Barrel

At Nebulous, we know design is subjective and every brand has its own audience. I might not be Jaguar’s next EV buyer or Cracker Barrel’s core diner, but as brand builders, we can’t help but have a few thoughts when rebrands miss the mark. Call it perspective, call it a rant, you be the judge.

The Fine Line of Rebranding

We’ve seen a trend lately of big brands dropping rebrands that feel more like tragedies than triumphs. Jaguar. Cracker Barrel. Not great. A rebrand should evolve your brand strategically, not torch the goodwill you’ve built with loyal fans. If you’ve got equity, you’ve got something worth keeping. If you don’t? Well, maybe you’ve got bigger problems than your logo and identity.

Jaguar: Creativity Gone Rogue

Jaguar rolled out a slick new logo, avant-garde visuals, and a “copy nothing” mantra. The problem? They copied everything generic. Surveys showed 83% preferred the old logo, and social sentiment tanked. Sales followed. Turns out ditching heritage and going all-in on “futuristic pink” without grounding it in your audience isn’t a rebrand, it’s a disconnect.

Cracker Barrel: Nostalgia Under Fire

Cracker Barrel swapped its iconic man-and-barrel for a clean type logo. Fans weren’t amused. The rustic charm that made the brand beloved got stripped down to bland minimalism. Backlash ranged from “boring” to full-blown boycotts (A bit much over branding in our humble opinion, but hey). Modernization’s great, but not if you erase the very thing people loved you for in the first place.

What These Rebrands Got Wrong

Both brands made the same mistake: chasing new audiences while ignoring their base. They stripped away recognizable DNA in favor of trend-driven simplicity. The result? Brands that could belong to anyone, in any category. That’s not evolution, that’s striving for trendy vs. timeless.

Our Playbook for Rebrands

Here’s the checklist we think every brand should run through before touching the logo file:

• Start with why. What’s the strategic need? Who are you trying to reach?
• Map your equity. Know what people love before you throw it out.
• Involve real voices. Research. Pulse checks. Listen before you leap.
• Dare thoughtfully. Bold is good. Random is not.
• Tell the story. If it’s a big shift, guide people into it.

Evolution, Not Erasure

Modernization and minimalism isn’t the bad guy here. Playing it safe is. Playing it clueless is worse. Creative courage works when it’s authentic, rooted in your DNA, and aligned with your audience. Rebrands should feel like evolution, not amnesia. Because at the end of the day, your brand isn’t who you say you are—it’s who they say you are. Ignore that, and you’re just painting over the cracks.

‍