In a logo lies the whole identity of a brand. And it is often this small graphic element that people visualize first when they are told about such and such a firm, provided that it is, in addition, very identifiable.
The science of the logo is therefore not to be taken lightly, and companies have understood this well. This is the BA-ba of marketing.
For a logo to survive and stand out in the consumerist jungle, it must also stay in tune with the times. Over the years, many brands have thus changed their graphic charter, sometimes burying logos to which consumers had become accustomed, even attached.
But it would seem, in 2022, that vintage is on the rise. At least that’s what Peugeot’s decision a few months ago reveals. The car manufacturer has inaugurated a new logo, featuring the coat of arms of the famous lion in a grille, and which actually takes up… the 1960 logo.
Sometimes, it’s a completely different problem that marks the end of certain emblematic logos… but terribly racist.
This is the case, for example, of Banania chocolate, sold in France since 1915. At the time, the packages featured the caricature of a Senegalese skirmisher (big lips, black skin and excessively white teeth …). In 1970, after an initial controversy, the brand decided to withdraw the character, but it reappeared in 2005.
Today, you can still see a black child on Banania chocolate packets. But the famous slogan “Y’a bon”, deemed racist, disappeared following a court decision in 2011.
