Burger King's New Logo Is a Blast From the Past

Burger King’s new visual identity, its first major update in more than 20 years, looks awfully familiar.

Today, the fast-feeder unwrapped a fresh look that evokes the restaurant chain’s groovy vibes of yore. Most notably, BK and design shop Jones Knowles Ritchie serve up a fluffy brand-name-on-a-bun logo that represents a big change from its most recent mark, adopted in 1999:

Rendered in a new font called Flame, the work harkens back to BK’s “Have It Your Way” ethos from 1994 and 1969:

“On our new logo, the bun shapes were refined with more realistic proportions closer to our burgers,” Rapha Abreu, vp and global design head at BK parent Restaurant Brands International, tells Muse. “The typography is rounder, more modern and streamlined than the 1969 one, and more fun and friendlier than on the 1994 logo.”

Plus, the colors “are warmer, and more appetizing,” Abreu says. “We want to ensure we are creating a timeless logo that looks great today and will keep looking great 20, 30 years from now.”

This video hits other highlights, including reimagined product packaging, signage and crew outfits:

That cartoon hen on the chicken nuggets box looks nervous. (And rightly so!)

BK has struggled amid the pandemic, so perhaps the design tweaks and other innovations—including an expanded value menu and Covid-era upgrades such as expand drive-through stations and pick-up lockers—will whet consumers’ appetites.

You can sample more helpings of the new visual identity below:

At the very least, the design changes tap into cross-generational nostalgia, evoking a simpler time and place and reminding consumers of BK’s standing as a cultural icon. Plus, going back to the future ensures that the changes aren’t too radical, because the logo police like to shoot first and asking questions later.

“We looked to the past to inspire the future, paying homage to the brand’s heritage,” Abreu says. “We believe we looked our best from 1969 to 1998. These identities were authentic and confident, genuinely Burger King. So, we found the direction for our brand-new logo in our own history. The result is a new logo that instantly feels like it’s Home of the Whopper: a long-lasting, classic design—modernized.”

BURGER KING REBRAND CREDITS

Agency: JKR
Global Chief Creative Officer: Tosh Hall
CEO, North America: Sara Hyman
Executive Creative Director: Lisa Smith
Creative Director: Christian Widlic
Design Director: Justin Fines
Senior Designer: Daniel Stettner
Senior Designer: JiYoon Cha
Senior Designer: Taylor Childers
Senior Designer: Regina Puno
Designer: Jackie Rodriguez
Implementation Designer: Linda Strong
Logo Design: Miles Newlyn
Type Design: Cololphon Foundry
Illustration: Cachetejack
Senior Copywriter: Joe Schott
Copy Director: Morgan Doff
Head of Motion: Dan Kennington
Group Account Director: Jenna Portela
Account Director: Owen McAleer
Senior Account Manager: Izzy Taaffe
Head of Strategy: Gavin May
Strategy Director: Christopher Allen
Print Production Director: Stephen Kwartler
Senior Production Designer: Miguel Altagracia
Senior Production Designer: John Colón
Global Communications Manager: Jackie Sumsky