The 10 Worst Logos of 2017
Welcome to The 10 Worst Logos of 2017, one of two articles in my annual Best and Worst Logos of the Year series. Every year, I look back at the rebrands that caught my attention and share what businesses can learn from them. Here, we are going to take a look at some of this year’s rebrands that may have missed the mark. Looking for The 10 Best Logos of 2017? Read the companion article to learn about some of this year’s strongest work.
Below, I break down The 10 Worst Logos of 2017. For each one, I look at why the business rebranded, where the new identity falls short, what it gives up, and what your business can learn before starting a rebrand of its own.
A quick note before I get into the list: I have respect for every designer, studio, in-house team and client represented here. Putting a new identity into the world is hard. These reviews focus on the finished work, but the point is not criticism for criticism’s sake. This series is here to help business owners and brand teams understand why companies rebrand, learn from the choices behind the work and make better decisions when it is their turn. The entries are numbered to make the article easy to follow, but they are not presented in any particular order. Design is subjective, and I do not expect everyone to agree with every choice. That is part of what makes these articles fun to write and discuss.
But when it does come time for you to discuss a new logo, Parker Lee Creative is an award-winning, independent creative studio specializing in logo design and brand identity. We help businesses build new identities and refresh the ones they have outgrown. Our process starts with what the logo needs to communicate, then tests the work everywhere customers will see it. If you are considering a rebrand, contact us and tell us your story. We would love to help you create something worthy of next year’s Best Logos of the Year article.
1. Dropbox
Why Did the Logo Change?
Dropbox wanted to move beyond its reputation as a blue file-storage utility and present itself as a collaborative workspace for teams. The refresh introduced a redrawn open-box glyph, extreme typography, vivid color pairings, and collage.
Why It Made the List:
The previous box had a visual logic tied to storing files. Turning it into five flatter diamond shapes made the glyph cleaner, but also less immediate. The revised symbol feels like pieces near one another before it reads as an open container.
Dropbox's launch explanation describes a system that could shift from standard blue to loud color and type. That range was expressive, yet the launch presentation overwhelmed the calm, dependable utility people trusted with work.
Sharp Grotesk offered 259 styles and the paired palettes created combinations. More choice did not create more recognition. The core mark, product, and marketing voice felt like separate levels of volume rather than one controlled identity.
The Tradeoff:
The strategy was clear, the system gave creative teams range, and Dropbox could dial product back to blue. My objection is the balance: campaign expression became the headline while the familiar promise of organized, dependable work receded.
What Businesses Can Learn:
Expansion does not require rejecting the quality customers value. If a utility wants to feel creative, keep trust and focus at the center, then define limits for expressive type, color, and imagery so the campaign never outruns the product.
2. Oath
Why Did the Logo Change?
Verizon needed a business-facing parent identity for AOL, Yahoo, and a portfolio of more than twenty media and technology brands. Oath was intended to unite that collection without replacing the consumer names people already recognized.
Why It Made the List:
“Oath” sounds consequential but says little about media, advertising, or the relationship among its brands. The bold generic wordmark and small blue colon could not supply the missing meaning, so explanation became part of every introduction.
The CEO's B2B explanation clarified the audience after an unexpected public reveal. That sequence clearly exposed the problem: the name and mark did not establish their role without executive commentary and a long portfolio story.
Oath became Verizon Media in January 2019. A short life does not prove that the logo failed or caused a business result, but it does show how quickly an abstract umbrella can lose relevance when the corporate architecture changes again.
The Tradeoff:
A neutral parent name let AOL, Yahoo, and other consumer properties keep their own identities. The compact wordmark was easy to reproduce, and the colon linked two famous pieces of punctuation. The concept simply asked too much of too little.
What Businesses Can Learn:
Test a name without the launch deck. A customer, partner, or employee should be able to place its role in one sentence. Then test the logo for distinctiveness, legal room, pronunciation, and meaning before asking typography to rescue it.
3. Formula 1
Why Did the Logo Change?
After Liberty Media took commercial control, Formula 1 wanted a visible signal of new energy and a simpler identity for digital products, broadcasts, merchandise, and events. The 2017 mark replaced a long-used logo built around a hidden numeral.
Why It Made the List:
The old mark turned negative space between a black F and red speed shape into the number 1. The replacement made F1 literal, but lost a memorable discovery and decades of recognition in exchange for a form that resembles a racing stripe.
Sky Sports' launch report records the goal of fresh energy and the criticism of the hidden numeral. Clarity was a fair concern, yet the answer treated the very cleverest part of the old logo as a flaw instead of equity to refine.
The shape suggests two cars turning toward a finish, but that reading depends on explanation. Without it, the symbol is a stretched F and 1 with internal space, making the championship name clearer while making the emblem less memorable.
The Tradeoff:
The red mark is bold, reproducible, easy to animate, and practical on merchandise. It has also become familiar through continued use. The critique is not that it cannot function, but that Formula 1 gave up an unusually ownable idea too easily.
What Businesses Can Learn:
Before replacing a mark, separate confusion from discovery. Test whether customers fail to recognize the symbol or enjoy noticing a hidden detail. Modernize production and build a flexible system before discarding the idea that carries memory.
4. General Mills
Why Did the Logo Change?
General Mills wanted its sixth corporate logo to keep the familiar blue Big G while making the company mission more explicit. A red heart was added above the letter to support the line “Making Food People Love” across corporate communications.
Why It Made the List:
The heart is a generic emotional symbol placed like punctuation above a distinctive asset. At small sizes it becomes a red speck, and at larger sizes it looks attached rather than integrated, weakening the clean confidence of the Big G.
General Mills' own history explains that the heart makes passion and love visible. That is precisely the issue: a value was translated into its most literal icon instead of being expressed through a more specific food or company idea.
The lockup tries to hold the G, heart, company name, and mission line at once. Each piece is clear, but the hierarchy becomes cumbersome in compact applications. A strong corporate symbol should not need a slogan to explain the new dot.
The Tradeoff:
Keeping the Big G protected decades of recognition, and the red accent gave communications a warmer cue without redrawing the core letter. The update was cautious, but caution does not make an added symbol meaningful or visually necessary.
What Businesses Can Learn:
Values are strongest when behavior, voice, imagery, and experience prove them. Before adding a heart, leaf, globe, or spark, ask what it says that the category cannot claim. A familiar symbol should sharpen meaning, not merely label an emotion.
5. Juventus
Why Did the Logo Change?
Juventus wanted to operate beyond football as an international entertainment and lifestyle brand. Interbrand replaced the traditional oval crest with a stripped double-J symbol intended for apparel, digital media, experiences, and global growth.
Why It Made the List:
The old crest carried stripes, a shield, Turin references, and the visual weight of a football club. The new J is clean, but it compresses that history into a fashion-style monogram that could belong to apparel before it belongs to Juventus.
Juventus' announcement frames the mark as stripes, a championship shield, and the letter J. Those ingredients are present, yet the explanation has to return the football meaning that the minimal silhouette removed at first glance.
The design is flexible, but flexibility is not the only test for a club crest. On a shirt or app it reproduces easily; beside historic European badges, it changes the relationship from civic and sporting identity to global consumer label.
The Tradeoff:
The double J is crisp, distinctive in repeated use, and adaptable for fashion, events, and small screens. Juventus made a coherent strategic bet. My concern is the amount of club-specific memory surrendered to achieve that commercial range.
What Businesses Can Learn:
Heritage can be simplified without being emptied. List the symbols supporters use to recognize place, history, and belonging, then decide which must survive. A monogram is valuable when it still feels impossible for another organization to own.
6. Mozilla
Why Did the Logo Change?
Mozilla wanted more people to understand its mission beyond the Firefox browser and chose to redesign in public with Johnson Banks. The final wordmark replaced letters in “mozilla” with the colon and slashes associated with a web address.
Why It Made the List:
“moz://a” asks the viewer to translate punctuation into missing letters before reading the name. People familiar with URL syntax may enjoy the trick, but a mission-driven organization needed broader comprehension, not a test of fluency.
Wired's account of the open process documents thousands of comments and a desire to show internet roots. The participation was admirable. The final pun still narrowed a broad public-interest mission into a developer-facing visual joke.
Browsers were already hiding protocol characters from view, so the idea looked backward as interfaces simplified. Mozilla replaced moz://a with a fully spelled wordmark and flag in 2024, although replacement alone does not prove failure.
The Tradeoff:
The logo was easy to type, the open-source Zilla typeface gave the brand its own tool, and the black field supported community-made imagery. The project also demonstrated an unusually transparent process. The reading burden remained unnecessary.
What Businesses Can Learn:
Do not let a clever construction outrank the name. Test it with people outside the field, without an explanation, and at a glance. If punctuation, code, or an acronym slows recognition, keep that idea in the supporting system instead.
7. Redbox
Why Did the Logo Change?
Redbox needed to look current while disc rental faced rapid change in home entertainment. The 2017 update replaced its rounded connected lettering with a new heavy slab-serif wordmark, a purple period, and the new line “So smarter.”
Why It Made the List:
Thick slabs and extremely tight spacing make several letters collide. The lowercase d and b form an awkward pair, while the uneven e breaks the rhythm. A rental name that once read quickly on a red kiosk became harder to parse at a glance.
Creative Bloq's 2017 review identified the kerning, slabs, e, and purple period as separate execution problems. That specificity matters because the weakness is not dislike of bold type; it is poor control inside a short wordmark.
The purple period adds a second color without clarifying movies, rental, convenience, or access. It behaves like an idea waiting for a rationale. Redbox ceased operations in 2024, but the closure is not evidence that this logo caused it.
The Tradeoff:
The heavier lettering had presence on kiosks, the lowercase name stayed approachable, and red remained dominant. A bolder wordmark could have helped Redbox look current. Better spacing, a steadier e, and a purposeful accent were needed.
What Businesses Can Learn:
Typography is not finished when the font is selected. Draw and space the actual word, then test it from a distance, at icon size, in signage, and beside similar names. Every period, serif, and color should improve reading or carry clear meaning.
8. Seattle Seahawks
Why Did the Logo Change?
The Seattle Seahawks created a front-facing alternate hawk for stadium entertainment, merchandise, social media, and supporting club graphics. It was never announced as a replacement for the long-standing profile logo on helmets or uniforms.
Why It Made the List:
Converting a strong profile into a symmetrical face created a broad forehead, tiny central beak, and staring eyes. The tension of the side view became a boxy mask, so the alternate felt less athletic and less controlled than the primary.
The team's announcement clearly limited the mark to entertainment, retail, and supporting branding, excluding uniforms and helmets. That narrower role matters, but an alternate still has to add a useful pose rather than weaken the character.
The original profile directs attention forward, which suggests speed and intent. Turning the bird toward the viewer removes that motion. The new angle offers novelty for merchandise, yet it does not reveal a stronger feature of the mascot.
The Tradeoff:
The mark retained team colors, answered a need for merchandise, and gave social graphics a face-forward option. Because the primary remained untouched, the damage was limited. The alternate still fell below the quality of the system it joined.
What Businesses Can Learn:
An alternate logo needs a distinct job and the same craft as the primary. Change the crop, pose, container, or level of detail only when that variation solves an application need. More views of a mascot do not automatically create more value.
9. Skype
Why Did the Logo Change?
Microsoft rebuilt Skype around expressive chat, reactions, Highlights, and discovery while aligning its identity with the wider product family. The 2017 signature removed the cloud-like word container and adopted a lighter Segoe-based name.
Why It Made the List:
The round S icon retained Skype's most recognizable asset, but the thin corporate wordmark spoke a different visual language. One piece felt soft and social while the other felt like a Microsoft ownership label placed beside it.
Microsoft's product announcement described a colorful, personal service rebuilt around close relationships. The generic wordmark did little to carry that warmth, leaving the interface and icon to supply almost all the personality.
Consumer Skype retired on May 5, 2025. That later product decision does not prove the 2017 logo was bad or caused the shutdown. It does mean this review is judging a historical identity for a service Microsoft no longer offers to consumers.
The Tradeoff:
The lighter name improved legibility, fit Microsoft's brand architecture, and let the S icon lead. The parts were individually competent. The weakness was their relationship: Skype gained family resemblance while losing some of its own voice.
What Businesses Can Learn:
Parent-company consistency should not erase product equity. Define which type, shape, color, and motion cues belong to the product, then decide where the portfolio can align. A family resemblance works best when each member remains recognizable.
10. UKIP
Why Did the Logo Change?
UKIP members selected a purple-and-gold lion at the party's 2017 conference to replace the familiar pound-sign identity. The new official emblem aimed to present a broader national message with the supporting line “For the Nation.”
Why It Made the List:
A lion is a familiar national and sporting symbol, so distinctiveness depends on drawing and context. UKIP chose a profile close enough to the Premier League lion that the launch immediately shifted from political positioning to similarity.
The Guardian's launch report documents the members' vote and the Premier League's concern about the result. UKIP said it ran legal checks, but the resemblance should have been resolved before a final, high-profile public conference ballot.
The name, slogan, lion, and two colors create a badge, but no element provides a specific political idea beyond nationalism. Replacing a distinctive pound sign with a generic lion traded one narrow message for borrowed category language.
The Tradeoff:
The lion felt more energetic and less tied to one policy than the pound sign, while purple preserved continuity. A member vote also gave a role. Those advantages were undercut by a resemblance that made the process look insufficiently checked.
What Businesses Can Learn:
Run visual similarity, trademark, category, and search checks before presenting finalists for a vote. Participation does not replace professional review. Give stakeholders eligible options that are distinctive, ownable, and ready for public use.
What the Worst Logos of 2017 Have in Common
The worst logo redesigns of 2017 often began with a reasonable ambition and then weakened the clearest asset. Formula 1 gave up a famous visual discovery. Juventus traded club history for commercial flexibility. Mozilla made its name harder to read. General Mills used a generic symbol to literalize an emotion.
The recurring lesson is to test the signature apart from the launch story. Read the name at a glance. Reproduce the mark in one color and at small size. Compare it with adjacent symbols. Identify what existing customers recognize before removing it. Then ask whether the strategy explains the design or merely excuses it.
For stronger examples from the same year, read The 10 Best Logos of 2017.
Logos and trademarks belong to their respective owners and are shown for identification, criticism, and commentary. No sponsorship, endorsement, affiliation, or partnership is implied.
Thanks for Reading The 10 Worst Logos of 2017
Thanks for reading our annual Worst Logos of the Year article. It really means a lot to me. I also want to thank every designer, studio, in-house team and client who brought this year’s work to life. I may have opinions about the results, but this series would not exist without people willing to take creative risks in public.
For the other half of this year’s series, read The 10 Best Logos of 2017. You can also browse the blog for earlier Best and Worst Logos of the Year articles and more logo design reviews.
Does your business need a new logo? We provide logo design and brand identity services for businesses that need something new or have outgrown what they already use. Fill out the form below and tell us your story. We would love to help forge a new identity for your brand that connects with your customers, tells your story, and lands you at the top of next year’s Best Logos of the Year article.
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