When Burger King launched its new logo and branding identity this winter, a lot of people said the new look felt retro, even nostalgic. But was that really what the King had in mind for its new brand? In our season launch episode, host Khoi Vinh and producers Pippa Johnstone and Dominic Girard investigate the creative upsides and the pitfalls of using nostalgia to inform your design choices.

In this episode:

Lisa Smith, Executive Creative Director at Jones Knowles Ritchie, and Rapha Abreu, who led the design on the Burger King side, explain the thinking behind the restaurant’s new identity.

Over in London, Arthur Foliard from Koto Studio explains why they looked to the past to design the future of Meatable, a Dutch company working on lab-grown meat. 

Then, Khoi speaks with Champions Design’s Bobby C.Martin Jr., who redesigned the Girl Scouts logo. Bobby speaks to when nostalgia and history clash and can hurt a brand’s design, recalling recent examples including the rebranding of Aunt Jemima to "Pearl Milling Company" and Uncle Ben’s to Ben's Originals.. 

Want to see what we're talking about in this episode? 

Start with Burger King's new 2021 logo, and the rest of the brand redesign, on the Jones Knowles Ritchie site. 

Have a look at Burger King's logo history on this website. 

Can you feel Meatable's nostalgia-tinged designed aesthetic on it's website? 

How about in the marketing material that Koto Studios also designed - including those "vintage" postcards - as seen on our guest's own site? 

Finally, spot the changes Bobby Martin made to the original Girl Scouts logo when he redesigned it.

Find a transcript to this episode right here.