Courtesy of Walmart
January 21, 2025
Did Walmart’s Logo Need a Refresh?
Walmart unveiled a “comprehensive brand refresh,” including its first logo change in 17 years, that the retailer says reflects its “evolution as a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer,” although many social media critics questioned whether it was worth the effort.
Walmart’s new wordmark and trade dress includes a darker blue background for “spark” (the retailer’s yellow sunburst logo) and a chunkier font for its wordmark, based on the Antique Olive font on a trucker cap once worn by founder Sam Walton, according to a press release. The spark design is slightly rounder and thicker.
The refreshed brand hub, done in partnership with design house Jones Knowles Ritchie, is officially launching this month, rolling out on Walmart.com, the Walmart app, and throughout marketing campaign assets and the company’s corporate site.
“This update, rooted in the legacy of our founder, Sam Walton, demonstrates our evolving capabilities and longstanding commitment to serve our customers of today and tomorrow,” said William White, chief marketing officer of Walmart U.S., in a statement. “While the look and feel of our brand is more contemporary, our refreshed brand identity reflects Walmart’s enduring commitment to both Sam’s principles and serving our customers however they need us.”
Walmart’s last corporate rebrand in 2008, when it ditched its star hyphen and adopted the spark logo, came as the company was experiencing slower sales growth. The current brand refresh comes as Walmart has been on a roll with the help of its digital push. Comparable-store sales ran ahead by 5.3% in its third quarter last November.
Social media critics claimed that the updated logo is too similar to the one it’s replacing.
One Redditor said Walmart “just made the blue a couple shades darker with slightly thicker font.” Others had similar thoughts about the upgrade: “It kind of just looks like they put new ink in the printer [and] got rid of the old faded cartridge.” Others couldn’t help but point out the alleged cost of more than $1 million for the rebrand, saying it looked like “something I can do on my home computer.”
In an interview with Fast Company, White agreed that the changes are “subtle, but there are meaningful differences,” including the reference to Sam Walton’s trucker cap as well as the thicker font, deeper blue, and better-proportioned design for the spark to support visibility.
“We wanted to put more depth and impact to it, so it exudes a bit more Walmart energy and serves as a beacon for the brand,” said White. “It can be a standalone brand icon for us.”
Thomas Ordahl, founder of brand consultancy OrdahlCo, applauded the changes, believing more radical changes would unnerve customers. He told Adweek the bolder look “is more human, tapping into Sam Walton connection. With all the changes in technology and AI, you want to maintain a human connection with your consumers.”
An article for Creative Bloq found many professionals in the design community praising the update.
Tom Muller, creative director at helloMuller, wrote on Threads, “Why do people (designers in particular, as usual) not see that the new Walmart branding is a refresh/evolution, rather than a full rebrand — and did people really expect them to change the logo beyond refining it? IMO it’s a strong evolution of an everyday brand that looks refreshed and approachable.”
Greg Shumchenia, director of global brand & strategy at Mailchimp, wrote on Threads, “Jokes aside, this is exactly what a good brand refresh looks like. Keeps all distinctive brand assets intact and has zero chance of confusing customers or being noticed for the wrong reasons.”
Discussion Questions
Does Walmart’s logo and wordmark revamp represent a significant improvement over the prior look?
What’s your overall philosophy on updating a brand’s look?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Bob Amster
Principal, Retail Technology Group
Carol Spieckerman
President, Spieckerman Retail
David Naumann
Marketing Strategy Lead - Retail, Travel & Distribution, Verizon
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Walmart’s change was a very gentle evolution rather than anything too radical, which makes sense as there is nothing inherently wrong with the brand. However, the new logo and its supporting assets are brighter, more modern, and a little more energetic than the previous incarnation. This reflects the more vibrant, younger energy around Walmart these days. As such, I see this as a good thing.
I don’t get it. That’s an expensive change for something scarcely noticeable.
Ah, but it got us talking about them! Amazon isn’t the only one who knows how to spin PR gold from ….well, nothing.
Excellent observation !
The change is for the better and it’s subliminal. No one is likely to notice it consciously, but their brain will notice, and like it more than its predecessor.
I agree. If you look at the examples where they have applied the new logo/brand – store fronts, graphics in the entrance of stores, etc. – it looks compelling, especially the brighter shade of blue.
I’m guessing that exactly no one noticed this…!
There is nothing wrong with the new logo, but I agree with Cathy and Paula! The change is so subtle that hardly anyone will notice. The problem with that is it will cost millions of dollars to change the logo on store fronts, and everywhere else the logo is represented, including websites. This is a lot of extra costs and work for a subtle change. The marketing agency must have been very persuasive.
On the other hand, it is a good excuse to do store front sign refresh. While you are changing the sign, you clean up the electronics, fix the lighting elements etc. and who knows what you spot while you are up there. Signs also fade over time, so the new logo forces a refresh cycle.
Boy those who promised the world would change for the better on Jan 20th weren’t kidding!
But seriously, this is the kind of thing two types of companies tend to spend money on: those who are doing very well and those who are doing poorly. For the former it’s hopefully a positive (and a rounding error, at worst, if it isn’t); for the latter it’s a desperate use of scarce resources. Happily, of course, WalMart is in the first group.
I won’t say that the logo “needed” a refresh but I do say that whoever realized that the original colors were ‘conservative, washed out’ and changed them to more vibrant yellow and blue, AND softened the edges of the ‘burst’, is really good at what they do. Once you see the ‘after’ logo, you exclaim: “…but of course!”
I agree with Thomas Ordahl who said radical changes would unnerve customers. That’s exactly what happened when The Gap changed its logo in 2010, ultimately causing the company to quickly change it back.
A drastic logo makeover changes the relationship with customers, causing them to think the brand they have relied on for so long may no longer exist. People can make fun of it all day long, but Walmart was smart to do a refresh, rather than a rebrand.
The most important reason to update a logo and brand is to signal a change in direction, or embrace an evolution in the product/merchandising or service story. Walmart’s brand shift looks more subtle, suggesting the continued commitment to its approach, but with bolder, brighter colors. The key will be to see if anything else changes with WalMart’s in-store signage, communication, price strategy or customer service. I see nothing upsetting here, and the bolder, stronger identity will help with brand memorability.
Walmart, this is the right way to do it. Logos and text shouldn’t change dramatically.
Subtle changes help maintain brand recognition while keeping the design fresh and modern. They allow companies to adapt to evolving consumer preferences without alienating loyal customers. Additionally, these minor updates can signal progress, reinforcing the brand’s relevance in a competitive market.
The subtle change Walmart made is very consistent with what consumers expect. Brighter blue, sparkier text, thicker font are just right.
The symbolism is not important to everyone, however. In addition, Walmart is one of the most recognizable brands in the world, so the upgrade is just right.
Before comparing old vs. new side by side, I might not have noticed the changes, but that’s okay.
I hope they didn’t spend much time on the design. Sitting in the meetings and overhear the discussions would have been interesting.
Nothing wrong with a little refresh now and again. I would not have noticed, to be honest.
If you wouldn’t have noticed, then it isn’t a real refresh and certainly not worth the money paid. Simply a brand standards update to a new Pantone color for when the sign gets ripped off from a tornado or they shut a store down to open a new one two miles down the street.
I don’t see any reason to ding the slight brand upgrade. It is clearer and manages to look friendlier and more energetic despite the subtlety. I do question whether it warranted an announcement. Walmart could have simply implemented the upgrade without any fanfare and averted the snark.
I wonder how much they paid for a change that most will not even notice unless it is pointed out.
People love to criticize brand updates/refreshes! Just look at Jaguar! 🙂
This refresh is just that – a refresh. Walmart had no reason to support a radical change, instead these are subtle changes that make the brand look brighter and fresh. Most people probably would not even notice the change if they weren’t told about it, but I expect the impact will be that consumers remember the Walmart logo and colors more easily with this update once they see it in stores. And that’s the goal of branding, isn’t it?
Walmart’s refreshed logo is an evolution, not a revolution. The colors pop, so it’s more vibrant and alluring. The bolder font reflects Walmart’s increasingly bold global retail leadership strategy. The round font softens the retail giant for a more human, personal touch, as retail is a people business. These simple, symbolic tweaks freshen up a familiar face. They’re like Botox for branding.
While a subtle change, at least Walmart’s marketing/branding team recognizes the need to stay fresh. Often, fresh doesn’t mean a major change. Sometimes, a subtle change keeps you with the times. Look at the Amazon logo. Other than minor refreshes, the logo remains recognizable, with almost no noticeable changes, to what was created decades ago.
Rebrand efforts often revolve around two questions: 1) Who are we? 2) Who do we want to be? If Walmart’s understanding of their brand and course for the future are true to who they are, there may not be need for more striking changes.
I agree that there’s no need to do anything largely different when your brand is doing well, and in fact, you run the risk of losing loyal customers when you overhaul too much. However, I think I just wouldn’t have called out the change/labeled it as a “rebrand.”
I wonder how much time and money was spent on this? In my experience doing brand refreshes it takes key leaders away from focusing on the business, spending hours in a room, debating the options. Yes, I like it better, but worth the effort and expense, I don’t think so.
A diaper company I worked with years ago made the picture of the baby on their diaper boxes larger. If you didn’t put the old box next to the new, you probably wouldn’t know it changed. The larger baby picture improved sales.
Good change by Walmart. Bolder. Less faded vinyl dashboard looking blue. More declarative overall. Everything counts.