Bold, Original and Divisive
Jaguar has teased its upcoming rebrand to accompany its all-electric vehicle initiative. The luxury car brand describes the new positioning as “Exuberant Modernism” characterized by “bold designs, unexpected and original thinking.” The rebrand features a new thin and rounded typeface, a shift from the original logo to an ultramodern wordmark that combines uppercase and lowercase letters. The visual identity, says the company, will also be making use of “exuberant colors” and is introducing a “newly reimagined Jaguar leaper” logo, which is Jaguar’s “precious mark of provenance.”
“Jaguar has its roots in originality. Sir William Lyons, our founder, believed that ‘A Jaguar should be a copy of nothing,’” the chief creative officer of Jaguar Land Rover, Gerry McGovern, said. “Our vision for Jaguar today is informed by this philosophy. New Jaguar is a brand built around Exuberant Modernism. It is imaginative, bold and artistic at every touchpoint. It is unique and fearless.”
The reaction has been divisive to say the least, especially prompted by a new promotional video for a rebrand of British luxury car brand Jaguar that shows a diverse array of models in brightly colored outfits — but no car.
Positive reaction to the campaign: praise for a bold reimagining of Jaguar’s place in the industry and the culture with its emphasis on diversity and creativity that can appeal to a younger demographic. Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover is quoted as saying: “If we. play in the same way that everybody else does, we’ll just get drowned out. So we shouldn’t turn up like an auto brand.” Glover also expressed disappointment at “the level of vile hatred and intolerance” regarding the campaign on social media. The company has asked the public to “reserve judgement” on the rebrand.
The negative comments have been three-fold: that the actual visual identity work is an uncomfortable mixture of upper and lowercase letters, and wastes the iconic “leaper” symbol; early promotion, at least, does not show the car models and features instead a rather heavy handed salute to “woke” culture; and the entire program is misaligned with the luxury car audience and the strength of the heritage brand. The ubiquitous Elon Musk has weighed in with a “where’s the car?” post on X.
Update: The rebrand officially launched Dec. 2 during the Miami Art Week, and the new electric GT model has been unveiled.
