JKR’s Lisa Smith Is Quietly Redefining Big Brand Logos

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When does a logo need to change—and when is the more brilliant move doing almost nothing at all?

It’s a branding paradox that dominated the stage at this year’s D&AD Festival in London. Lisa Smith, Executive Creative Director at global branding powerhouse Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR), and Tosh Hall fired up a live debate titled “Change Everything, Change Nothing.” 

Their point? Today’s most effective brand overhauls are subtle, nearly invisible evolutions rather than dramatic revolutions.

But is that caution or cleverness? And why are brands like Amazon, Adobe, and Walmart suddenly favoring incremental tweaks over bold reinventions?

The quiet revolution in branding

“Rebrands used to scream for attention,” Lisa begins. “Now, they whisper.”

She’s not wrong. In the past, logo redesigns came with bold headlines, new slogans, and sometimes, public backlash.

But in 2025, we’re watching a silent wave wash over corporate branding—one that trades radical design moves for sophisticated system thinking.

This year alone, Amazon quietly streamlined its identity without touching the core logo. Adobe leaned into corporate minimalism. And Walmart expanded its color spectrum without altering the iconic spark.

Why?

“These companies aren’t just changing for aesthetics,” Lisa explains. “They’re evolving their business models. Walmart isn’t just a retailer—it’s a logistics powerhouse, a digital advertiser, and more.

Amazon has lost its original orange-and-black identity because it’s no longer just a marketplace. These brands have grown far beyond their roots.”

In other words, if your logo looks the same, it doesn’t mean your brand hasn’t changed. It means it’s playing chess, not checkers.

Corporate flex vs. creative flex

Still, not everyone’s impressed.

Adobe’s recent rebrand raised eyebrows, especially among creatives who once championed the brand’s expressive identity. Lisa didn’t hold back in her critique: “Adobe was always about creativity, about flex. 

But the new system is rigid. It’s corporate. That tells me something’s happening internally—something more strategic than aesthetic.”

It’s a bold take, and one many brand strategists might not admit out loud. But it echoes a wider industry concern: Are brands losing their soul in the pursuit of structure?

In Lisa’s world, a logo is just the tip of the iceberg. “Most of the real work is below the surface,” she says. “It’s in the architecture, the system, the brand behavior.”

That’s why even small changes—like introducing more blues to Walmart’s palette—require the same massive effort as a full-scale rebrand.

But what about sacred brands like Budweiser or Uber?

“You don’t mess with that heritage,” Lisa says. “You modernize it, sure. But you don’t torch the logo for the sake of it.”

The Uber story is a perfect case study. After a famously botched rebrand years ago, JKR was brought in to course-correct.

But rather than redo the logo, the team focused on building a design system that could flex across Uber’s growing empire—from rides to Uber Eats, to freight.

Uber Eats got its signature green. Rides stayed iconic in black. And the master brand? Clean white with black typography. “This was about building a brand architecture that could grow into anything,” Lisa says. “Even pharmacy delivery.”

And here’s the kicker: their breakthrough didn’t come from strategy decks or stakeholder meetings—it came from a designer who noticed Uber’s consistent use of circles, lines, and squares.

“That was the moment,” Lisa smiles. “We found the hidden language of the brand.”

Behind the curtain

Let’s set the record straight—evolution isn’t any easier than revolution.

“Whether you’re changing a logo or not, the work is still massive,” Lisa says. “Even a so-called ‘refresh’ takes months—sometimes years—of cross-team alignment, research, internal buy-in, rollout planning…”

She recounts Mozilla’s rebrand, where grassroots company culture made consensus-building a marathon. Or Chobani, where the new identity was delivered in eight months flat, because internal champions knew what they wanted.

“It all depends on who’s driving,” Lisa says. “The structure behind the scenes is what decides the speed.”

The takeaway? A simple logo tweak is never “just” a tweak.

Let’s not pretend the branding industry doesn’t love its theatrics. Full rebrands make headlines. They win awards. They fill portfolios.

But here’s the truth Lisa wants us to hear: The most innovative brand work today may not be visible at all.

“I look at these rebrands,” she says, “and I think—if you’re not trying to solve a real business problem, why are you doing this? It’s too expensive, too time-consuming, and too strategic to do for fun.”

It’s a callout to brands chasing clout rather than clarity.

And it’s a challenge to designers and marketers alike: Stop obsessing over logos. Start building resilient systems that can stretch, flex, and adapt as your business evolves.

Controversial take? Maybe.

Lisa Smith’s insights may unsettle traditionalists. They might disappoint designers hungry for flashy overhauls. But her message lands with clarity:

A significant rebrand isn’t about redesigning. It’s about realigning.

And sometimes, the most revolutionary thing you can do… is change nothing at all.

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