Over the past several years, the art of the rebrand has increasingly become a spectacle sport. From cultural institutions like the Philadelphia Art Museum, which reportedly fired its CEO over a poorly received rebrand this year, to the furniture brand La-Z-Boy, which was widely praised for its modern revamp, the internet’s attention economy has meant that almost no notable rebrand is safe from social media’s deluge of hot takes.

In 2025, that was more true than ever. Brands that rolled out a new look this year were scrutinized for everything from their font and color choices to the potential ideological implications of their visual pivots. In September, after the design firm Pentagram received major flack for its official branding of the city of Austin, partner DJ Stout told Fast Company, “It’s because of social media. Back when I first started about 40 years ago, nobody even knew what an identity system was.”

To close out the year, Fast Company asked seven design experts to choose one rebrand that—for better or worse—will be remembered as the most influential of 2025, shaping both design and discourse in the months ahead. Here’s what they told us:

In a testament to the major impact of Cracker Barrel’s rebrand, two of the seven designers we contacted identified the brand as their top pick.

News of Cracker Barrel’s rebrand initially emerged in mid-October, when the company unveiled a new color palette, typography, and plans to revamp its restaurant interiors. But what really stood out to fans was the brand’s new logo, which removed the former rendering of an older man leaning on a barrel, known as “Uncle Herschel” or “the Old Timer,” in place of a more modernized look. 

“In the hope of presenting a more contemporary image to the world and attracting younger and more affluent customers, they eroded the brand’s identity and character (literally: goodbye Uncle Herschel),” says Matt Boffey, chief strategy officer at Design Bridge and Partners in the UK and Europe.

Online, right-wing commentators framed the swap as a radical, “woke” move, with everyone from conservative activist Robby Starbuck to President Trump himself weighing in with increasingly negative takes. The backlash was so severe that Cracker Barrel

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