When Redesigns Divide: What the Eurovision Case Teaches About Your Website
Published by Incomedia in Web design · Wednesday 27 Aug 2025 · 10:45
Have you ever felt that your website could use a little refresh?
It’s a bit like opening your wardrobe and realizing that the “timeless” jacket you’ve been keeping is actually out of style by at least a decade. Websites are the same: sooner or later, it’s time for a new look.
The right word is redesign: renewing the image, improving the experience, giving new life to your content. But – and this is where it gets interesting – not everyone likes change. Even the most famous brands, with million-dollar budgets and design teams, have launched redesigns that ended up upsetting their most loyal fans.
Take the most recent case: the Eurovision Song Contest, which introduced a new logo for its 70th anniversary. The result? A wave of criticism.
And it’s certainly not the first example, nor will it be the last: as we’ll see, the history of controversial rebranding is long and often spectacular.
But here’s the good news: by learning from these “high-profile missteps,” we can do better with our own projects. Because yes, giving your site a new look with WebSite X5 might seem like a challenge, but with the right care it becomes an opportunity to grow and communicate more effectively.
💡 Note: In marketing, rebranding refers to when a brand changes its identity (logo, values, communication), while redesign usually means updating the look and feel. In this article, we’ll look at some famous rebranding examples and see what lessons we can apply to the redesign of your website.
The Eurovision Case: A New Logo That Divides
After seeing that even the giants can stumble with their redesigns, let’s look at the most recent and talked-about example: the Eurovision Song Contest.
For those who might not know it, it’s one of the most watched music competitions in the world: every year it brings artists from all over Europe onto the stage, and it’s famous not only for the music but also for the spectacle and the audience engagement.
To celebrate its 70th anniversary, Eurovision decided to refresh its image by launching a new logo. On paper, the idea was clear: give the contest a more modern, digital-friendly look, able to work smoothly across all platforms. The result was a custom font called Singing Sans and a three-dimensional heart made up of 70 layers — one for each year of the contest’s history.
Eurovision logo: comparison between the historic version and the new design that divided fans and critics.
So far, so good. But the public reaction was not what the organizers hoped for: within hours, social media was flooded with criticism. Some called it “a step backwards,” others dismissed it as “too generic,” and some even compared it to a student project. In short, rather than a success, the rebranding turned into a small media storm.
And it’s certainly not the only case: in recent years, several world-famous brands have tried to change their look… only to find themselves at the center of controversy.
Other Famous Rebrandings That Sparked Debate
Eurovision is not the first (and certainly won’t be the last) to come under fire from fans for a rebranding. The list of famous cases is long — and sometimes surprising.
Gap (2010): A New Logo That Lasted Just One Week
Gap is one of the best-known clothing chains in the world, a true symbol of American casual style. For decades, its logo had been a simple, reassuring wordmark: white letters inside a dark blue square.
In 2010, aiming to look more modern and appeal to younger generations, Gap invested millions of dollars in a rebranding project carried out by a design agency. The new logo ditched the iconic blue box for black Helvetica letters with a small blue gradient square on the top right corner — a radical change.
Gap logo: comparison between the iconic blue box and the new 2010 design that was withdrawn after just a week.
The result was disastrous. Within hours, customers and fans began protesting on social media: the new logo was called bland, impersonal, and inferior to the classic one. In less than a week, thousands of parodies and even online “Gap logo generators” had appeared.
The company was forced to backtrack: after just six days it announced the return of the traditional logo, implicitly admitting that the public wasn’t ready for such a drastic change.
Tropicana (2009): When the Orange with the Straw Disappeared
Tropicana is one of the world’s most famous juice brands, part of the PepsiCo group. For years, its packaging was instantly recognizable: a whole orange pierced with a straw, a symbol of natural freshness.
In 2009, in an attempt to modernize the image and give the packaging a “cleaner” look, the company launched a complete redesign: the fruit disappeared, replaced by a close-up of a glass of juice with an orange cap meant to resemble the peel. The goal was to create a more contemporary and minimalist look.
Tropicana packaging: on the left the iconic orange with a straw, on the right the minimalist packaging introduced in 2009 and withdrawn after sales declined.
The public reaction was disastrous. Consumers no longer recognized the product on store shelves and, within two months, sales dropped by 20%, with losses estimated at around $30 million. The backlash was so strong that PepsiCo quickly abandoned the new design and reverted to the original packaging.
Airbnb (2014): A Controversial Logo That Ultimately Won
Airbnb, the platform that revolutionized tourism by connecting travelers with private hosts, was in full international growth in 2014. To reinforce its sense of community, the company decided to renew its visual identity with a new logo: the Bélo.
Airbnb logo: on the left the original text-based logo, on the right the Bélo symbol introduced in 2014 — initially criticized but later consolidated as the brand’s visual identity.
The symbol was meant to represent belonging, people, and places, but its stylized form quickly opened the door to ironic interpretations. Memes spread online: some saw anatomical references, others compared it to logos of existing brands, and many simply found it unattractive.
Despite the initial criticism, Airbnb stuck with the logo and strongly emphasized the story and values behind it (hospitality, community, trust). Over time, the visual identity was absorbed by the public, and today the Bélo has become an integral and widely recognized part of the brand.
Jaguar (2024): Farewell to the Leaping Cat
Jaguar has always been synonymous with British elegance and luxury cars, with an iconic logo: the leaping jaguar, symbolizing power and dynamism.
In 2024, ahead of its transition to electric vehicles and a new positioning strategy, the brand opted for a radical rebranding: the feline disappeared, replaced by a stylized double “J” and a much more abstract, minimalist visual identity. The launch campaign underlined the break by featuring ads where cars didn’t even appear.
Jaguar logo: on the left the famous leaping cat, on the right the stylized double “J” introduced in 2024 with the brand’s new strategy.
The result? A wave of criticism. Many enthusiasts saw the change as a betrayal of Jaguar’s history and imagery. At the same time, sales dropped dramatically in Europe, fueling the debate over whether the rebranding had alienated loyal customers without attracting new ones.
Why Rebrandings Spark Debate: 5 Common Mistakes
Looking at the cases of Eurovision, Gap, Tropicana, Airbnb, and Jaguar, one thing becomes clear: it’s not the rebranding itself that’s wrong, but the way it’s conceived, launched, and communicated. Here are the five most common reasons why a rebranding can turn into a “textbook case”… in the wrong sense.
Website redesign checklist: the 5 essential steps to update your site without losing identity or rankings.
Loss of Recognizability
The logo or packaging changes so drastically that the brand becomes unrecognizable. That’s exactly what happened to Tropicana: without the famous orange with a straw, customers couldn’t find the product on the shelves. The result? An immediate collapse in sales.
👉 For your website: the same risk arises when you suddenly change colors, fonts, or layout without a clear thread. Regular visitors might think they’ve landed on a completely different site and feel disoriented. So keep the key elements that make you recognizable (color palette, logo, tone of voice) and update them gradually.
Bad Timing
The public isn’t always ready for a drastic change. Gap, for example, launched a new logo without preparing its customers in any way, and within a few days it was overwhelmed by criticism. A rebranding can make sense, but if it comes at the wrong moment it risks being rejected.
👉 For your website: even if you feel like revolutionizing everything overnight, remember that your audience needs time to adjust. Move gradually — start with the most important pages and announce any major changes in advance.
Ignoring Users
A rebranding should start with the people it’s aimed at. Without listening to the audience, you risk spending time and money on an operation that doesn’t match the tastes or needs of those who actually use the product or service.
👉 For your website: make a small effort to research before you start. You can collect feedback from your customers, check which pages perform best with analytics, or run a quick test between two versions of the same page. This will help you understand where you really need to make changes.
Unclear Communication
Changing the look isn’t enough: you need to explain the “why.” Airbnb’s success didn’t come from the shape of its new logo (which was heavily criticized at first), but from how it told the story and values behind the choice, helping people make it their own.
👉 For your website: don’t let visitors think, “what just happened here?” Add a short notice, a blog post, or a newsletter message to explain why you updated the site — whether it’s to make navigation easier, introduce new features, or improve the overall experience. Just a few lines are enough for people to see the change as a thoughtful gesture.
Inconsistency with Brand Identity
A rebranding should always respect the history and values that made a brand recognizable. In Jaguar’s case, removing the iconic leaping cat was seen by many as a betrayal of its roots, creating too sharp a break with the past.
👉 For your website: if you’ve built a recognizable identity over time, don’t erase it. You can simplify things, make text and visuals more readable, but without overturning what people already associate with you. This way you stay consistent — but more up to date.
How to Apply These Lessons to Your Website
So far, we’ve looked at striking rebranding cases: million-dollar operations that sparked debate all over the world. From these stories, we’ve learned what not to do — and what to do — when the goal is something simpler: giving your website a much-needed refresh.
Redesigning a website is a process you can tackle step by step, with simplicity and method.
First of all, we’ve learned that a website redesign isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity. Websites age faster than we think: design, usability, and even user expectations change quickly. Updating the graphics or reorganizing content isn’t just about “looking better,” it’s about communicating more clearly, being easier to use, and keeping your visitors engaged.
Of course, the mistake we see big brands make again and again is changing everything at once, without preparing their audience.
So, when should you redesign your website? The first rule is to proceed methodically and without rushing. If it’s a personal or business site, there’s no need to rebuild everything from scratch: you can take it step by step, starting with the most important pages (home, contact, products/services) and then gradually moving on to the rest. This way you stay in control and minimize surprises.
Another good practice is to aim for visual consistency. If you have a logo, colors, or a style your customers recognize, you don’t have to abandon them: just modernize, simplify, and make them more readable — especially on mobile. That way, your site feels fresher without losing its identity.
The technical side is also crucial and shouldn’t be overlooked: when you publish the new version, check that links work, that your site speed is good, and that Google can still crawl your pages correctly. Small checks like these will help you update without losing results.
And finally, don’t forget communication. Let your visitors know why you updated the site: maybe to make navigation easier, maybe to introduce new services. Just a few lines are enough for the change to be perceived as care and attention, not a shock.
Checklist for a Website Redesign Without Surprises
We’ve seen which mistakes to avoid and which best practices to follow to refresh your website gradually and safely. Here’s a checklist that sums up the key points: use it as a practical guide while working on your project with WebSite X5.
- Do some research before making changes
- Collect feedback: run small surveys with your customers or ask for opinions from trusted contacts.
- If your site is already online, look at simple tools like traffic stats or heatmaps: they’ll show you which sections work and which ones are ignored.
- Consider an A/B test on key elements like the header or the contact page.
- Don’t lose your identity
- Keep your color palette, logo, and the elements that make you recognizable.
- Move step by step: update gradually instead of changing everything at once.
- Protect your SEO rankings
- Before publishing the new version, prepare a map of your URLs: any that change should be redirected with 301 redirects.
- Update page titles and metadata without losing the keywords that already drive traffic.
- After the launch, check Google Search Console for errors and monitor Core Web Vitals.
- Prioritize the most important content
- Start with the most visited pages (home, contact, products/services) and only then move on to the rest.
- Review your copy: it should be clear, up to date, and useful for today’s visitors.
- Communicate and involve your users
- Don’t leave your visitors confused: briefly explain why you redesigned the site (easier navigation, new services, etc.).
- If possible, add a small changelog or a feedback form.
Conclusions: Change Is Possible — Without the Stress
From the cases we’ve seen, one thing is clear: a redesign is a delicate step. Big brands know this well and, despite million-dollar investments, they don’t always manage to win over the public. But for websites the good news is that you can avoid the same mistakes by working simply and gradually.
With WebSite X5 you can redesign your site in a simple and effective way.
With WebSite X5 you have everything you need to do it without stress:
- tools to update graphics and content while keeping your identity,
- templates already optimized for desktop and mobile,
- built-in SEO and content management features,
- a clear workflow that guides you step by step to publication.
A redesign isn’t just about looks: it’s an opportunity to communicate better, offer visitors a smoother experience, and ultimately achieve better results.
Ready to give your site a fresh new life?
Open WebSite X5, duplicate your project, and start refreshing the key pages. And if you don’t yet have the latest version, update your license: you’ll get modern templates, more powerful tools, and everything you need to put a refreshed, functional, and truly yours website online.
FAQ on Website Redesign
How often should a website be redesigned?
In general, it’s advisable to refresh your site every 3–4 years, as technologies, design trends, and user expectations evolve quickly. You don’t need to rebuild everything from scratch: you can also update design and content gradually to keep up.
How can I redesign my website without losing Google rankings?
Before publishing the new version, prepare a map of your URLs: if any addresses change, set up 301 redirects. Keep the content that already drives traffic and update only what’s necessary. After the launch, check Google Search Console to make sure no errors have appeared.
Is it better to redesign the entire site at once or step by step?
It depends on your needs: if you’re short on time and want to minimize risks, it’s better to proceed step by step, starting with the most important pages. If you urgently need a clean break, you can rebuild everything, but make sure to run tests and create a backup before publishing.
Disclaimer: The brands and logos shown in this article (Eurovision, Gap, Tropicana, Airbnb, Jaguar…) are the property of their respective owners. We have used them only as examples to illustrate well-known rebranding cases: WebSite X5 has no affiliation with these brands.