The new logotype, which looks indistinguishable from the Motorola font, makes the Jaguar feel toothless.I didnt have a Jaguar rebrand in my 2024 bingo cards, but honestly, this year has been curveball after curveball, hasnt it? The British luxury automobile brand just unveiled its rebranding, characterized by 4 new elements that make up Jaguars fresh look to usher in its EV-only push. The new branding orbits around four meticulously designed elements.First is the Device Mark, a logo stripped of excess yet bold in its restraint. Its symmetry hints at balancea nod, perhaps, to the duality of tradition and innovation Jaguar aims to master. Then theres the Strikethrough, a graphic motif that almost slices through the air with modernity, destined to carve a permanent space in Jaguars visual lexicon. The Exuberant Colors go even further, injecting vibrancy and connecting the brand to the artistic world. Finally, the Makers Marksa duo of the traditional leaper emblem and a sleek monogramgrounds the brand in its storied history while letting its typography flirt with the contemporary.Jaguars Chief Creative Officer, Professor Gerry McGovern, frames this shift as a reclamation of identity. This is a reimagining that recaptures the essence of Jaguar, returning it to the values that once made it so loved, but making it relevant for a contemporary audience, he says. The implication (given the assets shared by Jaguar) hints at the company viewing themselves as less of a car brand and more of a luxury brand. The exuberant colors of the campaign imagery look like something out of a fashion magazine, which fails to address the most important part of Jaguars brand its automotive part. In fact, none of the images even have a car in them, or hint at anything car-related.The new logotype opts for a curved, sans-serif font that ditches Jaguars original aesthetic entirely. Its somewhat ironic that Jaguar brings up a quote by its founder, Sir William Lyons who said A Jaguar should be a copy of nothing, when the logo instantly appears generic or seen before. The Device Mark tries to create a difference by boldly eschewing the branding styles of automotive companies; but in doing so, falls into the trap of feeling familiar, and not the good kind. The font somewhat resembles the logotype of Motorola, with the Jaguars G looking vaguely like Googles G.Obviously, my opinions are broadly my own, but show the logotype to someone completely new to the automotive world and theyre least likely to guess it belongs to a company that made something as ferociously fast as the F-Type. The Strikethrough gets a subtle yet significant change, however, with the jaguar being flipped to face towards the right instead of the left. A little easier to grasp as an outsider, this change does two things it differentiates Jaguar from Puma, which both had left-facing feline logos, and secondly, it makes the jungle cat look like its lunging forward instead of backward. The lines of the strikethrough dont provide much of an explanation for their presence, although they could at least bend around the Jaguar to make it look like a wind tunnel test.Overall, the branding feels drastic, confusing, and outright rejects everything the British marque built over the past 102 years. It isnt like Audis rebrand from last week, which meaningfully announced a new collaborative EV line exclusive to its China marketplace while still retaining the four-logo identity for the global brand. This rebrand on Jaguars part doesnt explain much, especially when theres no actual context in the picture.The car company hasnt announced any new cars that go with the branding, making the logo and visual identity feel confusing. The Device Mark presents a strange mashup of Motorola and Google, the Strikethrough creates grills that famously dont feature on EVs, the Makers Mark looks appealing but lacks any context, and the Exuberant Colors (the posters shown below) have absolutely zero reference to cars at all.Jaguars campaign imagery mentions nothing about automobiles. There isnt a car to be seen in any of the posters.I dont want to discount Jaguars efforts with its rebrand lets just say they probably know something I dont. My opinions aside (even though theyre rather strong), Jaguars new identity comes just days before the company unveils the Jaguar Design Vision Concept a conceptual automobile that serves as a guiding point for the carmakers future endeavors. With a commitment to launch a completely new slew of all-electric vehicles by the end of the decade, Jaguar is hoping the rebrand performs a complete reset according to Managing Director Rawdon Glover.History, at least, is on Jaguars side. The brand has repeatedly proven its ability to adapt and evolve, from the sleek lines of the E-Type to the modern flair of the I-PACE. This latest transformation is timed perfectly, albeit with the stakes turned up to eleven. Yet, reinvention always comes with risks. Will this new identity alienate loyalists who cherish Jaguars old-world charm? Can the brand authentically straddle the line between exclusivity and accessibility, artistry and practicality? These are the big questions Jaguar faces, and theyll only be answered as its plans unfold in the years to come.The post Jaguars Rebranding feels Confusingly Generic as the Luxury Carmaker Announces New Visual Identity first appeared on Yanko Design.