Inside the KFC Global Rebrand: Strategy, Design, and Key Takeaways
TL;DR
The KFC global rebrand builds a whole identity around the iconic chicken bucket. Taking what already works for the brand, KFC has built a revamped identity that just clicks. Let’s talk about a few key takeaways from this rebranding.
In the world of branding, if there is one thing that everyone is currently talking about, it’s the KFC global rebrand. The brand has launched its most comprehensive global rebrand in decades. And the refresh centres on the brand’s iconic bucket, which is now the foundation of an entire design world called the “Bucketverse.” This new central element now extends across a new 3D logo, custom typefaces, restaurant redesigns, and a sweeping menu overhaul.
Overall, the strategy is not an unrecognizable reinvention of the brand but an amplification of what is iconic about it and what customers connect with.
We hear about brand refreshes every now and then. But there are many that do not go as planned. Some face massive backlash, and some go unnoticed. In contrast, there is the KFC global rebrand that has created a lot of buzz. It’s not just one of those rare rebrands with no backlash but also one that’s getting major hype right now.
So, what did KFC do differently? What aspects of the KFC global rebrand strategy and design made it a huge hit? Let’s find out.
The Rebrand at a Glance: What Changed and What Didn’t
To begin with, let’s understand KFC’s brand refresh. What really did the brand change? To understand this, let’s talk about the foundational element of the rebrand, the design strategy, the Bucketverse.
The Bucketverse
Teams that get rebranding right know this: the key to successful rebranding is knowing what your most distinctive brand asset is. The creative agency behind the KFC global rebrand, JKR, knew that and that’s one of the reasons behind the success of KFC’s brand refresh. When it comes to KFC, a lot of elements are iconic, the stripes, the Colonel, the red and white palette, and most importantly, the bucket. Of all these, the bucket holds prominence because it is the one solid, tangible element of the brand.
The KFC bucket has evolved beyond packaging and has become the most recognizable brand element.
The concept of the Bucketverse is JKR’s term for the expanded brand world built around that single iconic element. In the words of Sean Thomas, JKR’s global executive creative director, “KFC has always believed in doing things differently, with a passion and originality that created a category and made it unmistakable. Our role was to help it evolve for the next chapter, in a way that only KFC could. Where to start? By building a world and experience that consumers could step into.”
Accordingly, in practical design terms, the bucket has been established as the central element. Considering that the iconic KFC bucket is one of the common and distinct elements across markets, this was a brilliant move.
The Bucketverse puts the KFC bucket as the framing device in branding, the essential storytelling tool. So, here’s what has changed.
The new logo
One of the first things changing as part of the KFC global rebrand is the primary logo. It has undergone a meaningful transformation.
Notably, what was earlier a relatively flat, squared-off logo mark has been rebuilt as a three-dimensional symbol. This is in line with the recent trend of brands moving away from purely flat designs to incorporating more depth into their designs.
The key detail here is that the illustration of Colonel Sanders has remained a crucial part of the brand’s identity for decades and that’s not changing. But the illustration is now more richly rendered and more spatially present.
Did you notice that his expression has been reinforced and the illustration now feels warmer and livelier without drastic changes to his core character? The brand name in the logo has also been repositioned, appearing on either side of the Colonel rather than below him, which gives the whole mark a more balanced look.
Typography: Kentucky Fried Serif (Yes, really)
One of the thoughtful design details in the KFC global rebrand is the custom typeface system developed in partnership with StudioDRAMA.
The refreshed KFC brand identity now consists of its own proprietary fonts, Kentucky Fried Serif and Kentucky Fried Sans. The fonts both build on the previous lettermark and typeface with subtle yet intentional updates to reflect the updated personality without feeling alien to the brand.
The consistent design DNA here is the kind of systematic thinking that separates a successful brand refresh from a superficial logo update.
Color: The “Herbs and Spices” palette
Even the most intentional design feels incomplete without the right colors. Evidently, the global KFC rebrand has paid attention to the brand’s color palette as well.
The core KFC palette, red, white, and black, remains untouched. Given that the brand colors have a massive global recognition and that these colors work for the brand beyond language barriers, tampering with those colors would be a risk and so KFC chose not to take that risk.
Instead, the brand has introduced a secondary system, dubbed “Herbs and Spices,” in a wink to the Colonel’s original recipe. This expanded palette is designed to give the brand more flexibility in its designs for diverse touchpoints, social media, packaging, and digital campaigns.
Signature photography, illustration and tone of voice
Several brands that tackle rebranding, or even their initial branding, for that matter, think about the key details like logo, font and colors. However, not many dig deeper. While these elements are strong influencers of brand perception, there is more to a strong brand identity than these core elements. These nuances include signature photography style, illustration and tone of voice that the brand uses.
In other words, it is about how the brand looks, sounds and feels across all its touchpoints.
The KFC global rebrand takes these nuances into account in order to shape the brand’s visual language.
This includes a new photography system shot through the “bucket lens”. This concept brings a more cinematic, expressive quality to food imagery. It plays with perspectives, making the brand photos more immersive and creative.
Additionally, illustration work for the brand was commissioned from a global pool of artists, Benardo Henning in Buenos Aires, UV-朱 in Xiamen, Boomranng in Mumbai, Eva Cremers in Amsterdam and Belén Díaz Guerra in Lima. This decision to collaborate with local artists works in favor of the brand, especially in an era where brands are being criticized for replacing human talent with AI. The marketing team behind the Devil Wears Prada 2 movie received a similar positive response for its collaboration with human artists.
KFC’s move also reinforces the brand’s desire to feel locally resonant while staying globally recognizable.
Finally, let’s talk about the invisible yet influential detail, the brand’s tone of voice. The brand’s tone of voice has been defined as playful, witty, confident and candid. Remember the “FCK” ad that KFC launched in 2018? The brand behind this needs to preserve that signature tone and the refreshed KFC identity reinforces this.
The tagline stays!
What makes a good rebrand is not just what changes but also what remains unchanged. In the case of the new KFC global rebranding, the brand has preserved its tagline. The tagline is no longer just a supplementary detail in the brand’s identity but more of a “standard of behaviour”, a guiding principle behind the whole customer experience that the brand is aiming for.
Collaborating with lettering artist Tobias Hall, the brand has developed a custom mark for the phrase, giving it an artisanal, handcrafted quality. Yes, this is a refreshing deviation from the rest of the design system but that’s intentional and is designed to humanize the KFC brand. The slogan now appears on employee apparel, on packaging, and as a philosophy for how the brand expects its restaurants to feel.
The KFC Global Rebrand: Responses and Reasons
How the world reacted to KFC’s refreshed brand identity
The overall response for the logo has been positive. People are happy about almost all aspects of the refreshed identity, especially the brand’s attention to detail.
For instance, the Dieline spoke about the hidden chicken drumstick tucked into the logo’s negative space, sitting within the curve of the letter “C” in the wordmark. Small yet significant details like these sit well with the audience and make a logo memorable.
Similarly, on social media, everyday consumers were equally enthusiastic. Some users spoke about the updated Colonel Sanders illustration. One user even pointed out that “it finally doesn’t look like a head on tiny legs anymore,” thanks to the fresh details and balanced approach this time. The new three-dimensional rendering gives him weight and character that feel worthy of the brand he represents.
In addition to all these, users have also praised the brand for the subtle yet interactive motion and colors that have been introduced. These make the brand identity more meaningful in the digital realm.
So, yes, the response to KFC’s rebranding has been good. But the real lessons come from the reasons behind the rebrand. They come from the “why” behind KFC’s decision to update its identity now.
The reasons – KFC’s evolution
A rebranding project makes sense when it has a strong purpose. When there is a strong and justifiable reason for the brand to leave its old identity behind for a new one or to upgrade its identity. That was precisely the case with KFC.
KFC is not just slapping a new logo on its merchandise. The restaurant experience that KFC offers is undergoing an overhaul.
From an open-concept restaurant design planned for McKinney, Texas to a two-story restaurant planned to debut in Dubai, the brand is planning to put hospitality and dining experience front and center.
Yes, that challenges the grab-and-go culture that fast food restaurants like KFC are known for. And the refreshed identity, the more refined presentation, the more vibrant design system now reflects this massive shift.
In the words of Scott Mezvinsky, CEO, KFC Global, “In an increasingly crowded category, we have a clear opportunity to set the standard for modern chicken in QSR. This next chapter brings new energy and expression to what makes us iconic, while doubling down on our chicken and reimagining how fans experience KFC around the world.”
What’s changing with the brand on the whole?
- New Dipped and Dunked menu items
- A sub-brand called Kwench by KFC focused on beverages
- Experience-focused restaurant layouts
Does the brand identity reflect these changes? Yes, they do, in every way possible. Does the brand identity still stay recognizable? Yes, it does. Does it alienate the existing audience? No, it doesn’t. That’s exactly how the new KFC global rebrand nailed it.
KFC’s New Logo and Brand Identity: FAQs
The refreshed KFC identity introduces more motion, depth, flexibility, and modular design elements. These features are particularly effective across social media, mobile apps, digital advertising, video content, and interactive customer experiences, where static branding systems often struggle to perform.
KFC’s rebranding incorporates several contemporary branding trends, including dimensional logo design, flexible design systems, custom typography, immersive brand worlds, motion-first branding, experiential retail design, and stronger integration between physical and digital customer experiences.
Unlike some rebrands that dramatically alter logos or visual identities, like Jaguar’s rebranding, KFC’s approach is more purpose-driven and preserves what’s iconic about the brand. It focuses on amplifying existing brand equity rather than replacing it. This strategy is increasingly viewed by branding experts as lower-risk and more sustainable for established global brands with decades of consumer recognition.
More Than a Rebrand: A Masterclass in Building on Brand Equity
The KFC global rebrand proves that the most effective brand transformations are not always the most dramatic ones. Rather than chasing trends or reinventing itself from scratch, KFC identified the assets that already held meaning for its audience and amplified them into a richer, more flexible brand system.
From the Bucketverse and custom typography to restaurant experiences and digital-first design, every element works together to support the brand’s next phase of growth while preserving the familiarity customers already love. It is a reminder that great branding is not about changing who you are but about expressing it more clearly, consistently, and memorably.
Whether you’re planning a complete rebrand, refreshing an existing identity, or scaling a brand across multiple channels, the challenge remains the same – creating a cohesive visual system that stays recognizable while evolving with your business.
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