Why nostalgia is so important to the success of Burger King’s rebrand

Headlining March’s Nicer Tuesdays, we welcomed Raphael Abreu, global head of design for Restaurant Brands International (Burger King’s parent company) who talked us through the international fast food chain’s new rebrand. Dialling in from Miami, Rapha joined us for a Q&A with our editor-in-chief Matt Alagiah. He divulged the details of what goes into a complete visual overhaul across 18,000 different locations; no mean feat. One particularly meaty topic he delved into is Burger King’s move into the digital era, a huge undertaking which required a whole new way of creating thinking.

In this comprehensive branding talk, Raphael takes us through the revamp which saw Burger King collaborate with JKR New York, illustrators Cachetejack and type foundry Colophon. Covering the decisions behind the variable font, the colour palette, the installation of the new logo and the overall brand rollout; the head of design heartily explained why this is a rebrand which left “no stone unturned”. At one point, he said of the rebrand which leans heavily on nostalgia, looking to Burger King’s past to inform its future: “Let’s design something that people wished was always there.”