WHSmith rebrand: What happens when a heritage brand ditches its personality?
When a 230 year old high street name suddenly changes its identity, eyebrows are bound to raise. The WHSmith rebrand - renaming its high street stores to TG Jones — has definitely caught attention. Most Brits associate WHSmith with last minute airport paperbacks and train station snacks, so this pivot feels…surprising.
Founded in 1792, WHSmith grew from a family run newsagent into a national institution, with a serif wordmark that visually signalled trust, authority, and reliability. The move to rebrand the high street stores as TG Jones is about sharpening and modernising that offer, but there’s a fine line between refreshing a brand and stripping away what made it distinct.
Let’s talk about what’s happening here and how we’d make sure the rebrand amplifies value instead of diluting it.
let’s talk about the new TG Jones logo
From what we’ve seen on Reddit (credit to user u/Lobster_Source for the leak), the new TG Jones logo abandons the old serif type in favour of a bland, sans-serif font that looks eerily like it was plucked straight from a default Microsoft Word drop-down. Clean? Yes. Functional? Sure. Memorable? Not even close.
This is a textbook example of what happens when a heritage brand chases modernity but loses sight of character. Removing a heritage-infused serif in favour of a generic sans-serif isn’t automatically a ‘modernisation’, it’s a neutralisation. A flattening of identity. It tells us nothing about the legacy of the business, nothing about its evolution, and nothing about where it wants to go.
Let’s not forget — TG Jones is a fictitious name. Created solely to “resonate” with high street shoppers. Erm… need we say more?
How we’d tackle the WHSmith rebrand (the KOB way)
Anchor in the narrative, not just the name
If the move to TG Jones is about sharpening the high street offer and clarifying the business structure, that’s a story worth telling. We’d start by crafting a brand narrative that honours WHSmith’s past while confidently pointing to its future, showing customers why this change matters to them. Rebranding strategy without storytelling? Missed opportunity.
Retain recognisable equity
A clean break can alienate loyal customers. Rather than ditching the heritage entirely, we’d look at ways to subtly weave in visual callbacks, maybe crafting a custom typeface that nods to the old serif elegance but feels sharper and more contemporary.
Choose a typeface with soul
There’s modern, and then there’s meaningless. We’d opt for a custom or carefully curated typeface that has distinctiveness, one that holds its own whether on a storefront or a mobile app.
Design for flexibility, not flatness
A high street brand revamp should be versatile, not bland. A modern retail brand needs to live across hundreds of touchpoints — in-store, digital, packaging, and wayfinding. The visual identity needs to flex confidently without becoming sterile. This means layered brand elements: secondary marks, patterns, graphic motifs that extend the personality, not erase it.
the branding ripple effect
Rebrands are more than logos and letterheads, they’re about perception shifts. Done well, they can reinvigorate customer trust and open new doors. Done hastily, they risk eroding decades of built equity.
At KOB Design, we always ask: Is this amplifying what makes the brand powerful? If the answer’s no, it’s back to the drawing board. TG Jones might be aiming for high street clarity, but clarity without character is forgettable. Our take? Modernise, but don’t sterilise.
it’s time to treat your branding like your best customer
Let’s create a brand experience that feels as good as your products work. One that your customers recognise, remember, and rave about. No bland fonts. No half-baked visuals. Just bold, strategic branding with real impact. Sound good? Get in touch today, and let’s make sure your business stands out for all the right reasons.
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