# MapQuest new logo (2015)

> MapQuest launched a new logo in Sep 2015, designed by FutureBrand. Sep/Oct 2015 rebrand by Futurebrand: the 2010 Wolff Olins identity (green 'mq' speech-bubble icon with a lowercase wordmark) replaced by a retro, 1970s-style chunky outlined 'mapquest' wordmark, alongside redesigned web and mobile products.

## Key facts

- Brand: MapQuest
- Launched: Sep 2015
- Studio: FutureBrand
- What changed: Sep/Oct 2015 rebrand by Futurebrand: the 2010 Wolff Olins identity (green 'mq' speech-bubble icon with a lowercase wordmark) replaced by a retro, 1970s-style chunky outlined 'mapquest' wordmark, alongside redesigned web and mobile products.
- Why: MapQuest rebranded to capture younger users who might not know the brand at all.
- Industry: Technology
- Logos: https://rebrandlog.com/logos/mapquest-2015/before.png (before), https://rebrandlog.com/logos/mapquest-2015/after.svg (after)

## The rebrand, explained

By 2015 MapQuest was the map service people remembered printing directions from. The Denver Post put it bluntly: the once beloved service had moved to the back burner after the rise of Google Maps and the iPhone, which had a feature MapQuest could not match, being the default map on the phone. In May, Verizon acquired it as part of its $4.4 billion purchase of AOL.

On 20 October 2015 the Denver-based company launched a revamped map, website and mobile app alongside a new brand, anchored by what its announcement called a bold new logo and interface design reflecting its inventive nature, responsive legacy and human approach. The maps were rebuilt with a new stack and styling from Mapbox; the app added a Compare tool and integrations with Uber and car2go, and the Post reported a partnership with Denver's transit district.

The general manager admitted the core problem. For far too long, he said, people had asked whether MapQuest still existed; it had more than 42 million users and wanted lapsed ones to come back, under the campaign line #MapQuestIt, again. Its communications director told the Post the aim was to capture younger users who might not know the brand at all, and that it hoped to become the default for Verizon customers.

An industry analyst told the Post MapQuest had been the leader, let it slip, and underestimated mobile, and that Verizon had picked it up by accident while buying an advertising platform. Its future could go either way.

Search Engine Land described the new mark as retro chic, in a 1970s style, and listed the promised upgrades around it: a faster site for mobile and desktop, a new tablet experience for its fastest growing platform, better features for urban users, and content from partners such as Priceline, OpenTable and SeatGeek. It judged the new interface cleaner and more visually appealing, with clearer category buttons and better presented local listings. A seventies throwback is an odd choice for a company trying to prove it still exists, but it does at least make people look twice.

A logo was the least of MapQuest's problems, and the brand seemed to know it. Freshening the identity made sense as a signal of new ownership and a rebuilt product. But no mark can beat the home-screen default, and the relaunch read as a plea for attention as much as a statement of who MapQuest now was.

In short: Does MapQuest still exist?

## Sources

- https://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/new_logo_and_identity_for_mapquest_by_futurebrand.php
- https://www.denverpost.com/2015/10/19/mapquest-gets-a-new-look-after-verizon-takes-over/
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/its-time-to-mapquestit-again-300162392.html

## Cite this

Rebrand Log, "MapQuest new logo (2015)", https://rebrandlog.com/rebrand/mapquest-2015/, last updated 2026-10-20.