SubwayCopied

Subway's previous logo, introduced around 2002, slanted forward in italic type with a coloured outline; some fans read the slant as a promise of speed. On 5 August 2016 the chain revealed its replacement in two TV ads, Clean Slate and Everyone, that aired in prime time during NBC's coverage of the Summer Olympics opening ceremony as part of a #SearchforBetter campaign.

The new wordmark stands upright, with curvy letters that It's Nice That noted had more in common with the original 1968 logo. The yellow became darker and the green lighter, bringing the colours closer in tone, and the tilt and outline were removed. The arrows at each end of the name stayed, and a new symbol combined two of them into an S, giving the brand a smaller mark for social media and apps. Subway said the arrows symbolised the choices it offers guests.

President and CEO Suzanne Greco said the new look reinforced Subway's commitment to staying fresh and forward-thinking with a clear, confident design, without losing sight of its heritage. It followed menu changes and the launch of Subway Digital earlier in the year, and the full rollout to restaurants worldwide was set to begin in early 2017. A Subway spokesperson told It's Nice That the project was led by its creative team with a variety of design partners.

Designers were split. Collide Creative's Kevin Tucker told Creative Bloq that Subway had wisely remixed its best brand equity into something contemporary; Roar Studios' Rohan Nanavati called it a missed opportunity to reposition. On Twitter people compared the arrow symbol to a recycling centre, and on Reddit some said the new logo somehow looked older.

CNBC put the change in commercial context. It was the sixth logo in Subway's 50 years and the first in about 15, arriving as the chain tried to recover from a second straight year of weak results, with 2015 revenue down 4.3 percent and new sandwiches such as rotisserie-style chicken introduced to bring people back. A spokeswoman said the refresh stayed true to the brand's roots by using the vibrant palette of the mid-1960s, when the company was founded, and that the arrows were kept because they symbolised the choices Subway offered. The worldwide rollout was set for early 2017.

Both camps have a point. The upright type is better, but a sandwich chain fighting a stale reputation needed a new idea, and an arrow symbol that reads as recycling is not one.