Logo changes are a big deal, they drive your branding, keep your identity updated, and usually cost a lot of money to implement for large corporations. Are these logo changes worth it?

On the day a new logo design is launched for a familiar brand, the first reactions are usually overwhelmingly negative. Once some time has passed and the new design has entered daily use, though, it can be a different story.

So here we take a look back at the 20 biggest brands to release a new logo in 2014. Now you’ve got used to them, what do you really think of them? Let us know in the comments below!

01. Black + Decker

Black + Decker (formerly Black & Decker) gave its ageing logo and branding (below) a new lease of life in January with a fresh modern look (above).

New York-based design agency Lippincott took the reigns for the redesign, ditched the hexagonal nut, swapped out the ampersand for a plus sign, and simplified the whole thing by making the typeface and colour border the same width.

02. Visa

This subtle logo redesign from Visa (above) took place in January, with the company changing their usual tag line ‘for everyone, everywhere’ and evolving it to ‘It’s everywhere you want to be.’

The first external expression of the new platform debuted with a new Olympic-themed television commercial airing in the United States, and then expanding to reach key audiences through variety of other traditional and digital channels in the coming months.

03. Absolut Vodka

The Absolut Vodka logo didn’t changed massively in 2014, but it did change. Leaving the ‘Country of Sweden’ and ‘Vodka’ aspects of the old logo (below) behind, the new logo (above) now simply reads ‘Absolut’ followed by a full stop.

Global director of design strategy at Absolut, Anna Kamjou, said: “The brand has become so iconic that we no longer needed the full three-line logo to convey ourselves.”

04. Lipton

March saw tea brand Lipton unveil a new logo design in a Muppets promo commercial, which saw the brand take on a cleaner, more crisp look.

Whilst the new typography enabled readability, some claimed the new design looks too much like the Lays logo.

05. Birds Eye

In March, Birds Eye spent £60 million in a Europe-wide brand relaunch that saw a new simplified logo (above).

Launched by Havas Worldwide and designed by JKR, the new design saw the Captain illustration (see above) disappear entirely and the pre-2007 red marque reintroduced.