Just before 2023 wraps up, UK travel retailer WH Smith quietly introduced a logo change in select stores. The updated design now features only three white letters, ‘WHS,’ on a blue background, dropping ‘Smith’ for the first time since 1974.

The trial logo, however, has faced criticism from the media and online community:

WH Smith’s ‘WHS’ rebrand criticised for similarity to NHS logo https://t.co/Kg1sDqZzhT

— Guardian news (@guardiannews) December 27, 2023

The @WHSmith rebrand is unbelievably bad...

Like someone typed WHS in Word and called it a day. pic.twitter.com/keJynYdBsL

— Andrew Bulman (@andrew_bulman) December 23, 2023

Finally a rebranding that reflects how bad and depressing these stores are https://t.co/EdrTJWlPJl

— Asshole, freckled cheeks and a Bookchin (@fireh9lly) December 23, 2023

To gauge the perception of US consumers towards the logos, a Logo Test was conducted, comparing the new WHS logo with its predecessor that has been in use since 2004.

Respondents clearly prefer the WH Smith logo over the new WHS logo, giving it significantly higher ratings across all tested metrics. In terms of overall performance, respondents perceive both logos as below average.

Respondents give varied feedback about the industry represented by the logos, revealing that neither logo succeeds in portraying the company’s global travel retail industry. In addition, just 17% and 10% of respondents accurately identified the company’s origin through the respective logos.

The WH Smith logo elicits more positive feelings compared to the trial logo, with a higher number of respondents expressing contentment and fewer finding it confusing.

Echoing the earlier discussions, the AI summaries of open-ended responses underscore that respondents don’t understand the logos and are not too excited about either of them.

Check out the report for more details, or launch your own Logo Test today!