Fashion brand Zara revealed a new logo at the end of January. It's the company's third and comes eight years after the last change. It still uses a serif type face, but the letters are now thinner, taller, and closer together. 

Zara is the latest in a recent flurry of brand logo changes. Other big names with a new look include Burberry, Celine, Balmain, and Dior. An industry observer said these kinds of changes convey one clear message - the brands are trying to communicate with younger customers. 

“There are so many elements influencing the brands, like globalization, a younger generation, and appreciation of aesthetics. So brands have to take all this into account. Nowadays the younger generation is influencing the fashion industry luxury brands a lot, so this more flat expression encourages the young consumers to express themselves,” said Coco Wu, semiotics in human and cultural practice of Kantar Consulting.

Wu said designing a new logo can be costly, and it's difficult to measure the success of the change. 

Sales performance can be one metric. Balenciaga changed its logo in 2017, and the brand reported the fastest growth within its parent company Kering Group in the second half of that year. Burberry reported a two-percent drop in retail revenue for its latest quarter ending in December, and the company attributed the performance to its repositioning strategy. 

While sometimes the results can be dramatic. Gap changed its logo back in 2010, from its traditional navy blue design to a more modern style, but the new logo got so many complaints online that the company was forced to drop it just 11 days after the release. Experts said that changing a logo can be a risky move for any company. 

“A change of logo actually impacts the recognition of people who are already the brand's customers, and they are the people that are likely to be the ones now paying for the brand. If they don't like the logo, they'll leave the brand,” Zhou Ting, co-founder of Yaok Group.

But that still doesn't stop companies from trying out new logos. And it's not only international brands doing it. More than 100 Chinese firms are estimated to have changed their logos last year, including companies in the internet, automobile, apparel and media sectors.