Walmart's rebrand is a big deal (if you can spot the difference)

Walmart just had its first rebrand in almost 20 years.

And if you look really close and squint your eyes, you'll see that their logo has, in fact, changed.

But if not for the announcement on Walmart's corporate site, most people would've missed the slight adjustments to the company's branding.

Now, Walmart lives in the same camp as PayPal and Jaguar as the latest target for memes and harassment following a poorly-received rebrand.

Though the retailer's redesign isn't nearly as dramatic, it's perhaps the lack of change (and Walmart making a big deal of it) that's got people so worked up.

Hang on - are you sure they actually redid the logo?

None of the changes are that obvious, but some are slightly more noticeable than others.

The most significant change might be the separation of Walmart's yellow "spark" logo from its wordmark (its written name logo). Both logos are still in use.

But this divorce after so many years indicates that the company wants to lean heavier into its spark identity.

Walmart's seen dramatic growth as an e-commerce giant in recent years. So it makes sense that they'd follow in the footsteps of major players in digital spaces, such as social media and streaming platforms.

It appears they're trying to make the brand easily identifiable by a simple, recognisable logo that also functions as an app icon.

Another blink-and-you-miss-it change is to its wordmark. It's now in a slightly different font and is bolder. According to Walmart, it's a callback to the logo design on founder Sam Walton's famous trucker hat.

The least perceivable changes are to the company's choice of blue and the shape of its spark. Walmart's new blue is slightly darker and much more saturated.

And the points of the spark logo are now much rounder, looking less like palette knives and more like baby carrots (yes, those are technical terms).

Not angry, just... disappointed

Social media users certainly had some thoughts on the new logo - or rather, how not-new they thought it was.

Despite Walmart's intentions for a fresh start, most people were unimpressed with the changes. The public wasted no time making memes about the rebrand, many internet dwellers comparing the change to Japan's flag redesign in 1999.

What may also have people up in arms is Walmart's perceived failure to rise to the occasion of a rebranding.

As one of the largest companies in the world by market cap, people weren't really expecting the company to change its look, even after two decades.

If they had to do it, though, the hope would be that they make some bold and refreshing changes without going too deep into unfamiliar territory.

By keeping their branding so similar to the previous one but still hyping it up in an impassioned video, the announcement fell flat in most people's eyes.

Should I rebrand if it's really this scary?

As much pushback as the new branding is getting now, we have a hard time believing it will hurt Walmart in the long run.

In fact, if you consider some psychology around how we see colours and shapes, it's not unreasonable to think people will come to prefer the new look over time, especially that of the spark.

If you keep staring at the old and new spark logo side-by-side, you start to notice how the new one feels warmer and happier. It's likely an intentional design choice.

The more vibrant blue is a comforting primary colour and the rounder points on the sparks feel more organic and less machine-like.

So if you're gonna go for a rebrand, definitely put some thought into it and ensure it embodies some kind of evolution in your brand identity.

Don't just make changes in hopes of having a viral moment - make sure you've got a long-term strategy attached.

-Devin, Copywriter