Timeless Takes Time: How Iconic Brands Can Evolve Without Losing Their Soul

Timeless Takes Time

How Iconic Brands Can Evolve Without Losing Their Soul
by NICK HANSON

This past April, Rory McIlroy finally slipped on a Green Jacket at Augusta. For a golfer hailed as a teenage prodigy, the Masters had remained elusive for more than a decade. Pundits questioned his hunger, his swing—indeed, his very relevance. Yet stroke by measured stroke he completed the career Grand Slam, becoming only the sixth player in history to do so.

In the gallery’s roar I heard more than celebration; I heard proof of a simple idea: grit plus incremental refinement can outlast fashion cycles, sceptics and even time itself. The same principle sits at the heart of brand longevity.

‘Timeless’ may sound static, yet it is anything but. Luxury marques, heritage wines, and century-old fashion houses endure precisely because they evolve. That is the tightrope every iconic brand must walk. Move too slowly and you fade into obscurity; move too quickly and loyalists fear you’ve sold out. The art lies in finding the sweet spot—where reverence meets relevance, hard-earned trust welcomes something refreshingly new, and today’s needs align with tomorrow’s vision.

At Hunt Hanson, we tread that line every day. Our belief is disarmingly simple: small, deliberate changes—made for the right reason—create a world of difference. Much like McIlroy shaving a single degree from his swing year after year, these micro-refinements compound until, suddenly, you are lifting the trophy.

Finding the Heartbeat of the Brand

We start every project by listening to the heartbeat of the brand. That rhythm—its DNA—can surface in many ways. Sometimes embedded in the product itself, like the discipline that sees Dom Pérignon released only in exceptional years. At other times, it’s a bold choice, such as Veuve Clicquot’s unmistakable orange. And on occasion, it is something more abstract yet profound, like the quiet wit of the Apple logo – a biblical fruit of knowledge with a digital ‘byte’ removed.

Whatever form it takes, that essence is non-negotiable. Guard it and you earn the freedom to redraw everything around it; lose it and the brand loses itself.

Consider our work with Freixenet. We have guided the Catalan cava icon for more than fifteen years, overseeing four successive refreshes. Its DNA lives in a handful of equities—the calligraphic wordmark, the flourish of Catalan modernism, and an undercurrent of celebration. Each update felt modest at the time, yet viewed together, the metamorphosis is clear.

Our latest evolution took a bolder stride. Inspired by the mosaic façade of Freixenet’s Sant Sadurní d’Anoia winery, we introduced a striking ‘X’ motif, which acts as a crisp, modern sign-off—easy to spot on shelf or on screen—while nodding to the brand’s storied past. The same heartbeat now resonates more loudly, proving that when you respect the DNA, even a century-old icon can feel freshly uncorked.

Extreme Exploration, Disciplined Return

Reaching the sweet spot often begins by breaking the rules. We take ideas to their limits—much as fashion designers send catwalk pieces no customer will ever wear. Typography, colour and structure are stretched to the brink; then we dial everything back, retaining only what adds clarity or thrill. The exercise inoculates the work against complacency, revealing precisely what can evolve and what must remain untouchable.

Jaguar’s recent design missteps show what happens when that return journey never happens: the leap felt too abrupt for loyal drivers and too derivative for newcomers. Vision is essential, but vision without calibration can erode the very equity you are trying to future-proof.

Grit, Not Glamour

McIlroy’s Masters win was not a sudden revelation of talent; it was the dividend of fifteen years of marginal gains. Brands that age gracefully succeed the same way. They require the stubbornness to scrutinise line weights most consumers will never notice, the discipline to sidestep every passing fad, and the empathy to recognise which parts of a legacy are sacred to those who cherish the brand. Because here's the ultimate truth: Timelessness is not found; it is forged.

4 Keys to Timelessness:

Discovery before redesign – Find the heartbeat and never lose it.

Visionary overreach – Explore concepts that scare you, even if only on paper.

Disciplined restraint – Return to the line where reverence and relevance overlap.

Relentless iteration – Rehearse the swing, tweak the grip, repeat.

Ian Callum, the legendary former Jaguar design chief, has unveiled a bold restomod concept that reimagines the iconic Jaguar E-Type for the modern era.

The brands that outperform their category seldom chase fireworks; instead, like Rory at Augusta, they commit to incremental excellence—each measured adjustment compounding into long-term advantage. Because in branding, as in golf, the sweetest victories are those you have been inching towards for years, preferably with partners who understand that timelessness takes time.