Seems like almost every company is updating their logo to stay current with the times. When done right, it can jump-start new life into a company and drive a new wave of sales and brand loyalty. But when executed poorly, a new logo can be the cringeworthy mark of a brand’s decline.

We thought it would be neat to take a look at a few popular pizza chains and examine how their logos have changed to stay current and to appeal to a newer generation.

Here are our top 5 picks of recently transformed pizza company logos:

1. Cici’s Pizza

We understand that this chain is trying to take a fresh step to sell more pizza – indicated by the multi-colored triangular shapes – but in our opinion, this just comes off as generic. It also has a very corporate feel. We even think it has a similar look and feel to the Yelp logo.

Also, what happened to the apostrophe? Not sure why they felt the need to leave it out of the new logo. Without it, wouldn’t it be pronounced more like sisis and not cici’s?

Overall, the old logo had more energy and life to it. Sad to see it go.

2. Domino’s

Domino’s has made some great improvements. Just like McDonald’s, Twitter and Starbucks, Domino’s felt it was time to simplify their brand identity down to a single icon for most of their marketing. A solo mark makes their logo interchangeable for all print and mobile applications. And the typeface feels friendly, while chunky with a modern feel.

Another big difference in the logo is the removal of the word “pizza.” Like Cici’s and others, Domino’s is trying to take themselves away from just being know for selling pizza.

Did you know the domino icon has a double meaning? On one hand, it’s a domino. On the other hand, it is a simplified silhouette of what you see when you open the box, being that Domino’s is known for 1 or 2 pizzas in one box.

3. Godfather’s Pizza

We have no idea what happened here. Why did they change a perfectly great logo for this mess? We even had a hard time distinguishing what the illustration is next to the type in the new logo. Yes we know it is supposed to be a cartoon mobster holding a hot pizza, or maybe an apple pie, but why? The older logo looks so modern that it looks like we made a mistake in this blog!

Colors have gone downhill also. What was a vibrant use of green and red (although Christmassy) is now mucked up with maroon, black and a hint of yellow gold. Yuck. Even throwing out all color and just using white or black doesn’t seem to work with this confusing rebranding.

4. Pizza Hut

What do you get when you take a tomato sauce splat and a roof top icon? The new Pizza Hut logo...YEA! But seriously, we do like it. Pizza Hut takes their iconic red roof to new heights with this logo, while still keeping its playful, organic feel. Also, did you know that red is known to increase hunger? Also a smart move, Pizza Hut.

We do have to add that we have seen the logo without the wording on it and it doesn’t make it as appealing. Without the typography it just makes it seem like a flying UFO / cowboy hat on a coffee stain or wax seal. As long as they stick with this logo and stay away from those variations, they should be good.

5. Sbarro

The new Sbarro’s logo definitely says “pizza on the run” in a sophisticated modern way. We absolutely love this revision even though it does look very familiar to the original Godfather’s Pizza logo above. One man’s loss is another man’s gain.

This was a bold move for Sbarro’s, being that the logos are so very different. Normally when a company rebrands itself, they want the customer to notice, but not notice all that much, to almost make the customer question, “Did they change their logo?” All that said, very nice job Sbarro!

The red, green and black color scheme keeps it synonymous with the original. The uppercasing of the lettering adds sophistication to the overall feel. The rebranding feels as if it has been elevated from “mall food court” to an artisan pizza restaurant.

We hope you have enjoyed reading about these revamped pizza logos. Please let us know how you feel about them in the comments below. Do you agree with us or think we are totally wrong?