There is no doubt when it comes to visual design, logos can make or break a company. But as time has evolved, so have some of the most iconic companies and their logos. This allows brands to evolve with time and their customers while staying memorable through their visual design. Today, I chose to examine two of my most memorable logos for two iconic companies and compare how they have evolved through time. 

The first company I chose to examine is YouTube. YouTube was first created in 2005. YouTube is one of the most iconic video-sharing platforms, with over 2.7 billion users reported monthly. But how has their logo changed over time? 

2005: 

This was YouTube’s first logo. The design is simple enough for users to comprehend the company name, but not yet the platform’s purpose. 

2011:

The logo was updated to a darker red and given a matte finish. Again, the design is simple and comprehensible but lacks an overall sense of the platform’s purpose.

Which brings us up to current times…

2017: 

This has been the YouTube logo since 2017. This logo still retains the simple aesthetics and colors of the two previous logos, but now includes the added play button. This allows the user not only to comprehend the platform’s purpose but also to give it a memorable motif. 

Next, we will look at the evolution of Amazon’s logo. 

Amazon started as an online bookstore in 1994 and has since become a mega store, partnering with vendors such as Whole Foods and Grubhub. But how has their logo evolved with the company over the years?

1995:

This is the original Amazon logo. It was inspired by the brand’s name. The logo was simple enough, but at the time, it didn’t truly reflect the brand’s purpose, which at the time was online book shopping, much like YouTube’s.

1998:

The company went through many logo changes in 1998, but ultimately stuck with this design until recent years. This logo is simple but lacks a reason to be memorable and a clear sense of the company’s purpose.

2000:

This is the current Amazon logo. This logo is an iteration of the 1998 logo, offering greater clarity and making the brand more memorable. The yellow smile line signifies the commitment to providing customers with a satisfactory online shopping experience. The smile line also starts at the A in the name and ends at the Z, indicating that any items are available from “A to Z”.

*All Images belong to Calvin Klein*

In recent weeks, there has been a new fashion trend circulating on social media platforms since the release of Hulu’s series Love Story, based on the real-life story of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Influencers have taken to their platforms with posts that are outfits, makeup tutorials, and hairstyles (even as far as dying their hair after watching the series), inspired by Carolyn and her iconic looks. One of the most common brands mentioned when discussing Carolyn’s fashion was Calvin Klein, the brand that employed her and launched her romance with JFK Jr. Calvin Klein has been known for its classic fashion as well as its iconic collaborations with its models, ranging from Brooke Shields to, as of recent, Bad Bunny. But what if Calvin Klein started utilizing the changing landscape of advertising and launched an influencer marketing campaign?

Calvin Klein has iconic ads for their company of portraits of their models dressed in their clothes, ranging from their denim to their underwear. I believe if Calvin Klein begins to utilize the influencer space properly, they can see a real impact and ROI for their brand. I would set the objectives of the campaigns as the following: Utilize the current discussion on Carolyn Bessette’s iconic looks and raise brand awareness through influencers who have a similar fashion sense to her, and have a major increase in conversion through shopable ads, specifically through Instagram, to mimic the iconic billboard and in-store visuals. This can also be achieved through a series of sponsored posts from the influencers and utilizing affiliate marketing of a specific discount that is exclusive to the influencer’s code on the site. In regard to the content, the influencers would post, I think it would be best to mimic the iconic ads, a simple portrait with the iconic Calvin Klein pieces. Some of the pieces can be remakes of Carolyn’s most iconic looks, like the camel skirt and the simple black top, or the classic Calvin Klein denim. The influencers can also post a series of stories with affiliate links, showing how Calvin Klein fits seamlessly into their daily routine, much like it did for Carolyn. 

The influencers I would recommend for this campaign are Emma Pritchard and Greta Tomé. Emma Pritchard is from Massachusetts (a nod to the Kennedys’ iconic home state) and has a total of 383K followers on Instagram and has a similar fashion sense to Carolyn, of simple yet classic outfits. Greta Tomé is from NYC and shows her life living on the Upper East Side, as well as her classic style ( a nod to the main setting of the series and the couple’s real-life home). Greta has a total of 308K followers on Instagram.

Throughout the campaign, we will utilize the collaboration feature on Instagram and use Instagram insights to track the amount of engagement and click-throughs to the site, as well as purchases directly through Instagram’s shop feature. We will also track the number of times the specialized coupon code is used to track the number of customers who are coming directly from the influencers’ page. The only real challenge I can foresee for this campaign is that the allure of Calvin Klein’s ads may be lost on the younger users on the app. But this can be fixed by Calvin Klein posting a series of throwback posts to show the influences their ads and fashion have had on society over the years.

The brand I chose to analyze its key metrics between organic and paid strategies was the ready-to-wear lounge wear brand Daphne. Daphne was created in 2025 by social media influencer, reality star, and podcast host Paige Desorbo. Paige was inspired to create Daphne after not being able to find ready-to-wear lounge pieces that would be comfortable to sit in at home on the couch, but also be ready to grab a coffee with a friend. Paige announced the brand in June of 2025 to her following of 1.6M followers on Instagram. 

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I chose to specifically narrow in on the brand’s Instagram and its key metrics. The first metric I chose to look into was the following count. Daphne, as of January 2026, has acquired a following of 158K since its launch in June. When compared to founder Paige Desorbo’s follower count, there is definite room for growth for the brand’s exposure.  

From my scroll and study of the profile, Daphne tends to average about 200-400 likes on each post. This is obviously very low for the high follow count the brand has. To reference Understanding Social Media ROI by Olivier Blanchard, I then moved on from the “vanity” metrics, like follow counts and likes (while not to negate its importance for the brand’s ability to grow) and began to break each post for more concrete data points that will tell me more about the actual exposure and reach the brand has at this current moment. Going further into the brand’s engagement, each post typically receives a range of 2-40 comments, depending on the call to action in the post’s caption. The posts with the most comments featured actual people or models in the posts, rather than the BTS brand posts, for the process of creating each “drop” for the line. Which was something I made note of, as this is a brand created by a reality personality, so the consumer liking and engaging in posts that featured her or actual people made sense to me. I also noticed Daphne posted a majority of organic or UGC posts rather than sponsored ads or collaborations.

I began to zoom out on the social media profile in order to gather what appears to be Daphne’s main priority on its Instagram. As previously stated, this is a new brand, so it appeared to me that Daphne is focused on narrowing in on what their ideal consumer actually is and what the brand image will become in order to attract them. Daphne began its Instagram posting behind- the-scenes to the launch and creation of the brand’s first capsule collection and then pivoted to more people-facing content, whether it be through using fellow social media influencers as models for its newest items or Paige herself. I believe this was an intentional shift of the brand, realizing the people who want to buy from this brand want to buy a piece that connects to a social media/ reality personality who has either a lifestyle or literal style they are actively trying to achieve. 

When it comes to improvements the brand can make, I think the brand could benefit from utilizing more sponsored posts from fellow social media personalities that align with the chic, easy, on-the-go vibe the brand’s clothing represents.  This could also help Daphne begin to tailor and zone in on their ideal consumer and create a full persona for whoever that may be.

Sources:

Blanchard, O. (2011). Social Media Roi: Managing and measuring social media efforts in your organization. Que.

Imagine establishing a new company without setting any rules for your employees or yourself regarding company culture and expectations. 

Sounds like an immediate HR issue…huh? 

That’s the same issue for Design Sprints. 

It is crucial that, before starting any sprint or assigning any of the roles in your sprint, your Design Sprint Team takes some time to establish some team agreements to be able to execute your sprint from phase 1 to testing your prototype. Team agreements can make or break not only team moral but the success of your product,good or service as a whole. Coworkers who trust each other and feel trusted by each other, are a cornerstone of high-performing teams. 

And that’s exactly what my team has done. Below, I have included our team agreements and why we felt they were needed in order to complete our design sprint. 

This is our section on our Miro board that we keep at the forefront of every phase and meeting we have as a team.

While we had a lot of sticky notes, there were a few overarching themes throughout all of the rules. Doing this can help teams develop a shared sense of responsibility, make it easier to identify and discuss both positive and negative behavior, empower the leader to keep the team accountable, and enhance the team’s productivity.

1. Time Management: We agreed on the same due date for all work we do together. We agreed on the same meeting time and day (this may vary depending on how your sprint is split time-wise) This allows us to have clear time frames for the sprint and allow work to progress in a timely manner. 
2. Presence: This is a crucial team agreement in today’s digital age, where we are constantly surrounded by screens and distractions. We agreed on no phones/keeping phones and notifications on silent. This allows for dedicated attention to our work and each phase of the sprint. 
3. Respect: This team agreement is broad but very important. We agreed to welcome all ideas with an open mind and react with kindness first and foremost. While there may be moments of conflict throughout the sprint, it’s important to remain respectful while navigating through those moments. This also ties into the physical Miro board. We agreed to be respectful and not delete anyone’s entries unless permitted to do so. 
4. Prep: We agreed to come to each meeting after reading and watching each video that correlates with the phase we are approaching. We then later updated this agreement to come prepared to all meetings with any work possible to be done individually done ahead of time, so we can short-track directly to voting and be the most efficient with our time.

Once you establish team agreements, you will be able to move effectively through the Design Sprint Process while making sure each member of the team has a voice and a say in the culture and process of the sprint. 

Sources: 

Koponen, Ari-Pekka. “The Essential Guide to Agile Team Working Agreements.” Swarmiacom RSS, Swarmia, 7 May 2025, www.swarmia.com/blog/agile-team-working-agreements/ 

Milstein, Sarah. “How Team Agreements Promote High Performance.” LeadDev, 23 Mar. 2023, leaddev.com/culture/how-team-agreements-promote-high-performance