In one of my classes about branding, I had to redesign an existing brand. I looked through many brands I liked, and I found that Dr. Martens logo was a bit outdated, but had a very strong brand identity that had to be kept.
Keeping the identity
The most important elements in the logo is the curved text, in the shape of a boot, and the big yellow cross, so I went ahead and played with those elements to redesign the logo.
Approach #1
I played with a "grunge" style, keeping the cross in front, and using a slab font, and giving it a background to make it look more impactful.
Approach #2
I went with the same design, but a single color approach, and honestly, I think it looks good! It's a little more flexible and easy to apply, but it keeps the design decisions made in the last approach.
Approach #3
I wanted something like the old logo, but a little more modern. So I played around and used the classic yellow stitching along with the curved text, and a similar font to keep the logo like its predecessor, but more modern. I quite like it!
Conclusion
I quite liked approach 2 and 3, but I had to go with the 3rd one since it stayed very true to the original while being a fresh image for Dr. Martens.