If you are thinking of rebranding or redesigning your brand, then you are in the right place. To stand out among the crowd, a company needs to be unique and recognizable by customers. A strong brand is what stands behind each successful product. A brand logo is a visual representation that people correlate with a company or a product. An effective brand identity is when customers associate with a high level of credibility and quality. However, powerful branding depends not only on aesthetic features of brand elements but on the details such as message and emotional appeal standing behind it. To create a proper brand identity, designers need to get deep into the details about business goals and do research on the market and its target audience. The story is almost the same when it comes to redesigning. So, when is the right time for a logo redesign?
THE RIGHT TIME FOR A LOGO REDESIGN
If you have a company you started back in the days, your brand logo and company visual identity are probably outdated and not communicating with your audience today. As fashion changes, so do styles. What was fashionable 30 years ago is no longer fashionable today. You need a redesign to modernize your logo and branding to reconnect with your target audience and open the door to a new audience. Maybe your business vision and mission have changed over the years, or maybe you have expanded your business and your services. Sometimes companies get it right the first time, for example, Nike. Their logo was designed back in 1971. and from then, they just change the typeface and font.
REDESIGN VS. LOGO REFRESH
But more often, a logo has to be tweaked or adjusted to keep up with shifts and changes in your company or the design world. Don’t forget that logo redesign is not a simple or quick task. There is a whole process behind it, and a rebranding that works requires much more than a basic name change. You should invest in a professional logo designer, find out the reasons why in our previous blog post here. Before you dismantle your existing logo, take some time to ensure that a redesign is really what’s needed. Maybe you just need to refresh your brand logo. Refreshing is a less dramatic approach. Think of it as a logo makeover that works with design elements that are already in place. A designer will make small shifts to what’s already there by adding messaging, updating colors, or simplifying the entire look and feel during a logo refresh. The ultimate example of a successful refresh is an update of the MasterCard logo.
To decide if you need a redesign or just a logo refresh, it is necessary to go through some key questions.
#1 DEFINE WHAT YOUR BRAND STANDS FOR
As your business grows, it may naturally evolve. If you are discovering that your company’s personality is different from when you first started, your logo should reflect these changes. So, the first step would be to define what your brand stands for. Creating a brand logo that clearly and concisely reflects the ethos behind the company is crucial to review and define what your business does, who the business serves, and who the business competes with.
#2 THE BUSINESS EXPANDED OR CHANGED
Maybe you’ve added an entire line of new products, or you’ve expanded your headquarters or added many new employees to your roster. If your business has expanded or changed in any way, it may be time to consider changing your logo, too. We can see from the example of Dominos’ pizza restaurant. In the beginning, it was just a pizzeria, but with years of business, the restaurant has expanded its range of dishes, and the logo is no longer appropriate because it is more than a pizza. In this case, the logo redesign was crucial.
#3 CUSTOMIZE YOUR LOGO FOR DIGITAL SCREENS
Everything evolves. Everything. Especially technology! Let’s take, for example, that you were at the top of your game, the best in your industry, and now, suddenly, you’ve got some serious competition. You can feel intimidated, or you can stand up tall and fight for your place. Your website needs to be updated now and then to ensure your company is ahead of the curve, so does your logo. Nothing withstands the test of time, not even your logo.
A logo redesign can help by showing your existing customers that you’re modern, up-to-date, and prospective customers that you are worthy of being considered. Don’t let the competition be one step ahead of you. You may need to improve and modernize your website. How does your logo fit into the modern design of your website? We live in a digital age, so keep in mind that your logo will apply to different platforms, so it needs customization. If you want to know how to improve website design, our blog post can be found here.
#4 ADAPT YOUR LOGO FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
Logo refreshing shows that you are evolving and changing to keep up with the modern world. You don’t want to seem like you are stale and unwilling to change. Especially if you are an older company. Online usage across many social media outlets changes overtime. You need to ensure your logo is adapting to those changes. You need simplified variations of your logo for social media avatars. See our guide for social media dimensions here. This brings us to the next question. Does your company have a brand book?
#5 BRAND BOOK AS A STRATEGIC GUIDELINE
Branding is more than simply logo design. Your organization should have a brand book, aka brand guidelines. A brand book is a collection of brand elements and a detailed description of your brand. This document functions as a strategic guideline for all your marketing by covering every aspect of the brand. It typically covers logo, logo guidelines, avatars (for social media), typography guidelines, colors, graphic elements, etc. All your marketing collateral needs to reflect the new brand. So, how to achieve consistency with all public-facing materials when redesigning the logo? Easy, update your business cards, letterheads, signage, etc.
People visit your website, sees your business card or receives marketing material from your company. With that, they receive a perception of your company outside of the content they actually consume. Brand guidelines are composed of rules on how to use your brand’s visual elements. These rules will include when to use a logo versus a wordmark. Also, how to space the logo and the hierarchy of color and typography. Keeping your brand consistent allows it to be more immediately recognizable within your industry and with your target audience. It also allows your brand to appear more professional and reliable. By implementing brand guidelines, you make it easier to maintain your brand’s image quality and integrity.
#6 LAUNCHING AND COLLECTING FEEDBACK
The last part in the process of the redesign is launching a new logo. You might think that this would be the easiest part, but sometimes it might be cumbersome. Before the launch date, you should update all materials such as advertisements, print, social, etc., to match the new logotype. It may also be expensive if your brand is widely used, but luckily if you do a good job with redesigning, you won’t need to repeat it any time soon.
First of all, you’ll need to decide how to reveal it to the public by choosing a date and a proper channel through which you can communicate this change. Another way to approach this is by slowly introducing the new logo by making announcements and changing bit by bit. However, you wish to approach this, updating or redesigning a logo must be made with a sense of purpose.
What you should also consider is feedback. Sometimes logo redesign might be received with a bit of skepticism, but it’s a great way of communicating change, and you should be very transparent with the reason you did so in the first place. If there’s is a good reason, there is also a good chance your logo redesign will get you positive feedback.
