Brand design is like fashion — trends quickly come and go. And while popular styles can come back around, it will always be in a different way. Just as your taste in clothes, music, hairstyles, partners, and living spaces evolves with age and maturity, so does your company’s brand.
This evolution happens slowly, sometimes a result of smaller brand refreshes spaced every few years and others the result of a bigger rebrand. Although you end up revamping and reframing your brand, your mission statement is your north star that always remains the same.
Is now the right time to rebrand?
The thought of overhauling foundational concepts of your company could make you quake in your boots, but there are some valid reasons to rebrand.
If your company has undergone any of these changes, it’s probably a good time to start the process:
- The organization has grown very quickly
- The organization is exploring a new industry or service
- The organization acquired another company
- The organization is under new leadership
- The organization takes any new direction
- Or, if it’s been two or three years since your last reboot.
If you’re still unsure if now is the right time to analyze and reboot, ask yourself one question: Is your brand still resonating with your customers? (Hint: Your brand is heavily influenced by its customers, and that customer base changes over time.) If you’re not sure of the answer, you can ask your customers directly about how your brand impacts their buying decisions.
What needs to be updated?
Each company’s approach to rebranding is unique. Some companies only change the logo and graphics every few years, while others just update their messaging. But more often than not, during a rebrand, you’ll need to update aspects of each of these three key branding areas:
- Messaging – In September 2018, Merriam Webster added 840 new entries into the dictionary, proving that our language changes over time. In an effort to stay accessible, it’s important to tweak the language behind your brand messaging. Ask yourself, does your message still connect with your customer base? Does the voice and tone of your messaging still impact customer decisions? Could you update the way you’re framing services or products?
- Design – Design trends are just as short-lived as our everyday lexicon. Trending Pantone colors, popular fonts, and design styles change each year, so your brand should keep within arm’s reach of constantly-morphing design choices.
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- Is your brand’s color scheme a relic from a long-ago time (i.e. neon from the early 90s or mustard brown from the 70s)?
- Serif fonts are considered to be more traditionally classic, while Sans Serif (especially super thin fonts) are now considered more hip/trendy. Are your fonts still relevant to the image you want to portray?
- Has your design style become stale or is it cutting-edge? Are your icons connecting with customers?
- Positioning – In order to understand if your brand positioning is right for you, your perspective needs to be both high-level and informed. It’s best to rely on an expert who understands how to position brands for their industry and company size. Otherwise, you might be blindly following a trend rather than standing apart from your competitors. Are there ways to differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd?
Ready to rebrand? Hire an expert
During a rebrand you’ll update specific foundational assets, like brand positioning and graphic elements (like logos, font choices, and icon styles). If you don’t consider yourself an expert in design, messaging, and branding, we recommend connecting with a branding expert like Sublime Designs Media to guide you through the process.