Things You Should Consider Before Rebranding Your Company

On a given day website design and logo design are one of the two things you’ll find me working on. Both are tied to brand. Everything I create has influence on the brand and amongst of sea of competitors, your brand needs to sing. Business owners, marketers and managers often approach me to help with large (and sometimes small) rebranding and brand identity projects – to create new, overhaul or do a refresh of their look and feel.

Before you dive into a major company rebrand, here are a few key things to keep in mind:

• Brand is complex. It’s not simply graphical; brand captures the ethos of your product, service and/or company. It’s your public persona, it’s your personality, it’s your look, feel and mission. Ultimately your audience defines your brand. It’s up to the company to try and connect with and influence its public perception.
• Don’t take on a rebranding project unless you are ready to commit. Your graphical identity comes down to tiny details that may seem inconsequential, but actually mean a lot to your brand’s success. Even something as simple as font or color shift, small changes can completely change your brand’s image.
• Don’t force old ideas. Whether it’s a shift in the way you communicate or a refresh of the look and feel I’ve found that most updates feel natural. If it doesn’t feel natural or becomes too complex it may be a good time to start from scratch. It’s balancing act. You also need to consider how much equity your brand has in the marketplace. Whatever your approach, try not to take shortcuts and “stay on message”.
• Meet certain important criteria in your rebranding results. Rebranding is not just a matter of taking an ‘old’ look and giving it a makeover. Your rebranding efforts should result in:
  1) Design that reflects the essence of your business and/or product or services – not just literally listing them
  2) Be relevant to the long-term and not overly trendy
  3) Create a good user-experience that is made up of both intuitive communication and design.
  4) Remember the audience owns your brand; your job is to influence it

The recognition and perception of a brand is highly influenced by its visual presentation.

The above list scratches the surface. When you’re ready to start, hit me up. Let’s chat about your brand project.