Many companies reach a point where their corporate identity no longer matches the original vision and limits growth opportunities. Either way, it’s a sign that your business is growing – and that maybe it’s time for you to rebrand.
What is rebranding?
Rebranding is the process of creating a new or improved brand identity in the eyes of consumers. It’s more than a change in brand colors, name, or visual identity. All of these elements are important, but the process of rebranding goes much deeper. The path to rebranding is different for everyone. The process can be quite costly, so making a rebranding decision should be a deliberate one. Successful rebranding requires patience and foresight. And with the right approach, the results can be amazing.
Reasons for rebranding
There are several reasons to consider rebranding. Therefore, it is important to know the main ones to run a successful business.
- Mergers and acquisitions. When two companies merge, each brings its own unique brand identity. The key to a successful merger is finding a new identity and creating a brand that represents and unites the values of both parties. But not every merger requires a complete rebranding; sometimes a light refresh is enough.
- New market and locations. If your brand is growing within markets or entering new ones, this is a great opportunity for rebranding. For example, if a business is entering an international market with different languages and cultures, this will require localizing the visual style and tone of the brand.
- Changing the target audience. Rebranding can help attract a new audience when the new brand no longer resonates with the old one.
- Outdated branding. Your brand no longer portrays a proposition, or simply feels outdated. Perhaps the company designed the logo 20 years ago, and it no longer makes sense.
- Technological advancements. There may be external trends in your industry for technological advances that can affect the offering. These advances may also lead to new competitors.
- Revised mission statement. The core of your brand is based on your brand mission and vision, as well as your goals and values. If this core is changing and evolving, it’s worth thinking about rebranding. This will help you reassess your original values and make sure they align with your current vision.
- Changing the concept. Maybe you first opened a regular store and then moved it online. Or your restaurant now only offers takeout. These changes affect customers’ experiences with the brand, so they need to be effectively reflected in the branding.
- Poor initial branding. Perhaps you grabbed everything too quickly and didn’t consider everything at once. Revisiting and re-evaluating logos and brand elements can be a great opportunity to rebrand.
How to rebrand in 2022: Logo design tips
A logo redesign can help establish a stronger connection with potential clients, or, on the contrary, it can negatively affect communication with the target audience. It all depends on how responsibly the company approached the task.
Take a look at useful tips that will help protect against common mistakes and guarantee a positive result from changing the logo. First, let’s review specific recommendations for restyling, which can be applied in practice, and then we’ll focus on general tips.
Change the color scheme
Sometimes a redesign ends with a color update. This technique can positively affect the image of the brand, but only if you put a clear meaning into the color scheme. For example, the fast-food chain McDonald’s is constantly associated with unhealthy food. The red color in the logo caused negative emotions in many people.
In 2009 the company decided to make a more «ecological» image. So, the color of the substrate on the logo has changed from red to green. McDonald’s didn’t just spend money on repainting the rectangle, it invested in switching to more environmentally friendly production.
The company abandoned traditional petroleum products in favor of biodiesel, and with the renewal of the logo, they wanted to show that the business also cares about natural resources. This is a very strong marketing move, which significantly increases the loyalty of the CA.
Get rid of the text
One of the main signs of a successful logo is recognizability. The trademarks of Nike, Logo, Apple and other companies are easy for people to distinguish from thousands of other symbols. Even if there is no text next to the famous Nike checkmark, it is still clear what company it is.
If changing the color scheme hurts the company’s visual image, you can simply remove the text. In 2019, the Mastercard payment system removed the name from the logo for the first time. Company officials said the logo has become more flexible and digitally friendly.
Use a new font
Typography greatly affects the visual image and the associations that graphics evoke in people. In a redesign, you can simply change the font and retain the original idea. That’s what many big brands have done. The Google search engine 2015 created its font for the logo design.
The main thing is that the new lettering should not be worse than the previous one. There should be a specific idea behind every change. Updating the logo to connect to the global infomercial is possible, but that’s where it should end. Show it on social media, attract media attention and increase recognition in the marketplace.
Simplify the structure
There are plenty of companies out there with blatantly bad brand names. Potential customers will look at incomprehensible symbols and conclude that the firm either wanted to stand out from the competition or simply didn’t pay attention to the task at hand.
If you want to build a recognizable brand, focus on simplicity. A perfect example that will always be good is Apple. When people say the word «an apple» one of their first associations is the technology of the brand of the same name. Try to achieve a similar effect.
Conclusion
Logo restyling is a task that should be solved with the most accurate calculation. Changing a familiar brand name on impulse or following a random idea is not the best option.