As people grow and mature, their style and look changes to adapt with the times, and the same can be said for a brand! As time goes on and culture and trends change, a brand may decide to conduct a refresh to make sure it doesn’t get left behind and look dated to their consumers. A brand refresh can be utilized to celebrate a milestone – such as when our clients Triad Associates secured $1 billion dollars in funding, and Eventions Productions celebrated their 25th anniversary. A brand refresh can also take place to simply reintroduce the brand in a new light, similar to the rebrand we just completed for Aegis. Regardless of the reason the decision is made to do a brand refresh, here are 4 steps you should keep in mind in order for it to be a success:
1. Keep it Close to the Original
Choosing to rebrand is a big decision. Your company is already established and recognized with your current visual footprint. Therefore, it’s important that you maintain some part, or element of your original branding so that your audience still associates your new brand identity to the original. People are often weary of change and a lot of the time if you totally scrap the old brand identity there is an assumption that there was a change in management or some other major deviation from the norm. By keeping some elements of the old brand you assure your consumers that it’s still the same trusted brand, just with a little facelift.
2. Update Fonts, Colors, and Brand Elements
Another crucial tip for a successful rebrand is to maintain consistency in your chosen fonts, potentially incorporating one additional typeface. We often suggest introducing a script font or a more organic option to infuse headlines and create a nice, versatile texture across the brand. While preserving the existing brand colors can be effective, it’s important to evaluate their relevance. If your color palette feels outdated, it might be beneficial to maintain one or two original colors while incorporating a new set of complementary secondary colors. Lastly, an exceptional rebrand relies on the power of brand elements. These elements establish a distinctive vibe and an overall emotional connection. These elements inject the much-needed personality into your brand, and as trends evolve, you have the opportunity to introduce additional brand elements that seamlessly align with your rebrand while introducing fresh visual experiences for your consumer.
3. Refresh Your Audience
As you’re working through a brand refresh, it’s time to also review your target audience. As your brand has grown it’s very likely that your audience has also evolved. Rebranding is essentially a means to stay relevant in the ever-changing landscape, which includes understanding and adapting to the needs of your current audience. If you align your brand mission and plan with the rebranding efforts, it will significantly influence the way you build with your brand refresh. By ensuring that these foundational elements are updated in conjunction with the rebrand, you lay a strong foundation for navigating the future of your brand with confidence.
4. Get it Out There!
Once a successful design rebrand is completed, it’s time to shout it from the rooftops! How are you going to announce this refresh to your audience? Start by making sure it is updated everywhere and anywhere possible (your website, social media portfolios, business cards, sales materials). Then work on the announcement of the rebrand. A video explaining the thought process behind the refresh would be a great way to use storytelling to explain the process to your audience. Then you could incorporate this into email marketing, social media marketing and so much more!
Have you been contemplating if it’s time to refresh your brand? If the question has been coming into your mind, it may be time! Our award-winning design team has successfully completed a plethora of rebrands and are equipped to help you navigate the process to bring your ideas to life! Contact us today to get started!
