When it comes to branding, your logo is often the first thing people see. Is it effective? Does it resonate with customers? If not, a change may be in order. But how do you know if you should completely rebrand your company with a new logo, or if a more minor brand refresh will do the trick?
First, let’s look at the reasons you might be considering updating your brand in the first place.
Keeping Up with Trends – Making small adjustments can help keep your brand looking relevant and competitive within its market. This may include replacing dated looking elements of your logo or updating colors.
Scaling Issues – Make sure your logo works well on various platforms, from websites and social media to packaging and signage. This may require simplifying details or adjusting fonts and spacing to make your logo easier to see at small scale like social media icons or easier to reproduce in one color on embroidered company apparel.
Correcting Design Issues – Fixing minor flaws in symmetry, kerning, or visual balance can provide a more refined and professional look. Sometimes original logo files simply get lost or altered in a way that makes a logo difficult to use for things like signage or apparel, and a refresh can help provide a consistent, standard set of brand assets for your company to use going forward.
Change in Values or Target Audience – Your customers might not be the same people you did business with in the beginning, but subtle updates can signify your company’s evolution as a brand without abandoning your original vision. If your values have evolved, or certain elements of your logo haven't aged well, minor changes can be made to reflect your company’s current values.
Consistency is Key – If your organization doesn't have a set of brand guidelines, or those guidelines have been ignored over the years, a brand refresh gives you the opportunity to reset by providing a set of guardrails for how your brand should be presented. Aligning your logo with other brand elements like packaging, marketing materials, or typography will strengthen your brand’s perception across the board.
Thinking about taking the leap and just starting from scratch? It’s also worth looking at why you may not want to go all in and completely rebrand your company, and why a minor refresh may be a better alternative.
Cost – Redesigning your logo or making significant changes to your brand can be cost prohibitive. Consider the cost to roll out a new logo across your entire company. That includes signage, print materials, company apparel, redesigning your website, and more.
Brand Loyalty – New logos are not always received well by existing customers, so a poorly launched rebrand or a new logo your loyal customers don’t like can have the opposite effect of refreshing your business and may lead to lost sales or customers switching their loyalties to a competitor.
A logo refresh is a great way to stay relevant while preserving brand recognition and customer loyalty. If something on this list resonates with you but you’re not ready to take on a full rebrand, let’s talk about options to revitalize your brand without starting from scratch.
Posted February 18, 2025
