Every entrepreneur can recall bouncing off the walls when their start-up took off, and their business website, logo, and brand identity were finally on point. After that, the natural course of things is to get caught up with plenty of work and put the brand design at the bottom of the list. However, business owners often might not even notice how time passes, and their brand design no longer resonates with their audience and becomes outdated. Or they might fail to realise how important it is for the modern customer to feel represented and overlook the fact that 70% consumers believe brands should offer personalised experiences.
Branding is crucial for young start-ups and deep-rooted companies, and even though outstanding logos and distinctive colours have merit, it goes beyond them. A strong, modern brand taps into the customer mindset and understands the client’s needs, ensuring it resonates with the values of both the business and the audience. Exciting stories take time and constant effort, from staying in touch with the customers to analysing what drives them to your business or competitors. Other than this, customer preferences are ever-changing, which is why the successful enterprise, regardless of its size, chooses to work with a digital branding agency to help them create a captivating story after thoroughly understanding the goals and potential of the business.
It’s essential to understand that there is a difference between rebranding, redesigning, and brand refreshing. The first concept involves more serious changes than adjusting some minor details according to current trends. It often aims to change the brand message and identity and implement a new marketing strategy, which is why answering the following questions is crucial before deciding it is time to redesign your brand.
How long has it been since the last brand redesign?
Your business’ marketing strategy determines the best timeframe for a brand redesign, but usually, after four or five years, you should start considering this process. A lot can happen with customer preferences in this period, and your brand might have to catch up. According to statistics, in 2021, 75% consumers tried a new shopping behaviour, while over 80% intended to do so. This calls for businesses to be up-to-date with trends and statistics and effectively take advantage of the market’s arising opportunities.
Brand images aren’t eternal, and you should move with the times to manage a business that is relevant to its audience. If your brand is as mature as the internet, it’s 100% time for a brand redesign.
Is your brand’s design no longer thrilling you?
When your brand’s design is no longer stirring you up, it might be high time for an upgrade. This may seem like an insufficient reason to rebrand, but if you are not excited about your brand, how can a potential customer find it appealing?
Businesses get excited after working with branding agencies and seeing how beautiful and compelling their new website and brand image are. Only a branding and design agency can do the inner work, define your ideal customer, and give your brand the depth needed to attract them. Plus, it has the necessary tools to create a brand image and website that drive long-term business growth, including the technical experience, the UX-design thinking, and the capacity to analyse an enterprise’s goals and audience thoroughly.
Why would you rebrand in the first place?
Sometimes, entrepreneurs fall head over heels for the next shiny thing. It’s crucial to stay grounded in your reasons for the rebrand while the process is being carried out to achieve a focused and effective design. Ask yourself why rebranding sparked your interest. Is it because you’re no longer enchanted by your brand design or that you feel like it could be more relevant to your ideal client?
Some of the most important reasons to want a rebrand should include:
- Having a change of heart from when you’ve planned your start-up and planning to offer new products or services
- Quitting DIY-ing your website and being prepared for a more professional-looking brand
- Looking to expand from serving one type of client to a different audience
- Not having updated your brand in more than five years.
Are your design elements outdated?
Yes, design elements, fonts, and colour palettes can go out of fashion and make your brand look outdated. When you’re kicking off your rebranding project, ensure you’re looking beyond the design trends that become trendy too fast, because when something is gaining popularity overnight, it can go out of style just as fast. Don’t be swayed by flashy trends. More traditional features in your brand can never go wrong, and you can always pair them with several on-trend elements if needed.
Frequently, the most challenging mission is to update your logo, as this is the most important part of your brand. If you look at the best logo rebranding examples, you can see they are not reinventing theirs from scratch, but rather making little adjustments to the colour, font, and background.
Have your customers changed since your last rebrand?
Businesses and services change by leaps and bounds, so staying updated on ever-shifting trends is crucial to cater to your audience’s needs. It’s not uncommon for a business to start with a specific type of client in mind and, further down the road, to rethink and seek to serve a wider or different client base. This is another reason why rebranding should be at the top of the marketing strategy list.
Your brand image can be the ideal client magnet machine.
A brand image is an essential tool to attract the ideal audience, and it requires deep digging into what you want to serve and what clients you want to attract. As it takes a profound understanding of the ever-changing digital marketing trends, as well as consumer preferences, an effective rebranding goes beyond your logo. Luckily, all this exciting but challenging work can be done with the proper tools and with the right team.
