5 signs it’s time to rebrand
For most business owners, branding is something that is decided upon last-minute, while their focus is firmly planted on finding customers and making those first sales.
At some point, business stabilises and capacity frees up – and still, branding is pushed aside.
The thing is, your branding affects your entire business, from sales to marketing to strategy. By refining your branding, you’re creating a stronger foundation and more uniqueness for the rest of your business.
But all is not lost!
Introducing: the rebrand
Rebranding is creating a new look and feel for your business and can involve a new logo, colour palette, typography and photography (look) as well as a new name, tagline, mission statement and tone of voice (feel).
As a rebranding is the potential to elevate everything.
What is the purpose of a rebrand?
The purpose of a rebrand is to ultimately realign your branding with your business’ vision, mission, values, products and services, market and/or target customer. It’s to make sure your business’ look and feel represent what it does, what it stands for and how it operates.
Rebrand vs refresh
Maybe you feel that certain elements of your branding do align, while others don’t. In that case, you don’t need a full-scale rebrand – some aspects just need a little facelift! We can refresh your typography or brand colours or introduce new elements like customised illustrations and icons.
It’s like this – a rebrand’s like going to the hairdresser and getting 10cm taken off, a fringe cut in and a new colour, while a refresh is more like a healthy trim and some fresh foils.
How do I know if my brand’s ripe for a rebranding?
Here are 5 reflection questions to answer.
1. Do you feel like there’s no connection between your brand and business?
This is a problem because your branding should be visually connected to what it represents. This doesn’t necessarily mean in a literal sense; your branding can also reflect the intangibles like your origin story or values.
For example:
the Nike tick is connected to the Greek Goddess of Victory, who is Nike’s namesake
Reebok’s Delta logo is across their CrossFit and fitness range. The delta is an age-old symbol of change, alluding to the positive change that fitness can have.
2. Did you set up your branding in a hurry when you first started, and all you really have is a logo?
A logo is a must-have – but it’s only one part of how you visually communicate to your customers.
Without having the other elements established, you aren’t able to communicate clearly and consistently to your audience. This means you aren’t able to build brand recognition, which makes your brand “sticky”.
A rebrand will set you up with elements such as typeface, colour palette and brand tone. You are presented with a style guide, which are guidelines for how to execute your branding across different placements – like digital assets, printed collateral and even photography – to ensure consistency.
3. Have you changed your offerings?
Your branding should reflect what your business does today. This is especially relevant if you named or had your logo designed with a specific product or service in mind that you no longer offer.
A real-life story of this is a Tasmanian seafood exporter whose name has ‘ab’ in it for ‘abalone’ (because the owner originally planned to export abalone) and yet, 30 years later, they deal exclusively in crayfish. Thankfully, they are rebranding!
4. Has your branding stayed the same for decades?
We all do a little giggle when we see a brand’s logo or website that’s been designed with Comic Sans or Courier New…don’t be that brand that’s stuck in the 90s.
A rebrand that’s carried out with uniqueness in mind will ensure that your brand stands out from the crowd and stands the test of time, only needing refreshing here and there.
5. Has your target market changed?
Reebok is once again a strong example here. Their original logo had been worn by – and therefore connected with – thousands of elite athletes across multiple sports for years. The rebranding was subtle – a little straightening up and more negative space – but the impact is that the brand honours its long-standing legacy while appealing to a younger market. In 2011, they then introduced their Delta logo, as they expanded their target market away from performance and professional sports to lifestyle and fitness.
The next steps to take
Before you delete all your existing logo files, archive social media posts and put a “under construction” sign on your website, we do complimentary 15-minute enquiry chats to shed light on what would most benefit your business.
You might just need a little refresh or we might decide to go the whole hog and rebrand! We offer 3 different branding suite options to tailor to different needs, from a logo and brand identity, to social media assets and other collateral, to website design and development.
Regardless of which option, know that you’ll be getting the VIP treatment with us. We treat every client individually, with the aim to highlight and celebrate what makes you, YOU. You’ll be getting bespoke and original graphics that nobody else has, helping to create more meaning and connection with your audience.
As always, stay classy! ✌🏻
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