Do You Need a Brand Redesign? 10 Questions to Help You Decide
Your brand design doesn’t have to last forever and neither does your summer fling. Design trends come and go and there comes a time when your brand may need some updates.
Often times you can outgrow your current brand. You could even possibly discover more of who you are as a brand along the way. Having a brand design that matches your new changes is essential to building a strong, impactful brand. It could also be that your brand design is no longer relevant then it could also be time for a brand makeover.
Every strong and recognizable brand we know today, has moved along with times. There comes a time for updates and these updates can still maintain the integrity of the brand.
One of the best examples of this is Dunkin’ Donuts. As you can see in the example below there are elements that have continued to stay consistent in the brand. You can also see that the logo has changed with the style of the time. It’s a strong balance which can be done in your own rebrand as well.
Rebranding can be a fun process but often takes patience and time. It’s best to fully understand if rebrand is truly what you need before you start the process. In this post, I will be covering 10 questions that will help you decide whether you need a brand redesign. The first question is one of the most important so we’ll start there.
1.) What is your reason and inspiration for your rebrand?
I know sometimes as an entrepreneur (myself included), we can get excited about the next shiny object. In the process of rebranding, it’s best to stay grounded in your reasons for the rebrand so you can move forward with a design that will be impactful and focused.
Get deep down and ask yourself why you had a spark of interest in rebranding. Was it because your brand design no longer excites you? Or is it that you feel like your brand image isn’t relevant to your ideal client any longer?
Here are the most common reasons why you may want a rebrand.
- 1. You started out DIY’ing their website/branding but now you have outgrown your DIY look and you are ready for a more professional-looking brand.
- 2. You’re a seasoned brand and you’ve been in the business world for a while now. You haven’t updated your brand in about 3 years and now your brand needs a modern makeover.
- 3. You’re having a real change of heart from when you first started your business. This could be that you have changed your services you provide or your business is evolving in a new, different way. Maybe you were passionate about serving one type of client and now you want to serve a different audience. This is an important reason to rebrand.
A rebrand should never be used as band-aid to cover up other issues going on in your business. Once you can define your reason for your rebranding motivation you can lead with deliberate intention through the process.
2.) How long have you had your current brand design?
A good timeframe for a rebrand is usually 3 – 4 years. A lot can happen with your business and your ideal audience during this time. Whether you decide to do a full rebrand or not, it’s best to evaluate your brand image every 3 – 4 years to see if it’s still working for you and your audience.
Like mentioned before, brand images don’t have to last forever. You should move with the times to stay relevant to your audience. If you’ve had your brand before the internet existed – it’s 100% time for a rebrand.
3.) Does your brand design no longer make you feel excited?
When your brand design no longer makes you feel excited, it can be time for an update. This may seem like a superficial reason for a rebrand, but if you are not enthusiastic about your brand it can show in your marketing efforts.
I see how excited businesses get when they have a new, beautiful website and brand image. They are more enthusiastic about putting themselves out there in a more authentic way. Website or brand shame is no friend to growing your business. It is completely ok to rebrand if your website makes you cringe. You want to put your best foot forward and have your aesthetics match up with the brilliant inner elements of your business.
4.) Has your ideal client changed since your last rebrand?
Over time, business and services can change. Even some of the biggest brands that we know today, have changed who they are trying to reach. As you start out in business you think you may want to work with a certain type of client and when you get started, you realize you want to serve a completely different audience.
This is another brilliant reason to go through the rebranding process. If this is your reason for your new brand, I highly, highly suggest digging deep into who exactly you want to serve. Get to know them inside and out. Understand what visuals they are attracted to and what visuals turn them off.
A brand image is an important tool to attract your ideal people to your brand. Doing this inner work of defining who your ideal client is will put the necessary substance behind your brand to bring you the people you want to work with. Let your rebrand be an ideal client magnet machine.
Article written by Jessica Safko for Creative Market.