A rebrand is a chance to move your business forward, and a risk if the customers you already have stop recognising you. Done well, the change looks like a business that has caught up with itself. Done badly, it looks as if a stranger has taken over. Our rebranding service is built around avoiding that, and the same thinking applies whether you work with us or not.
Decide whether you need a rebrand or a refresh
A full rebrand replaces the identity, and it makes sense when the business itself has changed: a new name, a new market, a merger or a very different offer. A refresh evolves an identity that has simply aged. If your current look is still recognised and still describes what you do, leave well alone. Our guide to logo refreshes can help you judge which side of the line you are on.
Audit every place your brand appears
Before anything is designed, list every version of your brand in use and every touchpoint where customers meet it: signage, vehicles, stationery, packaging, your website, email signatures and social profiles. Most businesses find more variations than they expected. The audit shows what needs to change, what can wait and what customers already trust. We also research your sector, competitors and audience, because a rebrand without a rationale is redecoration.
Agree the direction, then test the design
Settle the strategy in writing before design starts, so everyone is judging the work against the same brief. When routes are presented, a small number of well-reasoned options beats a wall of quick ideas. Test each one at small sizes, in one colour, reversed out of a dark background and on real applications. A mark that only works on a slide is not ready.
Plan the rollout and tell people why
Customers cope with change when they understand it. Decide the order in which print, digital, signage, livery and stationery will change, and tell people what is happening and why. Keep something familiar, such as your name, a colour or a distinctive shape, for as long as that serves you. Aperture Glazing, formerly The Folding Door Company, is one example of a rename and full identity we have delivered.
Brand guidelines and final artwork in every format make the rollout far easier, because everyone who touches your brand has the same source.
Thinking about changing how your business looks and sounds? Get in touch with Design Minds or email info@designminds.ie.
