You see it all the time. Famous and well-known businesses changing their brand identity and launching the new one into the world. One would think that if they are well-known and making money, their brand identity must be working well for them, so why go and change it?
New businesses go through discovering and developing their brand identity because they don’t have one and need to make a great first impression as they enter the market. However, businesses and organizations that already have a brand identity or visual identity in place know there will come a time where their current identity is no longer working for them.
The reasons behind why businesses and organizations want to change their brand identity or give it a nice refresh are numerous, and each business will have their own unique reasons as to why their current identity no longer works and why they feel they need a change.
If you’ve started to feel your current brand identity is no longer working, or even wondering if it may be time for you to refresh your identity, the info below may be just the push you need to get started on updating or changing your brand identity.
You couldn’t/didn’t spend adequate time or resources to develop a brand identity for your business when you first started
The number one reason why businesses undergo an update to their brand identity or change it all together is because they quickly threw together a logo when they initially opened their doors.
Unfortunately, most businesses from the start don’t take the time to properly invest in a brand identity that is tailored for them and professionally developed.
They often wanted to start their business right away and quickly put together a logo just to have something to work with in their early years.
I totally understand this and see it all the time. It’s either time, money, resources, or all three that weren’t available at the time the business started and they had to make do with what they had. Heck, I even did the same thing when I started my self-employment almost a decade ago - and I’m a designer!
Do I recommend that now? Absolutely not! Having a good brand identity from the start helps your business much more in the beginning because it helps to establish a professional appearance from the beginning and shows that you're serious in the work you do.
Since my early days of self-employment, I’ve probably changed my logo and brand identity about four or five times. This is because when I first started I wanted to get started right away so I quickly pulled an identity together. Since I’ve grown (and even undergone a name change), I finally spent more time and money on a proper brand identity and visual identity for myself, and it has paid off for me in dividends.
If you also did this when you first started your business, it may be time to properly invest in your brand identity and give it a nice refresh to better align with your business now, and create an asset that will only grow as your business grows. Working with a professional designer who specializes in brand identity design and marketing can help you through this process.
You’ve seen tremendous growth but want to rocket the growth further
Your brand identity is an asset to your business that grows in importance the more you’re able to grow. Leaving it neglected or forgotten while you’re trying to grow your business could stunt your growth without realizing it.
Growth (no matter how small or how big) is often one of the reasons why established businesses start to take a look at everything about themselves to find ways for improvement. They look to find things to improve, streamline, enhance, or overall make better so they can capitalize on their growth and not be held back by inefficiencies or a poor look.
Your brand identity could be holding your growth back by being outdated, no longer fitting with your mission, or you’re competing in a new industry that your brand identity doesn’t appeal to.
Most of the time when businesses grow, they mainly find their logo is outdated and often needs a refresh.
If you are in the same boat and have seen substantial growth over the last few years, it’s likely time to take a hard look at your brand identity to make sure it fits with your current growth strategy and better represents the company you are now and are wanting to be in the future.
You’re ramping up your marketing efforts and taking your business to the next level
I’ve worked with several businesses who felt it was a great time to ramp up their business and marketing efforts, and wanted to present a fresh brand identity along with it. This often coincides with seeing growth as stated above, but could also be because they’re offering a new line of products, pivoting their offerings substantially, entering in a new industry, or have patented a new technology that they’re excited to bring to market.
It’s pretty common for businesses to pivot or change their offering shortly after they launch their business or within a few years of opening their doors.
They find new marketing opportunities, niche down their offering, or tap into untapped potential. With this drastic change comes many more ways to market, and also a hard look at their brand identity.
Updating or even changing your brand identity if you find yourself in this situation can help you present a fresh identity to generate even more excitement and interest in your new marketing efforts, technology or products, or new niche. Whatever your pivot is that you are wanting to drive your business to the next level, your brand identity needs to keep up.
Refreshing your brand identity, updating your logo, establishing design standards and best practices, then updating your marketing materials and website to match this new identity will often be well received and show your customers that you are serious, professional, and pay attention to the details. A professional designer with marketing experience can guide you through this process and make sure all of your basis are covered with your brand identity.
You’ve encountered some bad publicity and you’ve seen a downturn in business
Most businesses update their branding and brand identity because they’re seeing successes within their business and are wanting to capitalize on the growth by presenting a fresh identity. However, not all businesses are relishing in the limelight for good reasons. Some have gone through some troubling times in the public eye and are looking to turn things around.
If you’ve been in that situation where something has happened that has put some negative attention on your business and it’s fairly well-known with your customers and potential customers, it’s hard to get things going again as you’ve likely lost some trust and have damaged your reputation along the way.
Businesses can bounce back from a tarnished reputation and bad publicity. You’ve changed your policies, replaced employees that may have been the cause of the issues, you’ve settled any legalities that may have happened, and you’ve righted your wrongs. If you’ve done the work to correct what got you into the negative light to begin with, but still need something else to help get you back on the right track, then refreshing your brand identity is a good way to do this.
Refreshing your brand identity when you’ve undergone a turbulent time in your business can give clients and customers the impression that you’re new and improved, learned from your mistakes, and you’re ready to do business right.
You’ve taken your beatings, but you’re refreshed and ready to put the past in the past.
Take the time and make the investment to do the brand refresh and update your brand identity while you’re attending to other needs within your business, and it could help you erase the bad reputation.
Conclusion
If you thought brand identity design was meant for only new businesses and organizations, then hopefully this article was able to give you some of the reasons why an existing business may look to refresh their current brand identity, and why it is important to take a hard look and make the investment in time and money to make your brand identity one of your most important assets.
Either you didn’t take time when you first opened your business to develop a brand identity, you’re growing like crazy and want your brand identity to keep up, you’re taking your business to a new level, or you’ve encountered some bad times that tarnished your reputation, no matter the reason, if you’re feeling like your brand identity may be holding you back, it may be time to update it or even develop a new one entirely.
If you’re still unsure and want to chat with a professional designer with extensive marketing experience who can take a look at your business and your current situation to get their opinion, feel free to contact me and we can discuss your brand identity in full detail!
