Is it time to rebrand?
Posted on May 19, 2016 by Jay Jones
It seems to be the fashion of late to redesign your logo, Google, Instagram and Budweiser changing its name to America, we see this as a good time to review the challenges companies face when rebranding.
It can be a tough decision to make as to whether a rebrand is right for your company. Timing, cost and brand recognition are all factors that come into play.
For established brands, whose logos were conceived in a non-digital age the challenge becomes even bigger.
Key terms for a business are changing and brand is becoming more prominent in our lives, hence everyone wanting to rebrand, our favourite beers and clubs are also forced to deal with the change to a digital age.
In 2002 Arsenal was one of the first high-profile clubs to make the decision to drastically change its crest (essentially its logo… if you’re a football fan you’ll know that it hurt to type that) to be not only easily identified in matters of copyright, but also to be digital friendly.
The previous crest’s Latin motto would have been unreadable when scaled down to a smartphone, and the background detail would be disastrous. Another loss is the Borough of Islington coat of arms, which again would cause issues when scaled down. The typeface and colours also changed to be web-friendly, this isn’t a full rebrand but just keeping up with the times.
Ultimately the move was necessary for a business whose popularity was increasing and needed to keep up with the digital age. This trend known as ‘undesigning’ has become increasingly prominent, with Google’s latest redesign drawing the most attention.
Also, there’s the sarcastic beast of social media to tackle. When Airbnb revealed its new redesigned logo, the internet dusted off its lapels and took the podium.
Not to mention Instagram’s latest overhaul of its logo – perhaps a move taken to distract from its algorithm changes. (What is this terrible logo)
Although the changes may seem random and scary, they’re mostly rooted in the ethos of constantly evolving to improve user experience. If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that even small changes can be scary. But what if you’re changing more than a logo or a name? I recently spoke to a company that’s changing its entire ethos.
In conclusion…
Ultimately the process of changing aspects of your brand can be laborious and risky, but at some point it may be necessary to make the change.
Whether it be brand ethos, a shift from traditional marketing to digital or any other factor – there will always be a compelling reason to adapt to a changing landscape.
Let us know your comments below.
