Important things to think about before you rebrand your creative business
Autumn through to January is typically a time of year when small creative businesses tend to consider investing in things like rebranding. But before you commit your hard-earned money there are some key things to think about so you don’t either under- or over-invest.
I’ve now been in business for over a decade and have had 5 different looks for my brand, the second due to a name change others had minor refreshes using the same colour palette, or a completely new look and slightly modified colour palette, and my current branding is completely new due to my change in business offerings to include photography.
In my experience refreshing your brand is only necessary every 3 years or so, or if you have a major change of focus in what you offer then a full rebrand is on the cards.
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of having a fresh shiny new look (especially if we see other people relaunching in our niche and we start comparing our own brand identity). But here I lay out some key pointers to consider before taking the leap.
Example of a sub logo
Perfect for social media use, stickers on packaging and more.
Do you need a brand refresh or a completely new look?
If you’ve been in business for a while (eg 2 years plus) and the business has been growing well during this time and you feel like your brand is recognised by your perfect customers, then a completely new look is often not the best way forward. You don’t want to alienate or confuse your existing client base when you current branding has been working well for you (regardless of whether you personally love it or hate it!).
In this case a brand designer/agency should be able to work with you to distil what elements are great about the current design and colour palette, fonts and motifs, and what is not so great, dated, or could be made slicker. A modern fresh take on your existing branding could be just what’s required, or even just sticking with what you have – if you don’t need more business and you’re fully booked/constantly selling out, don’t fix what ain’t broke! Spend that money elsewhere in your business, eg a brand shoot or website update.
Conversely if you have changed your business offerings dramatically since first having your current branding, or if it doesn’t seem to be attracting the clients you would wish, then perhaps a completely new look is what’s needed. A brand designer or agency should be able to work with you on identifying your ideal client base and how your branding can work in harmony with their personalities to draw them to you. A full bespoke design can work wonders for creating a brand identity that truly represents you and your brand and is unique enough to stand out from the crowd and get noticed amongst all the bland ‘on trend’ branding in your niche.
Example of a main logo by Laura E Patrick
Ideal for website homepage, document headers and business cards.
Not just a logo
It’s important to understand that branding is not simply a change of logo - you will need to invest time in changing over all your visual channels to your new look, and this can be time consuming, definitely not something to do on a whim because of ‘shiny object syndrome’. You’ll need to examine every aspect of what your whole identity comprises.
These include:
Main logo updates on your website, printed materials and e-materials
Secondary logo updates on all your social media channels
Colour palette changes on all your online and offline platforms
Font changes on all your online and offline platforms
Photography updates on all your online and offline platforms
As you can see this can take several weeks to implement and you made need specialist help from web designers and photographers depending on your own skillsets with these elements. It pays to book in these specialists as soon as you start working with a brand designer or agency, so they are ready to work with you as soon as your brand identity is complete.
If you’re considering a rebrand I hope you’ve found this article useful and given you food for thought.
