In the article about Airbnb (check it out here) we asked ourselves: does re-branding start with changing the logo? Sometimes, your brand is in need for a fresh start. Maybe your sales decrease a bit, your look is perceived as outdated or your competition is one step ahead of you. Or maybe your gut is telling you that this is the right thing to do. Whatever the reason behind this decision is, re-branding seems to be the right answer. But does it resume to changing a few superficial visual elements such as color palette or logo? Or is it much more than this? Let’s find out!
How do we define re-branding?
To begin with, let’s establish the meaning of this concept. Re-branding is the process of changing the imagine of a brand. However, this change is a more profound one. It all starts at the core of a brand: its mission and values. This being said, the refresh is not a superficial one. In order to re-brand yourself, it’s not enough to change your usual font, your logo or your color tone. The change needs to be more profound.
So where do we begin?
Even though the name and the logo are iconic, the mission and the core values of a brand are the magnet that attracts and keep your audiences nearby. Your brand is much more than a simple logo. It’s built on certain values that your target group adheres to, believe in and search in most of the products or services they use.
Your brand must have something unique to it, that distinguishes it from other similar brand on the market. Use this Unique Selling Proposition to establish yourself as the most relevant brand in you area of expertise. It could be a simple idea, a slightly different way of serving your users or your brand’s tone of voice. By going straight at the mission and values, by keeping in mind the essence and reinterpreting it into something new, you might gain much more than by simply changing your appearance.
Re-branding also means changing the direction of your entire communication. Firstly, ask yourself: is it necessary? How will this serve me? By doing so, you might even find new acting directions that might interest you, such as attracting a new group of consumers: the youngsters. This way, you’ll maintain your brand alive for a very long time.
Although, you must keep in mind: you don’t need to be appealing for everybody. Just find you niche and stick to it.
When do we focus on visual elements?
After finding a new way of interpreting your brand’s core mission and values, after deciding if re-targeting is necessary, after using your Unique Selling Proposition in a new way, you can move your attention to the way you communicate visually. What does this mean? You can act on and change logos, fonts and color palettes, websites and Social Media pages, flyers and brochures.
However, this change isn’t a radical one. You can play with shapes and colors, with lights and shadows and fonts. Why, you might ask? Well, they tend to get out of style. In the end though, there must be a smooth, visible transition between the old look and the look. When it comes to brands, logos are kind of a big deal. That’s why every little change and alteration must be backed up with lots of good reasons and smart decisions.
To sum up, re-branding isn’t all about changing only superficial elements and sticking to the old way of doing business. However, if you decide that improving your brand visually is all you need, WhatFontIs is here to help with lots of creative and notorious fonts. Check it out!
Technical lead at WhatFontIs since 2010 with a (healthy?) obsession for fonts.
