5 reasons why you’re ready for a rebrand
We’re nearing the end of the year, and I don’t know about you, but I always get an urge to reflect on my business around this time every year. What worked, what didn’t work, and goals/improvements to make in the new year. It’s important to look at every aspect of your business with an open-mind and unbiased perspective (easier said than done, I know.) One of the worst mistakes you can make in business is sticking with the if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it attitude. There’s always room for improvement, always. Improvement isn’t something to feel bad about! Actually, quite the opposite. Think of the opportunities and possibilities that can come from change.
If you’re reflecting on your business, take these reasons for a rebrand into consideration.
1. You only have a logo.
I wrote a post about this before that you can view here, but your business deserves more than just a logo. Your audience doesn’t remember your logo, they remember how they feel when they interact with your brand. Let’s say you have a logo that you’re proud of— you hired a designer and you are so happy with how it turned out. Great! But does that logo cover the tone of voice you will use when you speak to your audience? The colors/fonts that will be used on your website to invoke a certain vibe? The types of variations that you can use if the space is really small, like an Instagram profile picture? The image styling and strategy for your social media accounts? A complete brand identity covers everything that you need for clarity in all aspects of your business. Having this clarity gives you the confidence to maintain your brand efficiently.
2. You feel a disconnect with your current brand.
Your brand should feel natural to you. When you are a small business owner, you’re usually doing most of the work— admin, inventory, social media, marketing, website updates, the list goes on! You’re either doing all of it or most of it. This means that you are connected to your business and brand in a way that’s completely different than a large corporation. Someone is purchasing YOUR product, buying YOUR services, emailing YOU. Having a brand that doesn’t feel natural to you can throw off the way that you interact with it. You might be embarrassed to give your website information out or maybe you have no clue what to say when you write an Instagram post. A disconnect between you and your brand can cause you to feel uninspired and confused, which only negatively impacts your business. Working with an expert means you are able to be guided through every part of the creative process; asking questions, collaborating, and understanding the meaning behind every design decision. It also ensures that at the end of the process, you are completely happy with your brand and are excited to show it off to the world.
3. You are unsure if your current brand connects with your audience.
Maybe you know you’re ready for a rebrand and you’ve started thinking about a specific direction that you want your new design to go in. Let me go on record by saying that hiring a design business to execute a specific design direction that you have thought of is doing a disservice to yourself and your business. In our creative process, we consider your ideas and then we consider what your audience will be attracted to. Because at the end of the day, your audience pays the bills. It is our job to merge what you love and what your audience loves into a cohesive and beautiful design that feels natural to you. It is our job to help you nail down your ideal client, and then help you understand how you can connect with them, both visually and in your tone of voice. Genuine connections with your audience creates loyal and paying clients.
4. You’ve had your current brand for a while.
I’m going to be that person and say that no brand should ever be timeless. You wouldn’t say that for fashion styles or interior styles, so you shouldn’t say it for design styles! “But Maggie, what about the brands that have had their logo for years/decades?” To this I would say two things: one is that a logo is different than a brand. Maybe their primary logo stayed the same, but their brand elements/website/marketing pieces have been updated. Two is that most of the time, these large companies make slight tweaks to their logo to modernize it ever so slightly throughout the years. Take Ford for example, you can see that the idea of the cursive Ford stayed the same, but the actual logo has been tweaked as time went on.
Change is natural, and change is necessary. Sometimes it’s not a total revamp, but being able to take some time to reflect on your brand, your audience, and your business in relation to each other every now and again is important.
5. You’ve changed your business goals.
Similarly to reflecting on your audience, you should always reflect on your business goals when thinking about your brand. Part of our creative process is determining these things before we even dive into the design. We talk about your goals for your business, both short term and long term, along with your audience because these are huge factors that go into creating your brand. Maybe you’re an online shop but have plans to turn into a brick and mortar store. This means that we would need to consider eventual signage/print marketing materials when creating your brand. Determining your goals might sway which elements we focus on during the design phase. Whether that be focussing on the amount of logo variations, or maybe putting more emphasis on the brand marks, or maybe even designing an array of patterns. It’s important to make strategic creative decisions crafting your brand in order to ensure that it is successful moving forward.
It’s important that wherever you are in your business, you feel completely confident. Not embarrassed to give out your business cards, not prefacing that your website was just something you threw together when you’re telling someone to visit it for more information, not feeling uninspired to post. If one or more of these topics resonated with you, you might be ready for a rebrand.
At Viola Hill Studio, we’ll start with the strategy and creative direction before delving into the design. We collaborate with honest feedback and guidance so that we’re always working towards a solution that both you and your audience will love. We’re here to encourage your success and give you the resources and tools that you will need in order to achieve that!
Does this sound like something your business might need? Reach out and let’s talk about how we can realign your brand so that it feels natural to you.
