When should I refresh my brand?

Being tired of your logo is not reason enough to change it. You look at your logo every day; your customers see it a few times a month and recognise it exactly as it is. A refresh is worth doing when it will help your business.

Signs that a refresh is due

• Your business changed, but the logo still describes the old one. The shop that opened selling only coffee now serves food, or the product in your name is no longer the only thing you sell.
• The logo cannot be read at small sizes. The text disappears in a phone profile picture, in the corner of an invoice or on a stamp.
• You have no proper files. If all you have is an old JPG, the logo is redrawn for every new job and comes out slightly different each time.
• You look different everywhere. One colour on the sign, another on the packaging, a third typeface on social media.
• Your logo shows the era it was made in. Shadows, glossy effects and ornate lettering were the fashion of their time. If that makes your business look older and less cared for than it is, the logo needs updating.
• Your target customer changed. You raised your prices and your quality, but your appearance still says the old price.

If none of these apply, you most likely do not need a refresh; you need to use what you have properly.

A refresh or a redesign?

Refresh

If customers know you, what they recognise has to be kept. In a refresh the main idea of the logo stays; the letters are corrected, the proportions tidied, the colour updated and the missing versions (single colour, small size, dark background) completed. Most customers do not notice the change; they only sense that the brand looks more put together.

Redesign

In these cases, correcting the old logo is not enough:

• The business is changing its name.
• What you do has changed completely.
• Your logo looks too much like another brand's.
• The logo came from a ready-made template and others have the same one.

What to watch during the switch

1. Find out what customers recognise you by. It is usually a colour or a shape. Keep that and change the rest.
2. List everywhere your logo appears. Sign, packaging, business cards, invoices, vehicles, website, social media, map listing. The list shows the real cost of the job.
3. Account for stock. If there are thousands of old packages in storage, plan the switch so that they run out first.
4. Change everything digital on the same day. If the website and the social media accounts are updated together, there is no confusion; printed materials can be replaced in turn.
5. If your trademark is registered, consult your trademark attorney before making the change.

Look at what you have first

Before deciding, it helps to see what is missing. The "Is your brand ready?" checklist asks twelve questions, from your logo files to your colour codes. If most of the gaps are on the "files" and "versions" side, a refresh will do.

If you are not sure, send us your current logo; we will tell you whether it needs a refresh or a redesign, and why. What is delivered in a refresh is listed on the Services page.