As previously defined in an earlier blog post (click here to read “The Importance of Branding“), branding is the personality of a company or the image a customer gets in their mind when they think about a company. We often work with clients that are interested in updating their branding, but have no idea what they are looking for. When rebranding an existing company, we like to learn everything about the business and prospective clients so that we can develop a better picture of the company as a whole. While this discovery step is a great way to further understand your business and clients, we have several insider tips that can make the rebranding process a lot easier and more effective.
1. What’s the Reason?
Sometimes the reason for a company to rebrand is as simple as their logo and supporting design elements are outdated. Other times, businesses are redefining their business and products/services that they offer. Whatever the reason, know it from the beginning and communicate it effectively with the designer. Sometimes the reason can lead to a simple color or font change versus a complete rebranding overhaul.
2. What Outcome are you Hoping to Achieve?
As mentioned previously, if your branding is outdated, chances are your business will appear that way to a customer as well. Updating your brand often times shows prospective customers that your business is staying current with the latest design trends and they can expect the latest and greatest service or products as well. However, sometimes updating a brand is led by the hope of gaining or appealing to a different audience or age group to generate more sales. Whatever the desired outcome, know it from the beginning.
3. Know the Budget!
Rebranding can be a one-step occasion that involves a logo design refresh or it can involve all aspects of the company from social media management, print collateral, signage, and more. The difference between these items is not only the time involved but the overall budget of the project. Knowing your budget ahead time helps to eliminate areas that are not going to be useful and it can allow for the implementation of project phases. It also helps the designer to narrow down your key focus and therefore will be able to dedicate their time more effectively to the task at hand.
4. Find your voice.
Branding is all about creating a lasting impression on a prospective client. It’s the unseen voice of your company. Should your branding reflect youth, be technology focused, or appeal to a specific industry?
On a recent project, we helped to update the branding for a local real estate company, Guy Lloyd, Inc. This well known real estate firm has been around for 50+ years and didn’t want to lose their already familiar look… but also wanted to appeal to younger homeowners. To solve this, we kept the characteristic font and castle shield that was well known, but updated the look with a more modern layout and color scheme. One major area that needed help was their simple static website. In order to appeal to more of a technology focused generation, a dynamic responsive website was developed to adapt to smartphones and tablets. Their website is now not missing a single opportunity to gain homeowners and help them find properties in just a click of the mouse.
Insider tip: If you want an easy way to find out your current voice, ask for customer feedback!
5. Ongoing Management
Popular and lasting brands were not created overnight. Good branding takes work and often includes months of ongoing maintenance to find what is going to work. This is also essential as businesses change and industries grow. Your brand requires nurturing like a child for it to grow and blossom. One main and necessary element is to keep your website up to date. There is nothing worse than visiting a website for information and it’s dated.
R2F Creative LLC provides graphic design + branding and web design solutions for clients nationwide and locally in Ankeny and Des Moines, Iowa.
