Branding is more than a mere logo or tagline. It’s the impression your company leaves on its audience. That’s why successful brands adapt and evolve to stay relevant. Rebranding, therefore, is not just a makeover but a transformative journey to maintain a competitive edge.
How To Successfully Redesign Your Brand
There are many reasons for a brand redesign — an outdated image, a pivot in business direction, and a need for repositioning. Whether your brand has lost its luster or you’re aiming for a fresh start, consider timing and strategize meticulously.
The redesign journey, if done in haste, can be an expensive detour rather than a strategic move forward. Interestingly, many brands update their website design more regularly than one might assume. Ideally, this redesigning is best every 2.5 years.
1. Research and analyze
Research and analysis form the bedrock of any successful brand redesign process, steering you toward informed decisions and strategic actions.
Understanding your market is akin to having a compass in a vast landscape. Know your target audience, what they value, and their pain points. This involves demographics, psychographics, and understanding the customer journey.
Knowing your audience is just one side of the coin. A thorough competitor analysis can give you an expansive market overview. This analysis should explore competitors’ brand positioning, visual identity, online presence, pricing, and customer perception. The insights gleaned can spark inspiration, guide you away from oversaturated strategies, and reveal untapped opportunities for your brand redesign.
Do a comprehensive review of your current brand performance. This involves assessing the effectiveness of your existing brand elements.
The research and analysis phase is about understanding your current standing and operating landscape. It sets the stage for the ensuing steps like a springboard for an informed, impactful brand redesign.
2. Define your brand strategy
A clear brand strategy acts as a lighthouse guiding your redesign process. If you’re looking for tips for rebranding, start by revisiting your mission, vision, and values.
At the heart of your brand strategy lie your mission, vision, and values. Your mission encapsulates your company’s purpose and why you exist beyond making a profit. The vision paints a clear picture of the future you want to create through your work. Both the mission and vision reflect the broader societal impact of your brand and should be both inspiring and aspirational.
Next, pinpoint your unique selling proposition (USP). Make sure your USP is something that your target audience can actually believe. Outlandish claims can turn people off. It should be something that people will remember, so keep it short and simple. Use a language that will stick in people’s minds.
Once these elements are crystal clear, it’s time to craft a compelling brand positioning statement communicating your brand’s unique value.
3. Develop the visual elements
The visual elements of your brand serve as its silent ambassadors, powerfully communicating your brand’s essence and values to your audience. They are a core component of your brand identity, impacting how your brand is perceived and recognized.
If your brand has a recognizable element, it would be your logo. It’s your brand’s face in the world. The symbol that encapsulates your brand identity in a single, impactful design. Consider how you can visually express your brand’s personality and unique offerings. Create an aesthetically pleasing logo that is also meaningful and memorable.
Your brand’s color scheme is critical in conveying your brand’s personality and evoking specific emotions in your audience. Go for a color palette that aligns with your brand’s character and message. For instance, blue often evokes feelings of trust and reliability. On the other hand, green signifies growth and sustainability.
Typography, or the style and appearance of your written text, is another powerful visual tool for your brand. The fonts you choose can strongly influence the perception of your company.
Creating or revising these visual elements requires a balance of creativity and consistency. Creativity allows you to design distinctive elements that set your brand apart and resonate with your audience. It ensures that your brand is recognizable across all platforms and touchpoints.
4. Build the brand’s online presence
Your website is your brand’s digital storefront. It should reflect your brand’s identity and offer an engaging user experience. Familiarity with web development languages like HTML or JavaScript is crucial to embed your brand’s visual elements in your digital presence. A content management system (CMS) like WordPress, renowned for its flexibility, can further assist in bringing your brand to life online.
For a better user experience, start with a storyboard. This will help you get an overview of your brand’s online presence. It will act as a visual guide to see whether your redesign matches your audience’s expectations.
5. Craft brand voice and messaging
Just as people recognize each other by their unique voices, a distinctive brand voice can make your brand instantly identifiable to your audience.
Your brand voice could be professional, demonstrating expertise and reliability. It might be friendly and approachable, creating a sense of camaraderie and trust. Or it could be playful and energetic, making your brand feel youthful and innovative. Find a voice that has an impact on the target audience and aligns with brand values and personality.
Consistency in your brand voice is crucial for maintaining a strong and coherent brand identity. It assures your audience that your brand is authentic and reliable. This familiarity strengthens the bond with your audience and enhances brand recognition.
Brand messages, taglines, and slogans are potent tools that should harmonize with your brand voice. For instance, a brand message could be a statement that communicates your brand’s purpose and benefits to your audience.
Creating a unique and consistent brand voice, and aligning it with powerful brand messages, taglines, and slogans, isn’t just about sounding good. It involves building emotional connections that go beyond the products or services you offer. It’s about telling your brand’s story in a way that engages and inspires enough to convince them to choose your brand over others.
6. Implement and launch
Bringing your new brand to life is more than just a switch-flip moment. It involves integrating the new design into your existing platforms, an endeavor where coding skills come into play.
A well-planned brand launch strategy is crucial, beginning with an internal unveiling to get everyone on board. Preparing for external reactions, both positive and negative, ensures you handle the launch gracefully.
7. Monitor and adjust
Post-launch, vigilance is crucial. Continually monitoring brand performance allows for prompt identification of areas needing improvement. Gathering feedback from both employees and customers provides valuable insights.
Adjustments based on feedback and performance metrics should be made carefully, emphasizing refining rather than redefining the brand.
Mastering the Art of Brand Redesign
Your brand is your company’s most powerful storyteller. Redesigning it isn’t about changing the story but about telling it better. Stay nimble and be innovative, and let your brand be a beacon in the ever-changing market landscape.
