In general, a logo, image, or brand changes when something changes in the company, talk about design-focused motivation, the introduction of a new product or service, or possibly increasing social responsibility.

In order to see clearly a process of renewal, the motivation behind, and the various components, essential to clarify the concepts.

Logo:

a symbol or icon, a letter, a word or a name - so the cornerstone of our brand is what identifies us

Corporate image:

beyond the logo, colors, fonts, icon system, graphic elements - all appear online and offline, in a word, everything that appears

Brand:

in line with the image, the message, vision, story, mission, the product or service itself, social responsibility, communication, relationships - that is, a collection of what the brand wants to say about itself to the outside world

It’s not hard to guess that of the above, renewing a logo comes with the least effort, both financially and in terms of time, but in most cases it’s good to have a strong consideration behind it, even if not as much as a complete brand renewal. It is important not to change the logo every year, this can indicate uncertainty and inconsistency, which is unfortunate for any brand, as we can easily seem frivolous and unreliable in the eyes of our target audience. However, when the time is right, let’s cut into it boldly.

Renewing a logo / image / brand from time to time is essential for a brand that is aging and evolving - and let’s face it, it’s more than necessary for timeless brands.

Overall, if there is a significant change in the brand’s spirit, composition, product or service range, it should be consistently followed by the logo and image as well. In order for renewal to be successful, we need to think carefully about what we need to change and what we need to preserve, and how we communicate it all.

When renewal is needed?

- If we attract the wrong target group or make them insecure:

For example, if we offer a premium service but the packaging isn’t exactly say the same, people may put us in the cheaper category so we do not get what we wanted. Maybe our communication is inconsistent and we want to speak to seniors and young people at the same time, constantly changing tone and style - even the most committed target audience can be confused.

- If time has passed over the brand:

Even for a timeless and stable brand, it’s worth taking into account current design trends (not changing the font every year, of course) and moving forward with the age. However, even in the present case, it is true that trends come and go, so it may not always pay to shape the look according to the current one - especially if the given style is incompatible with the values of our brand.

- If branding is too simple and / or easy to confuse with others:

We’re not saying to make a logo as eye-catching as possible - in fact! - because we all know aesthetic brands with minimal branding, but sometimes too simple means, unfortunately, too easy to forget.

- If the philosophy, the activity or what we say is changing:

Will we use only paper and wood from tomorrow instead of plastic? Are we preparing for a bigger role in society? Is the range of our products or services expanding? Great, let's tell everyone, but let's adjust the look beforehand too!

Whether the above reasons or other changes are behind us, it is worth clarifying a few questions before renewing:

- What do we want to change, the logo, the image or the whole brand?

As already mentioned, we will have to deal with each case, but it is worth considering whether the reason behind the innovation is large enough for a complete brand renewal or just a rethink of our logo.

- What stay for sure and what needs to go?

Logo, slogan, graphic elements, colors - these issues are most relevant when rethinking the corporate image.

- What is the main reason for the change?

Design update, rethinking of the target group, change of philosophy, social, environmental reason? Either way, it needs to be strong enough to support a large-scale change, but the cause - especially the social and environmental ones these days - will be well communicated.

- How much it will cost?

Not a negligible issue, especially for a smaller business, but like many areas, such a change can be an excellent investment: according to an American study, a company’s marketing materials (either in print or online) 97% influence prospective customers or customer decision. A good graphic is therefore essential, yet rewarding.

How does it works at a logo, image or brand renewal in practice?

- Clarification of issues:

The above can provide a good grip at the beginning of such a process, however, as many brands, so many other aspects may arise. It is important that there are no unclear questions left before work begins and that we see clearly what, why and how we want.

- Competitor Analysis:

We learn from mistakes, we all know this, but in a competitor analysis, it is much more gentle to learn from the mistakes of others. It can also be about following proven, successful patterns, of course, and researching for that, but it can also be very powerful to see examples of how we don’t want to do something.

- Design:

One of the keys to success is your ideal graphic assignment. As already mentioned, investing in an engaging design can be many rewards, but it is important that the graphic artist is also aware of our vision, the motivation behind the renewal, and the short- and long-term goals.

- Communication:

For some brands, it was a successful way to involve the target audience in the renewal from step zero, so they could not only be spectators but also shapers of the process, e.g. they could give their opinion on the best / least liked elements of the current image, they could take part in the polls concerning different design elements, etc. This is of course a rarer case, most brands just like to communicate about the process, creating a kind of “behind the scenes” feeling in people. At the same time, it can also have a special strength if we present only the finished end result to the audience, who will thus be affected by the breakthrough power of the novelty. Whichever path we take, it is almost imperative to communicate renewal - and the philosophy behind it.

Some good advice:

- Make a brand guideline!

If you haven’t had one before, such a change is a great opportunity for it. In addition to the different usable versions of the logo, the image manual contains the colors, fonts, graphic elements, allowed and forbidden elements, layouts used.

- Let's be consistent!

If a brand guideline is already available, it will be easy for us to design, but consistency will affect our appearance on social media, communication on other interfaces, in a word, everything that can be linked to our brand. And consistency is key to achieving and maintaining credibility.

- Let's have a story!

People love stories, whatever they are, luckily for a brand, it’s no different. They love to hear who we are, why we created our brand, what our message and philosophy are, what our sense of life is related to us. Our image must also tell and reflect this story.

- Let's talk about it!

Has only the font of the logo changed? Maybe we have replaced our materials used so far with a more environmentally conscious solution? Maybe the whole brand has been renewed down to the smallest detail? Let's communicate! On whatever surface we are present, let’s let the world know the big news, so that not only can we tell the reasons behind the change, but the new look can also start to take hold in people.

A good example


Every year, many domestic and international brands are renewed, whether it’s just changing the color of the logo or even rethinking the entire brand from scratch. Perhaps the world’s best-known fast food chain, McDonald’s, undertook the latter in the early 2010s, and is also the most comprehensive since its inception.

The first, most striking change was in the colors: the combination of bright red and yellow until then was replaced by green and duller orange. There was also a real “greening” behind the greening of the image: the company decided to renew the brand for environmental reasons, which affected not only the food packaging but also the equipment, for example, in addition to recycled paper, the tables were changed from plastic to wood.

Even though it was a huge company, even they went step by step: in the first round, they converted 280 restaurants, which brought such an increase in turnover that they could extend the innovations to their other stores as well. Basically, the image has become more elegant, more sustainable, cleaner, and the brand has increasingly moved into a café style over the ages, breaking with the look of a fast-food buffet that conquered overseas in the second half of the 20th century.

Their calculations came in: the brand renewal brought with it an increase in turnover and, thanks to the promise of social responsibility, a better brand reputation. However, it is clear that even such a big brand was moving step by step, experimenting along the way, not changing every single element, but perfectly integrating the new mission into the designated image elements.

BRANDER.hu