Why in the world did we update our branding? And when should you update yours?
Why in the world did we update our branding?
And when should you update yours?
That is a great question. There are a lot of good reasons why you may need to update your logo, brand, and style guide now.
But before I jump into those reasons, I do want to share a word of caution about updating your logo. First, you know for certain that this is what you want to do.
Your logo and brand are how people recognize your organization, and people who are sold out about your brand already have some emotional ties to it. In short, your brand is a sense of being to someone else. So to change your logo willy-nilly, you may risk some tension, confusion, or worry about your brand, but don’t worry. I’ll cover how you can overcome this hurdle below – especially if you are a well-established organization.
Here are some reasons NOT to rebrand your organization:
You just rebranded
You’re not sure what you want
You’re not ready to update the big items that need new branding (website, signage, marketing materials, etc.)
On the flip side, there are plenty of good reasons why rebranding, and updating your logo is a great investment for your organization. The most important thing to remember is your logo is critical to reaching the right audience.
People buy feelings, not things.
Let me explain that more in-depth. For example, people don’t buy a Tesla or an iMac because it is eco-friendly or has a decent operating system, they buy them because of the way it makes them feel.
Your logo, brand, photography, and signature style are all part of that process. Your brand will do all the heavy lifting to make a good first impression on the right audience. Then, after your ideal audience experiences your incredible community, product, or service, they will associate that feeling with your branding. And this happens without people even realizing it. From the first moment someone looks at your logo, website, or social media, they are answering the question if your organization is right for them.
Logos and branding materials are powerful tools – so here are some good reasons to update your logo and brand:
Your logo is dated and needs a fresh set of pixels - I call this a brand refresh since you don’t want a completely new look, but you do want t an updated version of your current logo and brand
Your logo has nothing to do with what you do or the audience you are trying to reach.
You are launching something new (like your website) - this can be a great time to update your brand and logo because everything will be starting fresh (I highly recommend this)
You feel like your organization has grown and your logo needs to attract a different audience
You just don’t like your logo anymore
And…what if never had a logo to begin with?
If you are starting a new business, depending on your organization, you can DIY a logo or hire a team to help you brand your organization. If you are DIYing your logo, there are plenty of templates on Creative Marketing or in Canva that you can access and create your own logo for free. However, if you want to skip the overwhelming feeling of doing it all yourself, we have priced our logo packages to be affordable for almost any business. See how we can help with our 5-Day Branding package.
What’s the difference?
Should you change your logo completely? Or Should you just refresh it?
There are times to completely start from scratch when updating your brand and logo, but there is another option, where you can just refresh your logo. Both options are good. It really comes down to how you want to position your brand and shape the feeling around your organization.
Example 1:
Refreshing the brand for a health and wellness company.
For instance, this speech pathologist organization that we worked with, was ready to update its website and decided to update its branding at the same time. After looking at a few completely new concepts, they decided that they really wanted to just refresh the current logo.
Refreshing this 10+ year old company’s logo gave them the confidence to serve their clients better and create a safe, modern, and high-tech feeling that is also familiar to their audience. They had so many clients that a complete change may not have suited them best and possibly felt like a shock to their audience, so a refresh was perfect.
Example 2: Completely updating AND CHANGING THE LOOK OF YOUR Brand
Our organization, ConfidentBrands.co, on the other hand, felt like completely changing our logo and brand was the right decision. We are a relatively young company and have narrowed in on our niche market. Also, though the owl looks nice, it had absolutely nothing to do with what we actually do.
Completely changing our logo gave us the confidence to see our audience more clearly. It was a much-needed change to create a logo and brand that felt bold, fun, and edgy to up-and-coming audiences within churches and small businesses.
Could a rebrand (or new logo) could be in your near future?
It sure is - and faster than ever before! I’ve seen so many leaders sit in indecision and insecurity about a project for way too long. Sometimes, weeks, months, even years go by, but they never seem to get their passion project off the ground. Our mindset is to build a better brand and launch what you love now. You can always go back and refine over time, but no one will ever know what you are capable of if it only stays in your head.
- Meredith Gaston
Branding does not have to be expensive or take a long time.
After serving over a thousand churches and organizations in brand and design, I’ve created a fast, yet fun 5-day brand service that you can do right now, at a price that everyone can afford.
You can message me directly at hello@confidentbrands.co or visit confidentbrands.co/branding to get the full details and start your next project. Remember, your branding is a sense of being for someone else. Take advantage of how powerful your brand really is and start using your brand and marketing materials to connect with your audience and feel the right way about your organization.
- Meredith Gaston
