When to Renew Brand Identity? Rebranding Decision Guide

Brand Identity Renewal: How to Know the Right Time?

The decision to renew your brand identity is one of the most strategic steps of your business. While a rebranding done at the right time can bring a new breath and market advantage to your brand, wrong timing can put your existing brand value at risk. So, what are the signals that indicate that it is time to renew your brand identity?

6 Situations That Require Brand Identity Renewal

1) Your target audience has changed — initially you were appealing to SMEs, now you are targeting corporate customers. 2) Your current identity doesn't reflect your vision — you've grown but your logo still has a "garage era" feel. 3) You mix with your competitors — similar colors, fonts and messages are used throughout the industry. 4) A merger, acquisition or new partnership has taken place. 5) Negative brand perception has occurred and you need to open a clean slate. 6) Your identity across digital touchpoints is inconsistent — web, social media and print don't fit together.

Brand Refresh or Rebranding?

Brand refresh modernizes your existing identity: minor logo updates, color palette refresh, typography change. Rebranding, on the other hand, is a fundamental rebuilding: new name, new logo, new positioning, new message. While refresh is usually sufficient for the first 3 cases, cases 4-6 require full rebranding.

Planning the Renewal Process

The brand identity renewal process usually takes 3-6 months. Start with the research and analysis phase, get the opinions of your internal stakeholders (employees, board), prepare a clear brief and work with a professional brand strategy agency. Minimize customer confusion by planning the transition process phase by phase.

For professional brand identity renewal and rebranding services, check out our Brand Strategy page.