Rebranding makes sense when your business or customer has changed, when a legal problem appears, or when your identity doesn't work on the media you need. Wait if the only reason is boredom with the look, a sales drop you haven't explained, or copying a competitor.
You see your identity every day. Your customer may see it once every few weeks and is still learning to recognize it, so your team's boredom is a weak signal. This article gives you a list of signals to go through with your partners and three levels of change to consider before you ask anyone for a quote.
The signal list: start or wait?
Answer yes or no to each signal and note the evidence next to it. Evidence means something you can show: customers' words, a lawyer's letter, a photo of a usage problem.
| Signal | Type | Evidence needed |
|---|---|---|
| What you sell has changed and the identity describes an old business | Start | New customers misunderstand your service |
| Who you sell to has changed substantially | Start | Your current customer list against the old one |
| The name or logo causes a legal dispute or confusion | Start fast | A written legal opinion or documented confusion |
| The identity doesn't work technically on your media | Start, and a refresh may do | A logo unreadable when small, or an unlicensed font |
| A merger, or a new market where the name doesn't fit | Study it | Customer answers from the new market |
| Sales are falling and you don't know why | Wait | Find the cause first |
| A new manager wants to leave a mark | Wait | No evidence from the market |
| A competitor launched an attractive identity | Wait | What has it actually changed among your customers? |
| The team is bored with the look | Wait | Not enough alone |
If you find no "start" signal with evidence behind it, postpone and review in six months. If you find one, move on to choosing the level of change, which may be smaller than you think.
Why doesn't a new identity usually fix falling sales?
A new identity doesn't repair a problem with product, price, distribution or follow-up. It may hide one for a while and use up the budget that should have fixed it. Start by asking customers who stopped buying why they left. If they say the company looks dated or untrustworthy, identity may be part of the problem. If they talk about price or service, start there.
Check the numbers between the ad and the sale as well, since the drop may sit in follow-up alone. Our article on why you get plenty of leads and few sales helps with that diagnosis.
Three levels of change: choose the smallest that solves it
Most problems don't need a new name and a new logo. Compare the three levels before deciding:
| Level | What changes | Suits | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refresh | A tidier logo, clearer colors, a better font | A sound idea, poorly executed | Low |
| Extension | The logo stays and a full system goes around it: templates, a guide, a photo style | A company with a logo and no identity | Low |
| Full change | A new name or an entirely new mark, along with the messages | A changed business or audience, or a legal dispute | High |
Our article on visual identity covers what an extension includes. You may find that only the guide and templates are missing.
The costs that don't appear on the quote
Designing the identity is one cost item, so add up the rest before comparing offers:
- Reprinting signs, packaging, stationery, uniforms and vehicle graphics.
- Updating the website, app, accounts, invoices, contracts and email templates.
- A campaign telling customers it's the same company.
- Training the team on the new name, messages and templates.
- A transition period in which old and new looks get mixed.
- Part of the recognition the market has built over years, which shows up on no invoice.
If your domain or URLs change, add a technical move plan. Google's site move guidance recommends permanent redirects, kept for at least a year, and notes that search visibility may fluctuate temporarily during a move. Our company website guide helps you review what's affected.
A known example: what happened to the Gap logo?
Gap changed the logo on its website in 2010, then went back to the previous one a week later after a wave of comments from customers and people online, according to Consumer Goods Technology coverage from October 2010. The company's president at the time said it hadn't gone about this the right way. The lesson for your company: try the idea with real customers and prepare for the reaction before launch, especially if the old logo is well known.
If you decide to change: the steps in order
- Set the strategy first: what will the company say now, and to whom? Start with our brand strategy guide before any design work.
- Check the name and logo legally: search the WIPO Global Brand Database. In Saudi Arabia, see the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, and in Egypt ask a specialist lawyer to check the register with the competent authority. This section is general information and not legal advice.
- Test with customers: show the options to a sample of current and potential customers. Ask what they understand from the look and the message, because asking whether they like it won't tell you enough.
- Write the asset plan: a list of everywhere the old look appears, with an owner and a date.
- Tell the team before customers: and give them one answer to "why did you change the name?"
- Set a switch date: move accounts, the website and what you control in one go, and schedule print and signs in a short, announced plan, so people don't assume there are two companies.
- Explain the change and follow it up: mention the old name with the new one for long enough, and review customer messages and search results for both names.
Common questions
How often should an identity change? There's no correct interval for every company. Tie the decision to the signals, and leave the number of years out of it.
Should I change only the logo? If the logo alone is the problem, that may be enough. If your position in the market has changed, a logo won't solve it.
Who should take part in the decision? Whoever holds the budget, whoever sells, and whoever deals with customers daily. Name one person to settle disagreements.
Next step
Sit down with whoever sells and whoever runs marketing, and fill in the signal list in an hour, using evidence and not impressions. If a real signal appears, define the message and audience before any design. That's the basis of PlanKit's brand strategy service.