Leave Your Brand Feeling Refreshed

 By Jimmy Egeland, Creative Services Manager


What do some of the best brands have in common? At some point or another, they’ve all refreshed their identity. Even the classics like Shell, Coke and Ford—staples that are considered to be some of the most recognizable and consistent brands of the past century—all modified their looks to keep up with contemporary style. It may have been hard to notice the changes from year-to-year, but when looking at their logos from decades ago, the nuanced differences for even the champions of brand consistency are noticeable.

In honor of the brands that have been doing it right for so long, here are Vollmer’s top-five rebranding pitfalls to avoid. With these tips and a little luck, maybe your brand will be among the elite fifty years from now.

Misdiagnosing Your Branding Situation – Your logo was designed by your thirteen-year-old son…with Microsoft Paint. It looks like it should be hanging on the refrigerator, not anchoring your company’s identity. In this instance, a minor tweak here and there is not going to cut it. It’s time to embrace a branding overhaul. Put sentiment aside and compare your identity to the big dogs in the industry. Looking like a Chihuahua? Potential customers are going to think the same thing.

Rushing it – It’s December 23rd and you’re thinking “wouldn’t it be great if we started out the new year with a new logo?” Unless Santa has an elf that’s a whiz with Adobe Illustrator, you might want to adjust your timeline. Give yourself plenty of time for research, concepts, design, review and edits. Yes, that means planning! You may not have your new logo by New Year’s, but you’ll be much happier with the final product come Valentine’s day.

Copy & Paste – Brand X is the best thing since sliced bread. Their look is so hot right now. Why not just refresh your brand and do exactly what Brand X is doing and cash in on their success? Besides the whole copyright infringement thing, it’s always important to remember this: the tribute band is never as good as the original. Nobody’s buying tickets for Fred Zeppelin when Led Zeppelin is playing down the street. Understanding and embracing design trends is one thing, but xeroxing the Xerox logo is a no-no. Make your identity your own.

Mistaken Identity – Nothing says peaceful retirement village quite like grunge texture and bolded, neon pink font. Well, if it’s a retirement village for punk rockers. When choosing things like typeface, treatments and imagery, it’s important to embrace your industry and your target. First impressions are important and you don’t want your peaceful elderly community to be portrayed as a nonstop rock fest.

Moonlighting – Let’s face it—you are good at what you do. Part of being good at what you do is delegating what you aren’t good at to people who are. The logo refreshing process is no different and should be left to the pros. Does your input matter? Absolutely. Should you weigh in on important decisions? You bet. But when it comes down to the nuts and bolts, trust the creative people around you.

So now you have the inspiration and the tips on what to avoid. You’re ready to refresh your brand and embark on a new era of success. If you have a hiccup along the way or need any guidance, I’m just a call or email away. Good luck and enjoy that refreshing feeling. Jimmy@vollmerpr.com – 972-488-4790.