How to Update Your Logo: A Fresh Face for Your Brand

How to Update Your Logo: A Fresh Face for Your Brand

Your logo is more than just a pretty picture. The brand face, the quiet representative, speaks volumes before you open your mouth.

But what do you do when this representation begins to look… stale?

In a world where attention equals money and first impressions are made in milliseconds, an old-fashioned logo is like arriving at an interview in last year’s outfit: it may still work, but it won’t do you any favours.

Changing your logo does not mean you should follow trends or change for change's sake; instead, it should be seen as an evolution of your visual identity system to keep pace with what you stand for and where you want to go.

Great logos seem timeless. However, they are not stuck in time – they should grow, adapt and refine themselves just as much as the brands they stand for.

So, ready to put on new makeup? Let's see how we can update your logo without losing who you are.

Why Update Your Logo?

Keeping Up With the Changing Market

Think of your logo as the outfit for your business. Just like you wouldn't wear last decade's fashion to an important meeting, you don't want an outdated look for your brand either. 

Updating your logo demonstrates that your company is aware of current trends and ready to respond to present market needs.

Showing Company Growth and Development

Their logo should do the same when a business expands or changes. You may have started as a small local shop but now have national aspirations. 

Alternatively, the initial logo did not adequately capture new products or services introduced into the market, necessitating modification. A new emblem will reflect who you are presently and not just back when everything began.

Increasing Brand Recognition

Can you believe it? Revising a logo helps boost brand recognition. When you simplify and contemporise it, making people remember becomes more manageable because they can easily recall. 

This is like giving a haircut to your brand – people will see that something has changed and won’t forget what was different.

When Should You Update Your Logo?

Red flags that show you need to change your logo:

1. Your logo appears old compared to others in the same industry.
2. It could do better on various online platforms.
3. The business has dramatically evolved or expanded
4. You are focusing on a different market segment
5. Your present symbol is either too complicated or challenging to duplicate

Procrastinating over a new design can be very detrimental. You could fail to attract millennials or look irrelevant among peers within your field. What’s worse is when you have to rebrand fast because of an acquisition, merger, or significant event.

How to Approach Your Logo Update

Evaluate Your Current Logo

Look at your present logo critically before starting to sketch out new ideas. What functions? What doesn’t? Are there any elements that should be retained? Knowing the strengths and shortcomings of your current logo will serve as a compass for revamping it.

Determine the Core Values of Your Brand

A logo must visually represent what the company is about. Review mission statements and core values again; have any changes been made? Ensure that an updated logo corresponds with the current brand philosophy.

Review Trends in Designing

Though you should think carefully about trends, knowing what is happening in logo design is essential. Examples include minimalism, strong typefaces or fonts, and versatile logos, which can work on different platforms but ultimately aim for designs that stand the test of time rather than those that are fashionable only for now.

Consider the Industry You’re In

Different industries use unique visual languages, and they speak through their logos. For instance, one would expect a formal-looking law firm’s sign versus a tech start-up’s emblem. Investigate what other businesses within your sector use to avoid deviating too much from them while remaining distinctive enough.

Keep Versatility in Mind

With many devices available today, people access websites from various gadgets whose screens differ significantly in size (pixels) and type (e.g., phones vs tablets). This means that even if only a few individuals visit the site via smartphone app compared to desktop PC users browsing large billboard ads situated downtown during rush hour traffic jams, equal legibility is required at all times.

The Logo Update Process

Collect Inspiration

To start with, gather logos you like. Find examples from the same industry as yours, but look further afield. Creating a mood board is a helpful way of visualising where you want to take things.

Sketch First Ideas

Avoid going straight onto the computer; use pen and paper instead. Draw rough concepts to begin with – this more open-ended approach can result in more innovative and distinctive suggestions.

Develop Your Ideas

When you’ve got several promising sketches, refine them. This might mean producing digital versions or enlisting the help of a professional designer to improve your thinking.

Obtain Feedback

Don’t work on your own; involve others. Share your ideas with colleagues who have proven judgment, friends whose opinions you respect and – if possible – people from your intended audience. They can point out potential pitfalls and identify the most substantial options.

Settle On A Design

Choose your final design based on feedback received and further development undertaken – ensure it works when reproduced at different sizes or in black-and-white and colour.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Doing Too Much

Make sure that your new logo design can still be recognised as an evolution from the old one unless you are rebranding in its entirety. Seeing a completely different thing confuses them, and they lose their trust in your brand.

Not Looking at Your Existing Customer Base

It would not hurt to entice new clients with the new logo, but it should not be done at the expense of losing current loyal clients. Ensure that you consider their reaction towards this change in how things look.

Following Trends Blindly

Keeping up with what is happening around you might be good for business, but always remember not to mindlessly follow such trends if they interfere with your organisation’s unique image or reputation. A timeless mark does not become obsolete within months.

Over-complicating Things

Most of the time, simplicity is key when designing logos; try to put only a few ideas or details into one concept. The simpler the design, the easier it becomes recognisable and applicable to various media platforms.

Implementing Your New Logo

Create a Plan for Rollout

Swapping the old logo with the new one is not all that should be done while updating a logo. It would be best to devise a strategy to make the world aware of your revised logo.

Renew All Touchpoints

It is incredible how many places logos appear. The appearance of your logo may even be more than you could have thought. Ensure that you record every place you find your logo, whether on business cards, website, social media product packaging, and many others, then arrange when they should be renewed.

Notify People About the Change

Make sure you communicate with your customers concerning the update. Talk to them about why you decided to do it and what made you change, such as growth or development in your company, among other things. This can turn an ordinary act like changing design into something promoting sales, for instance.

Think About Soft Launching

If there is no sudden changeover from previous logos and current ones, try introducing fresh designs gradually, together with older ones so that people can get used to them quickly.

The Impact of a Successful Logo Update

Revamped Brand Image

A good logo update can change the way people see your brand. It tells customers and competitors that you’re not afraid to take risks and move forward.

Improved Brand Recognition

It may seem strange, but changing your logo can make more people recognise it. If it’s designed better, with a more straightforward, more modern look, customers will find it easier to remember and spot.

More Market Interest

When a company modifies its logo, it can attract new segments without losing them. This is tricky to pull off; however, this could significantly increase appeal if achieved correctly.

Increased Employee Satisfaction

Remember to consider what happens internally after updating logos. When organisational images are renewed, staff members regain their enthusiasm for work and company loyalty.

Case Studies: Successful Logo Updates

Starbucks: Making an icon less complicated

The evolution of Starbucks' logo is a lesson in simplicity. They have dropped text from it bit by bit and refined the siren that is their brand symbol until they arrive at this clean and memorable logo that can be used on any platform.

Google: Moving with the times

The 2015 update of Google's logo was about more than just looks. The new typeface, sans-serif, was created to look good on low-resolution screens and load quickly on slow network connections, which is essential if you want your product accessible globally.

Mastercard: Updating for the digital era

In 2016, Mastercard removed all words from its logo except for “MASTERCARD”, written below two overlapping circles, which remain unchanged from previous versions. This simplified design takes up less space when displayed digitally but retains instant recognisability.

When a Logo Update Isn't Enough

There are times when the update of a logo does not cut it. Here are the signs that you may require a more extensive rebranding:

• Your Business Model Has Changed Fundamentally
• You Are Trying To Separate Yourself From A Negative Image
• Your Brand No Longer Sets You Apart From Competitors
• You Are Entering Entirely New Markets

Rebranding goes further than just changing your logo. It includes re-evaluating everything about your brand, from the mission statement through brand voice to visual identity. Although it may take more work, repositioning your company within the market can become much easier with a complete rebranding.

The Role of Professional Designers

Although self-logo-updating is possible, particularly when one has design skills, it is worth hiring a professional in the following cases:

1. You need to learn more about design.
2. You want someone from outside.
3. You require an all-encompassing brand identity package.
4. You need help to achieve the desired appearance.

What Should You Consider When Looking for a Designer?

About updating your logo, some of the factors you should consider when looking for a designer include:

• Their past works – does their style match what you have in mind?
• Their way of doing things – how do they approach logo design?
• Their knowledge about your enterprise and sector
• The ability to create a flexible logo that can work on any medium

Measuring the Success of Your Logo Update

Following logo redesign, monitor the following:

1. Surveys of brand recognition
2. Website traffic and interaction
3. Mentions on social media and sentiment
4. Sales statistics
5. Customer feedback

Collecting and Analysing Feedback

Don’t rely on numbers alone. Actively seek qualitative feedback from customers, employees, and peers in your industry. Their perspectives can help provide meaningful context for your quantitative data.

Conclusion

Revamping your logo isn’t just about designing a new one – it’s a strategic move that can rejuvenate your entire brand. A well-thought-out logo update can help you remain relevant, attract fresh customers, and better mirror the growth and values of your company.

Remember that this is the face of your brand. As such, we all require some makeover occasionally, and so does your enterprise. Take an intensive gaze at it: should you update? Then be careful while going through this process — let it be creative enough and with the direction you desire for your business identity. The outcome may prove revolutionary.

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