Truth – no logo can stay relevant forever. Times change and so do design trends and people’s emotional responses to a design. Your company may have evolved or is transforming, therefore the logo that spoke volumes when your company was formed may not have the same relevancy.
Let’s go back in time when your business logo was created. For some, this may be the 90’s, while for others the early 00’s. Whatever decade you have to teleport back to, go there and conjure an image of your former home. As you stand by the window in your living room taking in your surroundings, look around your home and acknowledge the refurbishments and upgrades you may have considered; looking out, notice the designs of houses, garden landscapes, and perhaps even the lack of cable networks due to newly underground wiring; and remember too, the type of technology currently available – time evolves and so should your company logo.
Common design trends from (gulp) ten years or more also don’t fit in with today. Though, that’s not to say there isn’t a modern take of what once was.
Understand that your logo, like your residence, is the facade of your business. Ask yourself why someone would want to spend money and walk in if the outside screams – dated!
If you think that a good product ensures customer loyalty or even upholds a competitive edge, you are mistaken. Consumers are connected to a company’s brand; more specifically, devoted to the unique way the business innovates, communicate and incorporates human-like traits. If you feel your competitors are more successful in commanding the interest of your customers, it’s likely that their brand is closer aligned with your mutual audience. Reinventing your corporate image could easily shift the focus back onto your business, and simultaneously keep your competitors at bay.
Many companies start with little funds, spending their first years trying to stay afloat.
It is crucial, but often overlooked, in these early stages to allocate funding for a logo. Generally, with startups, what tends to happen is that a trademark is manifested on the fly. When that start-up company does begin to grow and become more prominent, that impromptu design will be inadequate to compete in the more professional arena. A young business on the rise, with sizeable traction and steady profits, should consider a logo redesign. It is even more pertinent to redesign if the groundwork in branding wasn’t invested in the early stages of the business. A logo makeover that also establishes a brand identity will strengthen the chances of surviving growth; making a company identifiable, relatable and a real contender in the marketplace.
A logo design is created and influenced by a company’s target audience. For instance, over time your business may have started expanding, building new products and services, widening and/or shifting audiences. The initial interests or habits of your target audience may have evolved too. For example, e-harmony targeted singletons in the year 2000. A bachelor today will have a completely different behavioural pattern to a single person in today’s society in 2018 – one major shift in behaviour is accessing dating sites via a computer versus an app on a mobile.
Whether it is the shift in directions of a business offering or the differences in your audience’s habits, the original company logo may not be applicable. A logo redesign can be just the feature to reset your business and showcase its new beginnings.
Ask yourself, “Who is your business trying to attract?” because your brand needs to look, sound and be strikingly appealing to that person. The best way to do this is by developing a customer archetype. In other words, a ‘fake’ persona highlighting age, gender, life stage, education, hobbies and ethnicity of your ideal target audience. A Brand expert can guide you through this process, exposing visual traits to increase the likelihood of your trademark being adopted.
If your logo is heavily recognised, then a ‘facelift’ is all you need. Reason being, you don’t want to revamp a logo to the point that it loses its brand history or power. In many cases a redesign should be effective to the point that draws non-followers in, yet subtle enough that current followers won’t feel betrayed. As the owner of a trademark, write down the elements that hold the most significant power so that you can specify to your Brand Designer the attributes that are most significant to preserve.
MailChimp, a company notorious for their email marketing platform for small businesses, introduced a new brand identity this year. The company updated rather than overhauled their 2013 logo, retaining all the elements that are central to their initial adopters while making room for new audiences.
Often business owners feel obliged to go back to the person who initially created their brand icon. However, it’s perfectly safe to try someone new/’fresh’. Since considerable time has lapsed since your businesses logo was conceived, the person you originally employed might have moved on from their vocation. As brand designing has evolved, new programs and platforms are available, requiring a designer to remain expert and up to date. Perhaps your original trademark artist could be under qualified for this new revamp.
If you are in search of a Brand Designer, there is also no harm in selecting a company who may not be aware of your company at the present time. The most important thing is choosing a designer who is willing to put in the time to research and study your brand.
When you’re comfortable to take that leap, the best person to nurture your new logo redesign should be a qualified Marketer and a Graphic Designer, experienced in branding and design. It is rare to find a person qualified in two areas, but B.KIDDO has just the right person mastering both.
To learn more about logo design, visit B.KIDDO online. If you are going to invest in a renewal logo, B.KIDDO considers both ways of maintaining a brand’s integrity, whilst simultaneously offering an innovative, modern and renewed feel.
