New Year. New Brand?
The new year always inspires a certain level of introspection. There’s something about starting fresh with 01/01 that makes you take stock of the past 12 months...now add in the new decade, and things are about to get deep. But if you’re stubborn like me, you don’t like to make a change because someone else decided New Year’s resolutions are a good idea. You want to have a good reason for that change, regardless of the time of year.
So to help you get out of your own way, here’s a list of questions you can ask yourself that will help you feel better about deciding a new year means a new brand:
When did you last go through a rebrand?
Adrian, our Senior Designer, and I were talking the other day about how different every rebrand is and how different every client is when going through a rebrand. He made a really astute observation about how difficult it becomes for clients that have lived and breathed a design for a long time. It’s the companies that haven’t touched their logo in 10 or more years that can take a lot of support to get across the finish line. And regardless of whether you’ve had the same logo for 5 years or 25 years, if you haven’t looked at it in a while, the time may have come to do so.
Does your brand feel retro or dated?
Let’s face the facts. An office that feels like it was designed in the 1960s is going to give a different impression than one designed in the 1990s. Part of it is the aesthetic (although I’m not one to judge one’s taste) but in my opinion that 1990’s office just looks like it hasn’t seen any attention in 30 years. The 60’s office feels intentional because the chances of it literally being a 1960’s office is rare. The same is true of a brand. If it looks like you’ve neglected your brand for so long that it has all the hallmarks of an era long gone, then it’s time to have a look at the look. There’s a big difference between retro and dated.
Does your branding represent your future?
The good thing about the whole New Year’s resolution thing is that it does encourage us to set goals. And when it comes to branding, knowing where you’re headed can be even more important than where you are. How many times have you seen a redesign on a major brand and been a little shocked by the difference, especially a brand that you support regularly? But give it a short amount of time and look back at the old branding. It will feel way older than it actually is. Despite what some folks think, change is good and if it is done well and supported in the right ways, a change in branding can do a lot to help a company feel relevant and even progressive.
So on your way to use that new gym membership (just kidding, I know you’re not that person) think about these three simple questions: When did you last go through a rebrand? Does your brand feel retro or dated? Does your branding represent your future? And if the time is right, a rebrand could be just the New Year’s resolution your company needs.
Brandt Hoekenga is the Founder & Creative Director for TIV Branding
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TIV Branding is a boutique branding firm in Sonoma County, California. We specialize in building brands by using traditional, social and digital channels in unison. If you would like to discuss a project or find out more about how we do what we do, please email us at info@TIVbranding.com.