All good things must come to an end. One day, your brand identity will become obsolete. Or, it will require updating. Whether you refresh it in a few years or stretch it out for decades depends on three key factors:
- Industry. Some industries are notoriously more trendy than others. I'm looking at you, tech. Technology companies tend to update their brand identities routinely to keep up with market changes. Competitors may enter the space and have a more impactful brand identity, so others follow suit to stay relevant.
- Transitions. Sometimes a business will expand or change its product or service offerings. Their brand identity may then become irrelevant or fail to capture where the business is heading.
- Identifiability. Some brands have achieved a level of recognition that makes it too risky to change their identity.
How Can I Increase Longevity?
Can you tell I like threes? Because here are three more keys coming at you.
- Be thoughtfully trendy. An identity inspired solely by current design trends will not last long. While staying fresh is important, consider how the identity will look in five years. Your logo and identity should be able to adapt to changing design aesthetics in marketing and collateral with minimal adjustment.
- Keep it simple. Lettermarks, wordmarks and simple iconography tend to age better. Avoid typefaces that have too much personality. Less is more.
- Plan for the future. If there’s the possibility of adding more products or services down the road, how will that affect your identity? Can you add a tagline to your logo for new divisions of the company if needed? If the logo is specific to your current business, do you have plans to expand your offerings?
How Do I Know If I Should Refresh or Start Fresh?
A designer should be able to walk you through your options to help you make an informed decision. Maybe small tweaks to your logo and visual design language will bring your identity back to life. A total rebrand isn’t always necessary.
But if you must start over, you want a partner who will help ensure a smooth and seamless transition. Engaging a designer to conduct a brand audit is a good starting point.