How do I choose between a Brand Refresh or a ReBrand?
Making a choice between whether to go forward with a brand refresh or a rebranding is not a decision to make lightly. Here are some things to consider to help you choose the right path for your business.
Brand refresh vs. rebranding: What’s the difference? And which path is right for your business?
If you find that your brand identity is feeling stale — maybe sales are down, or you are shifting to offer different products and services — it may be time to rethink your brand strategy. And that means you have to decide what kind of changes to make and choose between a low-risk refresh or a high-risk rebrand. But what’s the difference between refreshing your brand and rebranding your business, and which is right for you?
What is a rebrand?
Rebranding refers to the complete overhaul of your cohesive brand. Companies rebrand for a variety of reasons. For some, a rebrand is necessary to better showcase the company’s intended services or products to customers. For others, rebranding is a result of changing business plans and a need for a company to reposition itself in the market. If you have new products to offer or want to tweak how customers see your current portfolio, you can rebrand as an opportunity to rebuild your company from scratch.
What is a brand refresh?
A brand refresh is the reimagination of existing brand identity design components — think logo, color palette, and typography. Unlike a rebrand, a brand refresh is part of the routine maintenance of your brand. As markets and trends change, you’ll need to evolve your brand design to keep your customers engaged.
When to rebrand your business vs. refresh?
Deciding between a refresh and a complete rebrand hinges on your long-term goals and the reasons your current brand is no longer working for you.
Refreshing your brand carries a lower risk as opposed to rebranding because it doesn’t require you to make any major changes to the structure of your company. With a refresh, you are touching up the company’s image and giving everything a fresh coat of paint. This allows you to update your logo, freshen up your color palette, introduce new fonts, and update all materials to match.
Rebranding is more time-consuming and carries a larger risk. When you decide to rebrand, you are essentially tearing everything you’ve built down and starting over. But the benefit of starting from scratch is that you can offer new and different products or services, market your company toward a different target audience, or branch out into an entirely new business model.
The lesson: Ultimately, if you are looking to minimize risk and give your company a face-lift, a brand refresh is the best decision. But if you are hoping to reinvent your company to offer something new and different completely, consider rebranding.
