Rebranding is Scary...and Necessary.

Recently, my design partner Julia sent me this picture...  

She was on vacation in Minneapolis and went to the Mall of America (as one does) and noticed an interesting display at the Lego store of the history of their logo. Yes, this is what graphic designers do... I also sent her a picture of a bar’s logo that I was at last weekend being a snob about their typeface, but I digress.

Being in the universe of environmental graphics, of course we both thought this was a great way to use wall space; celebrating one’s history as well as their brand all in one super-statement that causes you to stop and take a picture. It’s a trifecta of Enviro-graphic success! And it just looks rad. But this also is a testament to something that may seem scary to a business of any size...

The “R” word.

Rebranding is expensive. Rebranding is admitting a do-over is needed in your look, your marketing, that’s not always something you want to admit. And often, there’s emotional attachment to an original logo, typeface, or mission. Let’s be honest, change is hard for a lot of reasons. 

Why Rebrand?

But the reason why it’s hard is why it’s important. When you rebrand, you’re essentially moving your look to the top of the proverbial pile. When you’re big- people take notice, and sometimes they hate it (if one more person tells me their opinion of HBO’s Max to just “Max” rebrand…). See, change is hard. 

Perhaps the most important reason to rebrand is evolution.

Ideally, your company is responding to it’s environment, adapting to the needs of the world around it, pivoting to survive and thrive. There’s a beautiful fluidity to that. The catch-22 is that what gives a company longevity, often is what gives its brand a dated look. A brand needs to evolve as well. If you allow it to do so, you breathe life into it by allowing it to grow.  

How do you rebrand?

1. Hire a branding graphic designer who listens to your needs. Listening is the most valuable skill any type of designer can possess.
2. Take a thoughtful beat to look internally and ask the hard questions about what your company represents. What should result is a perfect representation of who you are in the present moment and where you want your brand and mission to go. Reflect on your mission statement. Reflect on your values. Now play a fun game… do you see that in your logo… in your website… in your workspace… in your colors… in your font… in the attitude around the office?
3. Take a cross-section of the physical, emotional, and architectural environment you are surrounded by and get to work.  
4. Once it’s done, write a press statement, put it out there, celebrate your brave and bold step into the R-word Universe.
5. Ignore the haters. They’re probably just jealous that their logo is still Copperplate Gothic. 

**if you want to learn about the Cushing rebrand journey, click here.