Points to Consider Before or When You Decide to Change Your Company’s Logo

One day you realize that your company needs a new face. Stop. Do not make fast decisions. Updating a logo is like making a tattoo. And even more serious — your company’s success is at stake.

Crucial Points to Consider Before or When You Decide to Change Your Company’s Logo

Strong Reasons for a New Logo

Changing your logo, (for example) because your sales dropped down or brand awareness efforts seem useless, might not solve the problem. It’s more likely that you need to change your marketing strategy.

Clear goals for a new logo save you from a number of risks: from spending money and time in vain to losing your loyal customers because they do not recognize you. Your company might just disappear for its clients, partners, users; lose their trust, which you have been earning for years.

Common reasons why companies go through rebranding are the following:

Dated brand logo design. A company is already 5-10-20 years on the market and you have not brought any changes to your logo yet or your last rebrand was 5 years ago. New technologies, new standards, a new reality, new web. Your old logo might simply be not compatible with new devices and apps. Your business should look up-to-date.
Your mission, vision, and values have changed, so you need your logo to reflect it correctly. Customers should get a sense of your values when they look at your logo.
New target audience. Your customers have grown up, your company has changed its market positioning. The business is expanding to the international market or starts working for a new location.

Based on the reasons, set your rebranding goals. For example: to change the users’ perception of your company.

Research How Customers See You

First of all discover what reality your audience lives in, what do they trust, what they find familiar and reliable, what they expect from a product from your industry.

You probably should not design a modern minimalistic or excessively bright creative logo for elderly users. Even if you have a younger generation as your main customer category, it is a bad idea to design a yellow animated logo for premium healthcare services.

Second, ask your customers about a current logo, how they perceive you, when, and in what context they will use your product. Consult them during the whole process, show them possible variants of a future creative logo.

It is important firstly because your opinion is biased and secondly because it is for the customer to decide whether to buy your product or not, whether to stay with you or choose your competitor.

Finally, you will get insights into what extent you should change your logo. Or maybe you do not need any changes at all.

Refresh or Redesign

A total redesign is only acceptable in two cases:

you are a small business and haven’t established positions on the market. So when you considerably change your brand logo design, you won’t lose plenty of customers, as big companies do.
you radically change your market positioning. For example, you have been selling clothes «for all» and now decided that you are better at making premium garments.

Either way, after the rebrand you should contact your clients through emails and your website and explain why you made the change, what does it mean, supporting and tying the announcement to your mission and values.

Logo refresh or partial rebrand goes for most of the companies and strongly recommended for medium and large businesses. Following the tactic, you leave the essence of your existing brand while bringing it into line with current trends. You can remove a small element, change the trace of your main color, leave the form and rethink style.

Example:

Wikipedia represents the most conservative changes. Saving the form, they were looking for a different execution: they leave the letters and symbols with the round form of the brand logo design while turning it into the 3D variant.

Google revises its logo and icons about every 2-5 years. They implement new elements while saving initial identifiable colors and forms.

Analyze the Context

It is about how users will perceive you.

What are the common colors for your industry?
What are the most influential trends among your competitors?
What famous companies are you associated with by your customers? Do they have a good reputation?
On the whole — is the chosen form and colors represent something positive taking into account the current realities or your country's agenda. Would you like to be associated with these things?
Where will your logo be placed (except a website and social media)? Print, billboards, packaging, in new technologies such as VR, etc.

Make a Mobile-Friendly Variant of Your Logo

We put it separately for the reason that some long-standing companies might forget that people now mostly work and entertain themselves using their smartphones.

When designing your logo, keep in mind that you as well need small and simplified versions.

Your New Logo Should Be Identifiable (as Well as the Previous For Sure)

Maybe it sounds quite obvious but: when users see your creative logo, do they recognize your company? Or they can confuse it with your competitor?

Try not to change colors, if it isn’t a radical rebrand, it is better to experiment with a form or even leave the colors and the form unchanged but just play with the details. This will help to remind your clients that «it is still you».

Strive for Timelessness in Your Logo

Follow trends carefully. Your goal is to make a logo that will be relevant throughout years and decades from now. It is also about keeping it simple. Look at Nike, it seems like so little has changed during almost 50(!) years.

The best brand logo designs contain several thoughts and ideas in just a few elements: lines, color, intensity, shapes.

Do Not Expect Fast Positive Changes

Do not be afraid of negative feedback just after the rebrand. Wait for at least half a year when users get used to the new logo and only then start analyzing how your brand logo design survived.

Consult With Intellectual Property Lawyers

Ask them whether your logo ideas won’t violate any company’s rights. Some colors, forms, and elements might be already registered and protected by someone. For this purpose, your lawyer (or sometimes designer) should research existing logos for your services class in the trademark database of your country or area where your business operates.

Recap

Consider partial changes as your primary setting. It is far less risky and suits the majority of the cases of most companies. Also, try to leave your colors and core elements.

Some logos are so universal that you might find that you do not need any change. But it is a good practice to do research every 3-5 years to make sure you are still up-to-date.