Revive your brand with a new look & feel
When was the last time you updated your company logo and slogan? If it’s been a while, it may be time for a brand refresh. Here are a few tips to help you create a new look that will make your business stand out from the competition.
Start with a primary logo and keep your branding elements consistent
There are a couple of quick and simple steps you can take to update your logo and business slogan for a branding update:
Use a primary logo (or more) that tells the world what kind of company you’re trying to be. Your brand is one part of your marketing message, so make sure it’s unique. The goal is to get everyone talking about your business.
Make sure your tagline can stand alone as part of your brand
Brand identity is one of the most important factors in consumer decisions, so it’s important to make sure your company’s tagline or slogan can stand alone as part of your brand and not get lost amongst other competitors’ slogans. Research shows that consumers tend to consider a slogan an extension of a company’s brand when they see it on social media or in advertisements, so it should be memorable and familiar enough to be easily recalled.
Of course, having just one catchy phrase isn’t enough. You might want people to remember what type of business you are and how your products or services help them solve problems (i.e., for doctors). So use words such as “experts,” “innovators,” or “leading” in addition to “the” before your tagline and make sure these words align with your company name or acronym because making sure the wording is consistent will reinforce the two together as a brand identity.
New Vision, New Logo
If you have a new vision for your brand, but want to keep hints of the old one as well, consider keeping your main logo (the one that people think of first when they hear your company name) and creating a secondary logo (a new version of it) for use on things like official documents. A new version of your current logo can act as an umbrella for a slight redesign of the original brand’s color scheme or other elements. Keep your audience in mind during this process—if you change too much, you risk diluting or confusing them.
A great example of this is Spotify’s secondary logo, which retains their signature green color, yet more minimalist than the old 2008 version of the original Spotify logo. This simple difference provides continuity while hinting at something new from the familiar brand. The history of the Spotify logo is interesting in that it went from an avocado green rectangular background with a tech-forward serif font to a brighter green (almost neon) circle with three curved lines (like a broadband symbol) with Spotify in a sans serif font. The logo retained the three curved lines of the original logo, but made it more prominent than before. Also, the three curved lines of the new version of the Spotify logo is slightly tilted to the right to signify forward thinking or moving forward. This actually caused quite a bit of debate among Spotify fans.
Incorporate a subtle texture or pattern into your logo and colors for contrast
The word “texture” describes the look and feel of a surface. It’s an important design element because it adds dimension to your logo, which can be especially helpful if you have flat graphics or a simple image.
If you’re looking for ways to incorporate texture into your logo, here are a few ideas:
Add graininess to your logo by incorporating the grainy photo filter or simply by using a non-uniform, textured pattern.
Use a simple geometric pattern with lines, stripes, dots, or boxes in a uniform arrangement that doesn’t distract from your overall design. You can also use one color from your brand’s palette for the pattern and choose another color for the rest of the design to create contrast.
A refresh is a great way to show the world that you’ve changed, without spending years and money rebuilding everything from scratch.
How much should your logo change?
The answer to this question really depends on how different your new vision is from your current one. If you want to keep most of the same elements and just update the colors or font, then a minor refresh might be all you need. If you want to change everything about your brand, then you might consider starting from scratch with a new logo.
How much should your slogan change?
As with your logo, the answer to this question depends on how different your new vision is from your current one. If you want to keep most of the same elements and just update the colors or font, then a minor refresh might be all you need. If you want to change everything about your brand, then you might consider starting from scratch with a new slogan.
Assuming you’ll be doing a minor refresh of your logo, here are some things to consider:
Color: Updating the colors in your logo can give it a fresh look without changing the overall design too much.
Font: Try using a different font or combination of fonts for your logo. This can be a great way to update the look of your logo without changing the overall design.
Layout: Tweaking the layout of your logo can also give it a fresh look. For example, you could move the text to the side or bottom of the image, or center it in the middle.
Image: If you have an image in your logo, you could try updating it to a newer or more modern version.
Once you’ve decided on the changes you want to make to your logo, the next step is to implement them. Here are a few tips for doing so:
1. Make sure your new logo is high-resolution and can be used in both digital and print applications.
2. Use your new logo consistently across all of your marketing materials, including your website, business cards, and social media accounts.
3. Update any templates or documents that use your old logo with the new one.
4. Make sure you keep a copy of your old logo handy in case you need to use it for any reason.
5. Let your customers and clients know about your new logo and what it represents for your brand. You can do this through a blog post, email newsletter, or social media update.
It’s important to have a strong brand identity that is recognizable and memorable. By following these tips, you can breathe new life into your company’s brand.
At ViviScape, we’ve helped hundreds of clients achieve their goals by selling more products with smarter marketing strategies and branding that creates an emotional connection between you and your customers. If all this sounds interesting, please contact us or give us a call at (574) 207-6511. Our marketing team at ViviScape is ready to work with you to turn your company’s vision into reality.
