When is it time for a brand refresh?
Have you ever felt uncertain about your brand’s visuals? Is my logo right, are these colors good hues, is this font ok? When you’ve built your brand in small snippets over time, it’s easy to feel unsure about the overall direction.
Sometimes it is a good idea as a business owner to take a deep look at your visual brand and see if you might need a redesign or a refresh. Are you making the right impact on potential customers? Do you feel proud of the website you send people to? Perhaps you may only need to simplify your design. If you're uncertain, here are four signs you may want to consider a brand refresh:
1) Your original design was DIY, and you want to go pro.
When you're first starting out, it can be a big money saver to work on your design yourself. This can get you by for awhile, but once your audience grows and you narrow into your niche and focus, it can be a great idea to get your visual identity done professionally. One big reason is that it is hardest to design for yourself and having that outside perspective is key. And obviously, a designer will know all the nuances of designing a brand that can really take you to the next level for your customers.
2) You are consistently attracting the wrong type of customer.
Do you have people who are interested but you aren't in their price range? Lots of site visits but no purchases? Do you get lots of inquiries from less-than-dream clients? These are just a few of the signs that your visual brand may not be communicating the right message, or you might not appear professional enough. You can start by really narrowing in on who that target audience is and from there build a refreshed brand that better attracts those dream people. Design is all about communication and clarity, and if you aren't exhibiting this in your brand materials, it might be time to look at it again!
3) Your brand materials are all over the place instead of cohesive.
This happens most often when everything is created in isolation without considering the bigger visual picture of your brand. Maybe you did your logo yourself, then had an intern work on social media profile images for you, then had an artist create some cool images for your Instagram. While each may be interesting in isolation, they aren't helping to tell your brand story. Regrouping to take the elements of your branding that make sense and applying them across all your channels will help create that desirable consistency and clear message to your audience.
4) You've made a big change in your business.
Sometimes a business refines its offerings, partners up with another business, or changes focus all together. An easy way to communicate this to your audience is with a refresh of an existing brand or development of a new brand. You can use elements of the old but restructure it to better reflect the new venture. When people see that updated look, they'll know something exciting is going on.
Your visual identity is how you show your customers that you are a good fit at the first glance. Make them want to keep getting to know your business and all it has to offer!
PS If you'd like help with a brand refresh (or start from scratch!), I'd love to hear all about your project - simply get in touch.
