How to rethink a brand in 7 steps 👍

There are many ways to approach a rebrand. Recently, one of the main trends has been to revive a brand's heritage by looking back. Sometimes, though, a major overhaul of the visual identity is not what really matters.

If a brand has not completely lost its way but is starting to feel tired, rebranding may simply mean modernising it and making it true to itself, rather than looking far into the past or future for inspiration. Often, taking small steps towards a new identity or simply adding a twist to what already exists is harder than starting from scratch or making sweeping changes.

1 – Do not forget what is already there

SomeOne's redesign of the British Parliament's logo faced considerable criticism, mainly because public money had been spent on only minor changes. But as the critical tweets appeared, it also became clearer that the rebrand had been designed with digital versatility in mind.

"Only a fool rushes into a new identity without considering the brand's history," said Simon Manchipp, the agency's co-founder and Executive Strategic Creative Director, at the time. "There is always something worth preserving," he added.

So it is essential never to forget the existing foundations and what people already remember about the brand, which is not worth sacrificing.

2 – Small changes have a big impact

Chris Moody, Creative Director at Wolff Olins, sees this approach to a brand's roots as incremental gains and says it is something the agency has encouraged.

If small changes have a big effect, this is the right path to follow. But the designer must be realistic and understand that it will not attract much attention, says Moody, adding that professionals should always be prepared to risk large, radical changes.

3 – Brands should be digital-friendly

"If you are going to change something, you need a good reason. Something must be fundamentally tired or need substantial repositioning in the market to embark on a project like this," explains Richard Buchanan of The Clearing. "Making sure the logo is fit for purpose, particularly digitally, is the main concern. If there is no digital strategy, one needs to be created. Think of Audi: the logo needs to look good on the front of a car, but also as a 16-pixel favicon," he says.

4 – Let form follow function

Small changes prompt subconscious reactions rather than openly signalling something new. This is very useful when brands need to address functional issues to move forward without jeopardising their existing reputation and public recognition.

Lufthansa is an excellent example of small changes that ultimately have a big effect and improve functionality.

5 – Make visible changes

Small changes are hard to justify when you consider the cost of a rebranding project. There are many legitimate reasons for businesses to reject changes that are verbal rather than visual, as repositioning a brand with words is harder. Changes need to be visible, however small.

6 – Choose your battles carefully

People generally dislike change. Even the most progressive thinkers. Part of a designer's approach should be to identify the brand elements where changes will have the most positive impact. In the case of the British Parliament, the symbol was well known but needed technical changes rather than a radical redesign.

In other words, professionals in this field should know that everything they do will face close scrutiny, so it pays to understand what is and is not worth doing.

7 – Do not try to reinvent the wheel

Designer Johnson Banks recalls that, when starting out, he always avoided highly evolutionary and revolutionary approaches. Now he admits he understands much better that many brand identities had not completely lost their way; they simply needed to work better. With the new Historical Houses logo, for example, the designer created a symbol that better represents all the houses the company stands for.

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