Drastic changes in your brand can wipe out brand equity earned at great cost over the years, and should be considered only for compelling reasons.
Your logo is often the first impression your business will make on a potential customer. In today’s competitive business climate, a first impression might be the only impression you get to make. It takes an exceptional logo to stand out among the 3,000 advertising messages that bombard the average American every day. Is your corporate identity working as hard as you do?
Here’s an acid test. Compare your business card to three of your competitors’ cards. If you were the prospect making a decision based solely on first impression, who would you choose to work with? If you wouldn’t choose your company, it may be time for an identity facelift. A well-conceived identity creates a strong foundation for all branding efforts and helps you establish top-of-mind awareness among prospective customers.
In most cases, the redesign should take the elements that work in your existing graphic identity and update them to make a stronger impact while remaining recognizable. Drastic changes can wipe out brand equity earned at great cost over the years, and should be considered only for compelling reasons, such as when the current logo no longer fits the business (i.e., it features a product you no longer sell), when you need to emphasize new directions, when the logo was poorly executed to begin with, or when it is simply out of date.
Here are some questions to consider when redesigning your corporate identity:
- Does the design communicate the personality and tone of your business?
- Is it distinctive? A good mark declares your company’s uniqueness.
- Do you have a black-and-white version? Some color logos become unreadable when reproduced in newspaper ads or when sent through a fax machine.
- Does it work in all media? Many companies need to tweak their print logos when designing a Web site or taping a commercial.
- Does it resize well? Try enlarging and reducing to test readability at different sizes.
- If the logo uses words or letters, are the fonts legible? You shouldn’t have to explain or translate the logo.
- Do you and others in your company feel enthusiastic about your mark’s colors, look and feel? If not, return to the drawing board.