Is it time to update your logo?

As time goes by, people and companies change, they have new ideas and what represented them a while ago is not suitable anymore. The same thing is valid when it comes to brand management. Your brand messaging and logo design are things that must be changed from time to time. Those changes come as a reflection of your brand’s growth and where it is within the industry at this time. Which brings the question, are you married to your logo? And if you do want to change it, when is the ideal time for such a change? Question is, “Is it time to update your logo? Let’s find out.

Should you do a logo redesign or a logo refresh?

A logo redesign means you are pretty much starting from scratch. This is more suitable in situations when your business goes in an entirely new direction. On the other hand, a refresh is less dramatic. It’s more of a makeover that works with the current design elements. There are different things to assess and consider here before you decide. That’s why you should first study your business and its status, as it might push you towards a logo refresh or redesign depending on the situation!

Deciding between a logo refresh and a logo redesign

This can be tough, because you don’t want to shift away from your current brand identity unless you absolutely must. A logo refresh is ideal in most situations, since you are just updating it, while also keeping the older features that made it very easy to recognize. The question is, are you married to your logo, do you think this is the ultimate way to represent your business? Or is there room for improvement?

Based on that you can easily come up with a vast range of different ways to make it more interesting, exciting, and engaging. Additionally, you want to study the business changes you made over the years and assess if the current logo is still expressing those ideas or not. Simple approaches like these can make a huge difference.

The logo redesign is better suited for more complex situations. For example, maybe your business model has changed, or you offer different products. Nintendo for example were creating playing cards, but now they are in the videogame and console industry. Changing the logo is a great idea in a situation like this. Rebranding your business is a great thing, and a new brand logo can indeed come in handy.

Sometimes, you can also do a logo redesign to counter your slow marketing campaign results and conversion rates. When people see changes to an outdated logo, that sparks their interesting and it will certainly come in handy. You can also change your logo if you feel that it’s too complicated and it doesn’t resonate with your audience. Doing that might come in handy and it will convey a much better potential in the long term.

When should you consider going for a logo redesign?

• One of the main reasons why companies want a logo redesign, or a logo refresh is because they changed and expanded. The old logo doesn’t fit their vision, they reached other cities, their team is larger and so on. At that point, you do want your logo to reflect those changes. And it’s the reason why changing an outdated logo seems like a viable option. It works great for a niche business, for e-commerce management and other similar factors as well.
• When was your logo created? Even 10 years ago there were different design techniques and trends, nowadays things are a lot more modern, and it makes sense to change the brand logo if it’s old. Some companies refresh their logo every couple of years, while others even go for a complete logo redesign every decade or so.
• It can be a great idea to change the brand logo if your mission and values change. After all, as your company evolves, your personality and focus are a lot different to the initial ones. The logo should reflect all those changes, so a logo design shift is not uncommon in this situation.
• Are you targeting a new audience? If you are, then it might be a very good idea to change your logo too. A logo that works for an older audience is not ideal if you now target a younger one. It will also allow you to reflect your ideas in a clever way, while also staying up to date with the latest logo trends.
• Is there a new competitor into the mix? If it is, then you do need to shifty your logo and show off your best design yet. It’s imperative to find all kinds of ways to surpass your competitors, and a good logo design can help you with that. It really helps with brand management if you change your logo based on the market growth and trends. However, you don’t want to perform this type of change too often. Instead, make it when it’s relevant for your brand.

Should you change your logo now?

It’s a very good idea to perform an internal assessment and ask your team to see what they think. You also want to be objective and understand how well people connect with your logo currently. If you have an outdated logo with old visuals that don’t match the modern age, then obviously a logo redesign comes in handy. The same thing can be said if the industry has changed quite a bit, refreshing your logo is always the best way to approach that.

You also want to change your logo if you feel it’s too complex. Nowadays people like things like simplicity, minimalist, so having a complex, over encumbered logo is not a good idea. You want to keep your logo in check with the current times. That’s why it makes a lot of sense to make your logo more minimalistic and easier to understand.

Changing your logo now or just refreshing it is a personal decision. However, there are plenty of benefits that come from changing a logo. For starters, you get to modernize your brand identity and that on its own can be incredibly helpful. Not only that, but you get to show your audience that you listen to them and constantly adapt to their requirements. Done right, a proper brand logo change can actively generate more leads, customers and return clients.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many things to consider when it comes to making a logo redesign or refresh. Everything from the age of your logo, whether it still represents your business or not, its style and many other factors are all things you need to think about. With that in mind, doing a logo refresh from time to time is a great idea, but a complete logo redesign is something you really need to think about strongly before doing it. Experimenting with new logo ideas and seeing what fits your current vision and mission is extremely important. Don’t rush the logo refresh/redesign process, instead you want to ensure that it fits your brand and its current direction. Do that, and it will have a positive effect on your business!

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