Your logo is a reflection of your company, and helps convey messages about your brand to your customers. What colors, shapes, font styles and images that you use all impact how your company is perceived by the public, and sometimes these elements need to be refreshed as businesses evolve, design standards change or for usefulness.
Logo redesigns are a risky business, and even huge corporations have failed at their attempts to update their images. There are several things to consider before and during a logo redesign that will help you create the right logo for your company.
Before beginning a logo redesign, thoroughly consider what message you want your logo to convey. Identify your company?s values as well as it?s value to your customers. Consider your company?s strengths and focus on what elements are most important to convey in your corporate logo.
After you outline what you want your logo to communicate, you should conduct a thorough evaluation of your existing logo and identify elements that work, and those that need to be updated. Consider the message you want your logo to send and identify elements that successfully convey this message.
Be sure to identify the design elements that don?t work, and more importantly, why. Understanding why certain design elements don?t work can help guide you through the redesign process and can help keep you focused on your goals.
What your logo looks like and how quickly customers can associate the logo with your company will determine whether your redesign is a success or a failure. What you choose to include should be both function and design based.
Before rebranding yourself, take a look at the logos of other companies within your industry and make note of the shapes, colors and font styles they use. Make sure your logo will stand out among these while still being suitable for your industry.
One of the most important and often most difficult parts of logo design is delivering a concept that will work well wherever you put it. Consider all the applications for your logo?advertising, signage, t-shirts, pens, business cards, letterheads, envelopes, etc.?and how your logo will appear on each of these.
Many times our corporate logos don?t require a complete redesign, but just need a few tweaks. Start small by changing a color, switching the font style, or modernizing a shape. If you have an established logo, it?s best not to stray too far from your original design unless it is necessary to rebrand your entire image or if your company has evolved or matured past the original logo.
After you have completed your logo redesign, the actual work begins. The new logo will need to be implemented across your company. You will need to update all signage, advertising, business cards, stationary and your company website. You?ll also need to order new promotional products like t-shirts and pens with your new logo.
Identify all the areas in which your logo exists, and make plans to replace the old logo as soon as possible. Prioritize items by importance?generally you?ll want to update your website, email signatures, advertising and business cards as soon as possible. Don?t forget to update your social media profiles as well.
Make sure your logo is accessible to others in your company who may need to use it. Communicate to everyone within the company that the old logo is no longer to be used, as that all future uses must feature the new logo. This will also help you identify other, less obvious areas in which your logo is being used.
A successful logo redesign can help freshen your company?s image, and may help generate additional interest. Remember to consider what it is you want your logo to communicate, and evaluate whether you require a full redesign or a few small edits to modernize your logo. Take the time to get it right.