When Your Brand Needs More Than a Refresh
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8 min read
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By Daniel Reed
A new logo can’t fix a message nobody understands. Here’s how to tell whether your brand needs a refresh or a deeper rethink.
The Symptoms Of An Outgrown Brand
Prospects describe you differently than you describe yourself. Sales teams rewrite the pitch for every call. Your best clients say they almost didn’t reach out because the website felt like it was for someone else.
These are not design problems. They are positioning problems wearing a design costume.
Refresh Or Rethink?
A refresh updates how the brand looks. A rethink changes what the brand says and who it is for. If your offer, audience or ambitions have changed, a visual update alone will only make an outdated message look newer.
Refresh when the message works but the look feels dated
Rethink when the message no longer matches the business
Do both when you are entering a new market
“Design can make a message clearer, but it can’t make the wrong message right.”
Conclusion
Before you brief a designer, write down who you serve, what you promise and why it matters. If that page is hard to write, start there.
