Top Tips for a Smooth-Sailing Visual Rebrand
Change is uncomfortable. Starting a new job can feel lonely, unnerving and stressful. Making changes to your home with an extension or a renovation project can be super trying and testing. Welcoming and adapting to life with a newborn can cause major sleep deprivation! The process of change can be difficult but the result rewarding. A rebrand is no exception.
It can be challenging navigating a rebrand. You could — and probably will — be met with some resistance from your team, customers or stakeholders. You may find yourself constantly questioning and treading a fine line between tradition and innovation. Plus, you have to juggle and comply with various budget, time and resource constraints.
Rather than dive straight in at the deep end, there are a few things you can do to prepare that will make your rebrand journey considerably easier. We have curated some of these actionable steps in this blog. Avast no more; here are our top tips for a smooth-sailing rebrand!
Have a Clear Vision
Before you start the rebrand process, it is important to articulate a clear vision; this way, you set yourself up for a quicker and smoother journey. If not, it would be like setting sail with no destination in mind. If you know your rough coordinates, you’re less likely to get aimlessly swept away by currents; you can keep making the necessary adjustments to keep you on course.
What are the “rough coordinates” for a rebrand? Here are some helpful questions to help you figure that out:
What are your mission and values? They are the beating heart behind your brand and all messaging, design and content should flow from that.
Who is your ideal customer? What are their wants and needs? Every decision you make in your rebrand journey should be made with them in mind.
What is your USP? What makes you different? Your X factor is what sets you apart and it is imperative it features in your branding.
Where do you want your company to be in 5 years time? Noone rebrands on the regular. You want to create a design that has longevity and remains relevant for years to come.
What are your competitors doing? Conducting this research helps you understand how you stand out from the crowd.
By answering these questions, you create a solid framework from which to either reject ideas or pursue them further. They are like a lighthouse, guiding you safely and surely to a rebrand that will resonate with your target audience and make your business their go-to option.
Another helpful exercise is to reflect on your current branding and identify what does and doesn’t work. As they say, don’t fix what ain’t broke! Keep the elements that currently work well and use them as foundational building blocks within your new branding. For the parts that don’t work so well, learn lessons and action your findings moving forward.
When you are so intimately involved in a project, it can be easy to lose perspective with it. Gather insights from others about what your current branding conveys to them. You could conduct surveys, host focus groups or ask trusted family and friends. Get feedback from employees beyond your marketing department and make them feel involved.
If you do have some visual inspiration in mind for your new branding, it can be helpful to gather it all in one place. Moodboards are great for this and Pinterest is the perfect tool. If you are hiring in the expertise of designers — graphic or website — visuals are their language. Present them with a moodboard and they will instantly grasp what kind of aesthetic you are hoping to achieve and can advise from there. Which moves us nicely on to…
Choose the Right Designer
As with any line of business, it’s always wise to do your due diligence beforehand. Perhaps for some of you, selecting a designer for your rebrand has made you feel a little bit out of your depth? Creativity is not your thing. You don’t believe you have an eye for design and haven’t the foggiest on where to start! If so, don’t worry! Here are a few factors to consider:
Portfolios — every brand or web designer should be in possession of a portfolio – red flag if they don’t! Have a look at their previous work. If their previous designs have a similar vibe to what you are hoping to achieve with your own branding, add them to the shortlist.
Process — be clear what the process will involve and consider whether it will work for you and the best interests of your business.
What’s Included — packages vary between designers. Avoid any disappointment by making sure you know exactly what is included in the package before signing on the dotted line.
Budget — establish a budget. Beyond pure price points, consider the value of what is being offered. A more experienced designer may cost more but nail your design quicker.
Testimonials — we don’t have to explain. It is always wise to read reviews and hear about other people’s experiences.
Connection — your business is your baby and you want a designer who is going to treat it as their own. Meet with your shortlist of designers. Who gets you and what your business is about best? As with any relationship, you are looking for trust and a bit of chemistry!
Go With Your Gut – If you are firmly on the fence, despite having drafted up innumerable pros and cons lists, just go with your gut! Ultimately, you want to feel at peace with your decision.
Create a Brand Style Guide
Once you have created your logo and nailed down all the finer details, create a brand style guide. A brand style guide is a rulebook that all employees or contractors contributing to your brand’s image (graphic designers, web developers or social teams) can refer to when creating content. It ensures that all branding is consistent and presents a unified image. Why is that important? Read about it here: 5 Reasons Why Consistency in Design Is So Important For Your Business.
At Made by Dave, we have pieced together a checklist of things to include in a brand style guide in our blog: How To Create a Brand Style Guide. But here is a quick overview:
Brand Heart : Mission, Vision, Values, Personality, Audience
Brand Voice
Brand Look: Logo, Colour Pallette, Typography, Photography/Illustrations/Iconography
In addition to a brand style guide, keep all of your brand assets together in one easily accessible place. Canva is a great piece of software for this. They have a built-in feature called the Brand Kit, where you can enter in all the details of your fonts and colour codes as well as upload logos and photos. Anytime a member of your team creates content in Canva, they can click on the Brand Kit, select all the assets they need, making on-brand visuals quickly and with ease.
Keep a Record of Brand Touchpoints
When you start to think of all the places where your logo is featured, your brand footprint can be much larger than you initially think. Like a farmer keeps track of their flock with electric tags, it is important to keep a log of all the places your branding resides (touchpoints).
We highly recommend keeping all this information in a comprehensive spreadsheet/database. Include links to the various profiles that display your branding. Make a note of the assets they require for e.g. Facebook needs a cover photo with a 16:9 aspect ratio and must be at least 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall.
We have compiled a list to get you started :
Website
Internal website or intranet
Favicons
Directory profiles
Affiliated partners’ websites
Email signatures
Business cards
Document templates: invoices, letterheads, proposals
Social media logos
Social media posts
Ads
Packaging
Company clothing/uniform
Vehicles
Stationary
Premises — interiors, shop fronts, signage
It is advisable to create this list well in advance of your rebrand launch. This way you can make all the updates happen at the same time. If you don't, the reveal of the rebrand can lose impact and can cause confusion for both employees and customers alike.
Perhaps your business has been operating for a while? You are looking at this list feeling a little overwhelmed because you haven’t kept a log of all your various profiles and not sure you can remember them all? Don’t hit panic stations yet — all hope is not lost! There are software tools out there that can help you track down your various accounts.
Guide Others Through the Change
As Woodrow Wilson (28th President of the United States) said, “If you want to make enemies, try to change something.” People are resistant to change. However, when they feel heard, valued and involved, you are more likely to earn their support.
Guide your staff along the rebranding journey. A great way to involve them is asking for their opinions on the old branding and actioning their feedback within the new design. This way, all of your staff can take ownership and feel like they have contributed in some way to the process. It will encourage more buy-in.
For those who don’t work in marketing or design roles, the psychology and process behind a rebrand is not so obvious. They may fail to grasp the point of a rebrand and perhaps view it as a bit of an excessive or out-of-touch exercise. Take time to explain why a rebrand was necessary and the reasons behind the design decisions that led you to the new look. Do so in a fun way!
Launch internally first before going public. It allows time for your team to get behind the rebrand and to ensure everyone knows how to access the new brand assets should they need them. Also if there are any issues, you have time to resolve them and avoid any embarrassing situations.
If you are a B2B, inform existing clients of your rebrand before going public too. Their main concern will be how it affects them as opposed to the benefits to your business. So reassure them that it is business as usual. Give them an exclusive sneak peek with a personalised email update and make them feel valued. Inform them of the big reveal date and invite them to rally behind you on social media, to create as big a buzz as possible.
Now for the big reveal! A sudden change in image may confuse your following. So prepare them. Do a countdown or a couple of preview posts, teasing your new brand and creating excitement. Make sure your reveal post is bullet-proof. No weird crops of photos etc. That would be very anti-climatic. Get employees to share, like and comment on your reveal post and get the news out there. Also, engage with your customers and answer any questions they may have regarding your rebrand.
Factor in Enough Time
As you may have gathered from all the previous points, a rebrand involves a lot. It is a costly undertaking and you want to get it right. So factor in enough time to do a thorough and well thought out job. Avoid putting any unnecessary time constraints on yourself.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Some things to think about before diving in the deep end with your rebrand. Before entering the design phase, have a clear vision of what message you want to communicate and to whom through your branding. Choose a proven designer you trust and have chemistry with. Once you have settled on your branding, compose a brand style guide and keep a copy of all your branding assets in one easy to access location. Keep a log of all the places your branding features; you will thank yourself in the long run! Guide all stakeholders, employees and customers along the journey. Finally, give yourself plenty of time to do it all!
If you are looking for assistance with your visual rebrand, Made by Dave would love to hear from you! Not only do we provide web design services but we can provide graphic design services in-house too. Check out our portfolio or get in touch with the team here for any more information.