5 Things You Can Do to Jumpstart a Corporate Brand Refresh

Brand Refresh

Does your corporate brand image need a change? Is your visual presentation out of date or do you need to change your position in the marketplace? If so, a corporate brand refresh may be in order. However, undergoing such a project is no small task. It will require an extensive strategy session, multiple design projects, and countless iterations. If you feel that you need a change now, it might be a more practical decision to make some quick immediate changes to feel it out. Here are five things that you can do for a quick jumpstart.

1. Come up with a new logo

The most obvious thing to do start your corporate brand refresh is to come up with a new logo. Many business owners take this opportunity to come up with an entirely new logo. However, doing this may actually hurt you more than help you. The reason why is because you have probably built some kind of brand equity with your logo. A good example, is if you’ve used a bull as a part of your logo and you’re suddenly thinking about removing it. Instead, think about what you want to portray and update the visual elements or presentation while keeping the brand equity.

2. Change your positioning and message

Think about how you are going to reposition your brand. Are you going to target a bigger audience or hone in on a niche? You have to think about the conversation that your target audience has and make an impact with them with a strong message. If you’re going through a brand refresh, you want to support the visual changes with your new ideology, goals or purpose. You need to come up with a message that supports the new position you’ve taken with the new logo.

3. Create a new design

While it doesn’t need to complex, you do need go ahead and create a new design for the corporation. You will have to update the main web design, mobile website, and even your print design (for offline campaigns). Sometimes less is more when it comes to design. Many companies have a made a great transition into their new brand image by going with a minimalist style. The design is often where you can take the most risks as it can quickly be tested with web tools and adjusted appropriately. Simple changes like the layout, font, and the color palette can often yield great results.

4. Tell your unique story

One of the best ways to get your audience to warm up to your brand is to tell an appealing story. Try to find an interesting way to tell your story so that the audience can connect with it. It might not be the most interesting but is often a matter of how you tell your story rather than what the story is. Many corporations make the mistake of making the story about them rather than making it about the reader. This creates a disconnect and naturally leads users to ignoring what you have to say.

5. Simplify, simplify, simplify

Can you simplify everything about your new brand? Can you explain what your new brand is about in a single short sentence to a potential customer? Can you draw a clear vision of what the brand will do for the corporation? Can you present everything in an intuitive way? Branding can often get messy. It’s actually one of the things where simplifying everything is the challenge. If you can simplify everything down to statements and visual presentations that create a positive emotional reaction, it’s a good sign that you’re on the right track.