Reinventing your brand is an inevitable part of running a company. Many companies go back to the drawing board to find a different way to represent their brand due to market changes, new changes or upcoming trends. And while implementing a successful brand refresh is far from easy, it is far easier if you start with a website redesign. Why is this so? Your website provides a good idea of how your presentation will look and how people will respond to it before you implement brand changes all across the board. You can gauge your new brand’s effectiveness very quickly.
Where to Start
Since the topic is going to be on web design, there is going to be the assumption that you have a clear idea of what you want your brand identity about. So to start, you’ll most likely be going to change your logo. Sometimes it’s totally unnecessary to change the brand logo if it has built strong recognition. It can, however, see some tweaks with the foundation intact if it seems a bit outdated. When changing logos, it’s best to avoid generic-looking designs. You want a logo that presents a unique brand identity but is still recognizable to the audience. This is a big challenge for many companies, and you may very well end up having some failures before you get it right.
The next step is to create a new visual presentation of your brand. The best way to get an idea of what this means is to compare Apple’s homepage a few years back to how it is today to see how they changed their visual branding. Apple represents its brand through its images, text, and story. You get a clear idea of what the company is about with its brand through its presentation. You want to do the same thing with your website. Think about how you can best convey to your audience the desired impression of your brand. It’s important to note that it’s not just about images. It’s the entire web design, from the font, layout, content, etc.
Finally, you want to create a story that can help you connect your audience to the brand. This is reflected through a combination of your visual branding and the content (text, video, interactive app) on your site. You need to figure out a way to tie in the needs and wants of the audience into your story. It doesn’t need to be a long story, it just needs to resonate. Sometimes a story isn’t possible because adding it to a website can distract users from the main goal. In this case, the stories would be most effective with a media campaign. It still doesn’t hurt to add it to your about us page and test different stories to see which one is the most impactful.
As you can see, using your website as a medium for a brand refresh is a great idea. There is very little risk involved compared to rolling out the new changes in a costly marketing campaign. It is especially great because you can quickly get an idea of what people think about your new brand presentation and make the necessary changes. That doesn’t mean that you won’t receive negative criticism about your new image. Every company will have to deal with feedback that isn’t in favor of the new changes. With that said, you’ll also get a good idea of where the majority stands, and that will make your ultimate decision a no-brainer.
Conclusion
Starting a brand refresh with a website redesign allows companies to test new presentations and gauge customer responses before fully implementing changes. Websites serve as a comprehensive representation of the brand’s identity. This process can start with a logo design change, ensuring that it remains unique yet recognizable.
The second step involves creating a new visual presentation, employing images, text, and story to communicate the brand’s ethos, akin to Apple’s evolution in visual branding over the years. It encompasses various elements such as fonts, layouts, and content.
Lastly, the integration of a brand story enables a connection with the audience. This could be done through various forms of content like text, video, or interactive apps. It’s crucial to find a balance that doesn’t distract users from the website’s primary objective.
In conclusion, a website-based brand refresh is an effective strategy to trial new brand elements and receive immediate feedback. Despite the potential for negative criticism, such an approach gives a valuable insight into audience preferences, helping to make confident decisions about the brand’s future.
Using your website as a platform for a brand refresh is a smart, low-risk strategy to assess audience response before deploying new brand elements across all channels. This three-step process involves updating the logo, redefining the visual presentation, and incorporating a brand story, culminating in an engaging and updated brand image.