What Makes a Successful Rebrand?

What Makes a Successful Rebrand?

Rebranding is tough. What makes a successful rebrand? The solutions may be very different, depending on the goals you want to achieve. In this blog post we will examine the motivations behind rebranding and why or why not it may be needed.

 

Changing the appearance of an established brand can be a bit daunting. The first step is do decide if you do indeed need to rebrand, and why. Once you get that down, you’re just about halfway there. Your audience will let you know when you are doing things right (or wrong), so a good approach to finding out might be to talk to them about how you can better serve their needs and then ask yourself how you can best provide for them.

 

Here are a few signs you may be ready for a rebrand:

1. Your company seems dated compared to competitors in your industry.
2. Products and services have changed significantly over time.
3. New technologies have changed the way your business functions.
4. There has been a shift in the demographics for your services.

 

Each of these problems has a number of its own unique solutions. For example, if your logo just feels dated and your business holds all of the same values and services it had previously, you may want to go with a simple refresh and keep more of the equity you have in your current brand voice.

 

Here are a couple examples of rebrands that successfully updated the image of the companies they represent by addressing some of the above points:

Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor Rebrand

 

The recent Tripadvisor refresh does a great job of updating the look of their logo without losing much of it original appeal. It’s not an enormous change visually, but in practice the logo feels much more modern refined. The updated line work on their owl mascot, Ollie feels much more friendly compared to the strange stare of the old icon. It also comes along with its own custom font, Trip Sans which gives the typography its own unique flavor.

 

But what if you have a larger shift in your products, services or technologies…etc? It may be time to reflect that in your brand strategy and take some bigger steps.

 

Mailchimp

Mailchimp Rebrand

 

Since its beginning, Mailchimp has grown to provide services in multiple areas of online marketing. And with the continued growth of email marketing and more people than ever building businesses on their own, the new design is a welcome and necessary change.

 

Mailchimp’s 2018 rebrand makes sweeping changes to the company’s image. The cheeky attitude is still there, but now in a much bolder and more modern form. Their mascot, Freddie has been given a spot in the logo for the first time, as well as a really nice one-color treatment. And the new use of color and a painterly illustration style give the brand a whimsical and aspirational feel.

 

Mailchimp IllustrationsIllustrations via Mailchimp

 

A great rebrand isn’t only about a logo or even other visual changes. It can address multiple areas of your business, from the language used, to how you structure your customer service. All of these pieces come together to represent your brand. So it is important to make changes broadly to ensure that you create a consistent and cohesive voice.

 

So what does make a successful rebrand? It all depends on the direction you want to take your business. If you are thinking about rebranding, or need consultation, work with an expert and we’ll help you find the way.

samwas, an author on the DesignUps Nashville Design Blog

About the Author

Sam's attention to detail and insight into the design process produces great clarity. He graduated from Watkins College of Design and has been an integral part of the DesignUps team ever since. When he's not putting pixels in their perfect spot he may he may be working on perfecting his craft of fire twirling.