Refresh vs. Identity Change

When we engage on pretty much any kind of creative project, the discussion quickly turns to identity. Branding, or rather, the experience of the brand, is a complex subject, and not always the easiest thing to get your head around. Deciding to make changes to your brand can even be an emotional experience. It certainly was here at Zemelo.

I would caution against the temptation to just start trying all kinds of ideas, you need formally trained designers well managed and well informed to make real progress. The challenge when rebranding is to keep the options and ideas fairly narrow in scope, you want to make a decision and a cluttered approach or sloppy design process can tend to bog down the entire project.

The biggest lesson I take away from branding, and from working with the best designers in the world around identity – is this: Your brand needs a refresh every few years. Consumers notice identities that never change, and ironically, they *really* notice brands that they don’t think are changing but behind the scenes are undergoing constant refreshes. They subconsciously gravitate towards brands that don’t seem to change – but these are the brands that in reality are actually being changed. That may seem counter intuitive, but it’s true.

For example, are you aware that Jack in the Box just went through a major rebranding? Check it out. See if you can see the smiling jack-in-box character in the new brand – he’s there. I love the jack-in-the-box rebrand, it’s such a perfect example of how modernizing a brand can both validate an existing mark yet bring it into relevance by generating a visual buzz. There is energy in the new brand that I would bet can be measured financially.

So when should you refresh your brand, and when should you go for a dramatic change? Generally speaking, established brands with significant previous investments in marketing initiatives should capitalize on the large surface area this has created. A clever refresh to modernize the look and feel of a brand that is already well recognized will generate a buzz in your industry. A refreshed brand with new marketing collateral and ideally a new web site will have your sales people dancing in the hallways, and closing more business. You can actually measure the success.

Opting for a complete identity change – which can even include new registration of trademarks or even a company name change – that’s a bigger decision. My advice here is that this kind of major change should be driven by a change in business plans or business approach. Entering a new market segment, expanding offices, etc. Sometimes these suggestions for a complete new identity come from the designers. When and if that happens, always keep in mind that a designer is looking purely at the aesthetic value of your brand, as they should – business acumen should always trump anything based purely on visual appeal. Still, if you have not invested in significant marketing, now might be the time to go for it.

You should always explore both options, looking at an identity change and deciding to do a refresh validates your decision – really for a nominal investment in the grand scheme of things. If you find yourself grappling with this issue, just remember: Jack is “in the box”.