INSIGHTS / CREATIVE & DESIGN

4 SIGNS YOUR VISUAL IDENTITY NEEDS A MAKEOVER

Uberbrand on 22/11/2017

“A brand’s visual identity plays an important role in expressing how you’d like your business perceived.”

That’s because brand is a perception held in the mind of your audience. It’s formed by what you say, what you do and what you look like.

Just as we choose our clothes to convey how we want to be perceived, your VISUAL IDENTITY should be the outfit your brand can wear with pride. Like clothes, a brand’s visual identity can become dated or inappropriate for your business or marketplace.

Here’s how you can tell if your brand needs a makeover.

1) You’ve simply out-grown it
Just as you wouldn’t wear the clothes you wore as a child; your brand shouldn’t look the same as it did at its inception.

Often business find themselves with a visual identity that was developed in the rush of getting their business started. As their business, as matured, their visual identity has not.

If your visual identity does not reflect the maturity and quality of the business you have grown, it may limit opportunities for growth as you may still be perceived as a start-up.

Remember, your visual identity is an asset that is worth investing in. If you haven’t updated your logo since you started, perhaps it’s time to ask yourself if it still reflects your business. If not, it’s probably time for a change.

2) There has been an organisational change
Mergers, acquisitions and diversification means your brand has a new story to tell. Does your visual identity reflect this change?

If this change is significant enough a rebrand may well be in order. That’s because your business now stands for much more than it once did.

A rebrand can help you communicate the change both internally and externally helping refocus the business after a big shift.

3) There has been a fundamental shift in your marketplace
Businesses now operate in an increasingly changing marketplace. Although your business may be keeping up with the changes, your visual identity may not be.

Your visual identity needs to be an aspirational projection of your business so that your customers may perceive you in the same way. In marketing, perception is reality, so despite your business capabilities, if your visual identify appears dated, potential customers may consider you to be out of touch.

An example of such a shift in the marketplace has been of course the rise of digital. As these colossal changes, sweep through each industry there are very few businesses that are affected by it. To appear digitally savvy a brand re-fresh may be in order.

4) There is a lack of constancy
It’s important for your brand to project a consistent brand image. This helps you to build trust. When there are variances between your business cards, letter heads, collateral and website it erodes your brand.

A catalyst for this inconstancy can be the upgrade of a website. Businesses may find that BRAND DESIGN that appears on a business card or brochure may not translates well to digital.

Rather than have inconstancies across digital and print, upgrading your website can provide the perfect opportunity to update your visual identity.

Finally
Remember, your brand is a perception. Whatever the situation, if you don’t think your visual identity is reflecting your business in the best possible light then it’s probably a good time for a brand re-fresh.