Should I redesign
my logo or
refresh it?
Case Study
What’s the difference between a redesign and a refresh?
A logo design is made up of elements that can be purely typographical, or, a combination of type and imagery e.g an icon. The example of the ‘Take our hand’ logo shown below uses the hand icon and a rounded type style.
So, when should an organisation change its logo and when should it refresh? Try out our checklist below to test your own logo identity.
Our example
In this particular case study, Hoverfly Design provided a brand refresh, rather than a redesign. If an existing identity is conveying what is needed, then the “don’t fix what isn’t broken” can apply. Sometimes the only way to test this is to explore different looks alongside a refresh. So a redesign and a refresh can be explored to see which route wins.
Below are examples of other logo options that were submitted, but the refresh route won in this case.
JUMP TO KEY QUESTIONS (CHECKLIST)
Case Study – Take our hand
Take Our Hand is a Norfolk based registered charity supporting young people aged 16-24, their families and friends through bereavement. We help a number of charities each year with pro bono design work. Take Our Hand had an existing logo and we were brought via Norfolk Pro Help to help the charity consolidate its brand identity.
Some examples of the redesign options
We wanted to offer some alternative ideas to ensure the decision to keep the hand symbol was the correct one. As part of our conceptual process, we also present first draft ideas in the same colourways. This is to ensure the logos are seen on equal footing and that colour doesn’t influence one choice over another.
These redesign options are different to a refresh because they use new typography and icons.
A redesign doesn’t necessarily mean losing all connection to an old logotype. In these examples, we are taking the element of the heart or hand and presenting them in a different way. The redesigned top left idea uses a more stylised hand graphic suggestive of wing shapes, concept 2 uses an overlapping heart, concept 3 still hand-like but more of a link to support, and concept 4 takes away the icon altogether to show a purely typographic solution. A logo design is a journey taken with designer and customer together. These were first drafts and any option could have been further developed. You may notice the typography from concept 4 was used on the final chosen logo, but the original hand icon was brought in to accompany it.
The chosen logo refresh
What we did
Our brand refresh focused on consistency and connectivity. We made the typography part of the logo. Previously the elements of the icon and type looked less connected and slightly unbalanced. We also suggested reaching out by the way the ‘h’ character connects to the ‘t’ of Take our hand.
How we did it
We vectorised the hand graphic by redrawing it. This means that the hand will be sharp at any scale when output in vector format.
We moved the hand graphic to the right-hand side. In the west, we read left to right so an item on the right tends to suggest positivity and forward movement. This also help contain the logo identity so the type and the graphic combine better.
We created a comprehensive brand guide that ensures the logo and brand collateral are used consistently. In this, we created brand colour palettes, brand fonts and brand guidelines. You can view the guide here.
Key questions (checklist)
The following key questions are a good checklist to test your logo and help you decide what’s right for your brand. Exploring both routes initially may help with the decision making.
(1) Do you have a defined logo that consistently uses the same typeface and symbolism?
All instances of the logo should be consistent, if you find you haven’t settled on a look and you are using different fonts and colours you need to choose one approach at the very least to consolidate the design and make it uniform across all uses. You can have a portrait and landscape version of the logo as long as the elements and colours are the same in each version. You may also have an icon you use as a social media device as long as these all tie into a consistent brand identity that’s ok.
(2) Has there been a change in your services or products supplied?
When a company changes its scope the existing logo identity can become outdated. Is the current logo still appropriate for your organisation? Does the logo style and symbolism match the current vision for the brand? If you find yourself with a distinct sense of the current logo not hitting the mark, particularly what it symbolises, then it’s likely that you’ve outgrown your existing logo design and a redesign is needed. It’s worth considering a refresh if your symbolism is still appropriate.
(3) How will changing your logo identity affect your existing customers?
Your brand’s current status comes into play here. Do your customers use you because they love the brand? Do you feel that the current brand identity has a positive impact on your sales? Could a better design improve sales? If there is a sense that the current logo is outdated or doesn’t live up to the standard of where the brand is at? If the latter applies, then this may be a good time to explore a redesign. To play it safe you can also explore a refresh. It’s advisable to check with your audience, you can survey clients to ask them their opinion.
(4) Has there been a change in your company ownership?
Acquisitions, mergers and demergers could mean that your logo design and branding needs a refresh or a redesign. In the instances of acquisition or merger, the impact on existing customers, and whether there is a change to the products or services provided, is key to deciding on how to approach.
Mergers
If you are in a merger it is likely that there will be a change to products and services in some way. This could be an extended range or a dropping of some items. It’s important to keep your audience informed of changes and the brand identity will be affected by this level of change. If there is a more dominant brand, often this is the one used in a merger situation. The company name may be changed in which case this will need to be reflected.
Acquisitions
For acquisitions, the reasoning behind the control will be core to branding decisions.
WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, costing $16 billion, but due to its user growth rate, Facebook didn’t touch the branding other than to add the ‘from Facebook’ line. Likewise with Instagram which Facebook also owns. Here the acquisitions give access to a wider market, but with the businesses being highly successful in terms of user volume, there was no reason to change the brands.
Demergers
In the case of demergers, it is often a legal requirement for companies to change their branding. An example of this is the Lloyds TSB demerger. TSB returned closer to its original branding.
(5) Is my logo identity unique from my competitors?
If you’ve used a free logo maker or clip art to create your logo, you may find that your logo looks just like other logos that you sit alongside. Sometimes companies intentionally imitate others to create success, this is never a good long term strategy. For a brand to be successful over time it needs to be an innovator rather than an imitator. And this is why having a unique and bespoke logo identity is important. It’s also prudent to then protect that identity legally by registering it. If you look just like everyone else you become a small fish in a crowded pond.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you are happy with your current level of business success and you are not looking for a change then you probably don’t need to redesign or refresh your logotype. If you’ve read this article to this point then it’s likely that you are considering growing your organisation, or you have a sense that your existing identity needs a review. In this case, you may benefit from getting professional help. Have someone outside of your organisation looking at this for you, as they will have a fresh perspective. As part of our process, we guide our clients through a discovery process.