In the world of ever-evolving market trends and consumer expectations, is your brand keeping up? Brands that aren’t constantly evolving run the risk of becoming outdated or irrelevant. A full rebranding can be a time-consuming and costly process that may not be necessary.

One of the best ways for your company to stay fresh and relevant in the eyes of consumers is with a well-thought-out brand refresh.

Brand Refresh vs. Rebranding

A brand refresh is a strategic set of changes to update and revitalize the identity and feel of your brand without making fundamental changes to the core of your brand image. Focused on helping your brand stay ahead of industry trends, remain competitive, and create an authentic representation to your ideal target audience, an effective brand refresh is not intended to fix deep-rooted issues. A typical brand refresh is usually composed of visual changes such as an updated logo or color palette, but can also include updates to messaging and culture. A brand refresh is a pivotal strategy to rejuvenate your company’s image, align with current trends, and resonate more deeply with your audience.

Sometimes it takes more than just updating a logo or font to avoid the risk of losing your competitive edge; at that point a rebranding is needed to create an entirely new brand image. A complete rebrand overhauls all aspects and repositions your brand identity, leaving more at stake in terms of protecting brand reputation. Rebranding is usually done in response to significant shifts in the market, company mergers, or to shed a negative image.

Taking the time to identify why you need a change, what needs to be changed, and how you will do it is key to a successful brand refresh.

Signs It’s Time for a Brand Refresh

• Outdated Brand Visuals: The visual aspect of your brand is an essential part of its presence on the market. It’s the first thing that consumers see and it’s what they’ll remember when they think of your company. Visual identity includes elements like your logo, color palette, font, and overall design aesthetic. Outdated visuals can manifest in multiple ways, if these key visual elements look outdated or out of touch with modern design trends, it can make your company appear irrelevant or unprofessional to customers.

• Increased Competition: As innovative new players enter today’s increasingly globalized market, brands face the challenge of trying to appeal to a massive audience. It’s important to have a striking and distinctive look to your brand in order to separate yourself from the competition. When you’re struggling to keep up with market competition, you risk the cost of losing customers to brands that are more visible, compelling, and fresh.

• Inconsistent Brand Tone: Brand consistency is crucial to building a strong market presence. Consistency means that the core elements to your company’s brand, such as the logo, font, tone of voice, are cohesively applied across every marketing channel. Confusing and inconsistent brand messaging and visual across different channels can reduce trust and lead to a decrease in engagement and sales.