A brand can— and often should—evolve. While this certainly doesn’t mean you need to throw out your logo after a few years in business, there will come a point that you will need to consider if it’s time for it—or your brand overall—to be updated. Here are four reasons you may want to consider evolving your brand:
People need to understand what makes you different from your competitors. You may have started out with little competition, or competition that you could clearly distinguish yourself from. But just as your product or service needs to evolve to stay ahead, so must your brand.
While a good logo strives for timelessness, let’s face it; the world in which it lives, is one that is changing at break-neck speed. Your logo needs to sit comfortably within—if not innovate beyond —a style and execution that speaks the right language, taking into account present day perceptions and trends.
Then there is your brand as a whole. Does the messaging resonate with people like it once did? Does it reflect current values? Is it relevant? Your logo and brand both need to keep up with an ever changing societal discourse and context.
This is undoubtably the most common way that people come into contact with your business (brand). It’s also one of the most visually competitive environments, meaning, you need your branded assets to be able to compete and stand out in that context. Does your logo read well as a social media profile image? Do you have consistent, customized imagery across your digital platforms? What about your key messaging? Does it read consistently and quickly for those pausing only a minute to look at your website or read about you in their news feeds?
If there’s nothing that resonates with your audience—nothing for them to connect with you or build their trust on—you may need to build out your brand story. This is expressed through your values, visuals, and writing. Your customers expect that a brand exists for a good reason and the story is central to communicating the brand’s purpose. If your story resonates with customers, your brand will have a distinct advantage when it comes to deciding who to purchase from.
