Standing still is rarely the best option, especially for organizations. Progress requires change and taking calculated risks to advance your organization and your brand. A stale or stagnant brand likely is a failing one.
Your logo is one of the most important and challenging places where change and evolution are necessary. Over the years, your logo can build valuable equity for your brand with your audiences. It becomes powerfully linked with your organization. However, eventually, a logo that has not budged forward will begin to undermine your brand, as its design begins to feel out of date and consequently gives your entire brand an impression of being stuck in the past. The most famous brands and logos have boldly evolved over the years – from McDonald’s and Coca-Cola to Starbucks and FedEx.
If you want to remain competitive and connect with your customers, then logo evolutions are occasionally necessary. A logo evolution should not be a frequent event, nor should it be a rushed one, but your organization should consider modifications to your logo as part of your natural growth as a brand.
Fryed Egg can help you weigh a possible logo evolution and consider whether the time is right for you. Here are some keys to keep in mind.
A reason to change
A logo shouldn’t be modified without a well-examined reason, of course. Often, a logo evolution is linked with a larger change or event tied to an organization. For instance, an organization entering a transition period, such as after it acquires or merges with another company while keeping its name, might decide to mark the new era with a logo change. Logo design modifications also accompany the introduction of major new products or services, providing a visual emblem of that change. Major milestones are another popular prompt for a logo change. Logo evolutions often are not always tied to specific broader changes, however. Sometimes, it simply needs a refresh. Market research is one way of deciding when the time is right.
What to change
Once the decision to make a change has been made, it is essential that the design changes themselves are made with purpose – and do no harm. Modifications often are subtle, keeping key, familiar characteristics of the old logo, particularly if that logo is popular. The changes should feel authentic to your brand. The more drastic the change, the less likely it will be embraced. Updates often are made to be more contemporary. However, changes should not be made too tied to the moment, because a logo that is too linked with ongoing trends can become dated and out of touch in a few short years. In fact, logo evolutions sometimes become necessary because a previous evolution was too intertwined with a particular trend or moment in time. Logo evolutions can emphasize change in a host of ways – from changing the color palette to updating the typeface to refashioning a central visual design element.
Introducing the new look
No matter the logo evolution, your organization will want to take a deliberate, strategic approach to introducing the new logo. That includes clearly explaining the change to your audience, who not only are accustomed to the previous logo but might also have strong feelings of brand loyalty and emotional attachment to the old logo. There should be a compelling story behind the logo change, and a larger integrated marketing campaign should support the evolution, including preparing your audience for a change rather than through a sudden switch. This is particularly true for older brands that carry a nostalgic element to them, but can also be true for younger brands, too. In addition, you need to take a thoroughly organized approach to making the change. That means ensuring that the old logo does not linger and still make frequent appearances, causing brand confusion and undermining the new logo’s acceptance. Brand packages must be updated before the introduction and updated materials should be widely available for employees to use. Publicly facing places where the logo appears, such as storefronts, need to be promptly updated with the new logo.
At Fryed Egg, we help organizations build brand identities that reflect who they are -- from their name itself to their logo -- and then develop comprehensive marketing strategies to protect and advance those brands. We can help you pinpoint what makes your organization special, diving deep into your values and vision, and make sure that your brand reflects that. If you want to see if Fryed Egg is the right agency for your marketing needs, contact us at (813) 478-0494 or [email protected] or visit www.fryedegg.com.