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Refresh vs Rebrand: How to Evolve Your Brand

Recently, NikNan Design got a huge facelift. We launched our all-new branding and website that featured our revamped company mission, values, pledge and up-to-date work examples. But, how did I know NikNan Design needed a rebrand? I looked at my business goals and the audience I wanted to attract and found that my brand wasn't speaking directly to them. My goal was to attract mission-driven brands that align with the belief that businesses should strive to balance people, the planet and profits. Businesses that are affiliated with organizations like B-Corporations or 1% for the Planet are exactly the type of brands we LOVE to collaborate with.


Our rebrand was brought on by a shift in our target audience, but there are many other reasons why a rebrand or refresh might be right for your company.


Rebranding vs Refreshing:

How and when to evolve your brand


Brand Refresh

A brand refresh is tweaks or additions to an existing brand. It could be aesthetic changes to your brand like implementing a new font or color palette, simplifying your logo or adding additional supporting graphics. Refreshes are for a brand that needs to be enhanced, not completely redone.


Some reason why you may want to refresh your brand:

  • You have a logo, but it doesn't seem like enough. You don't have supporting graphics, a customized color palette or font pairings.

  • Your want to add a tagline or slogan to your brand

  • You're lacking consistency in your branding

  • You're starting to look outdated



Example of an Iconic Brand Refresh: Google

Google implemented a new font for their logo in 2015. Many viewers may not have even noticed the tweak to the logo, but the refresh helped them evolve with the times and appear more modern.



 



Rebrand

A rebrand is a complete makeover for your company. It's a signal that the brand is moving in a new direction. While a refresh just updates your identity, a rebrand completely transforms it. The aim of a rebrand is to change perceptions about a service or product offered. Rebrands are much more extensive than brand refreshes. They rely heavily on digging deep into research and brand strategy to arrive at a new mission, vision, voice and brand identity for a company.



Some reasons why you may want to rebrand:

  • Your establishing yourself with a new target market

  • Your business goals have changed

  • Your product or services have changed

  • You're changing your business name

  • You're merging with another business



One of my favorite recent rebrands:

King Arthur Flour becomes King Arthur Baking Company


B-Corporation, King Arthur Flour rebranded to King Arthur baking company after 230 years in business. After so long in business, it's no surprise that they needed a serious update. The old logo depicting a white knight on horseback, carrying a flag with a symbol associated with the Crusades was replaced with a wheat crown at the center. The new imagery is representative of their heritage, quality, commitment to agriculture and baking. In addition to the new logo, all of their packaging and marketing materials were revamped to create a cohesive brand.



Think your business is in need of a refresh or rebrand?

Reach out and collaborate with us to bring your brand new life.

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