It's a rainy afternoon and you've got a hot cup of tea and
a box of dominoes. You set them up on end, one next to the
other in a snaking line across your dining room table. Then
you bump the first domino and watch as the rest fall down,
one after the other.
Redesigning your logo is more than just fun and games
Changing your logo is a lot like playing dominoes—once you
start, you have to keep knocking over project after project
until you've got all of your marketing pieces set up again.
Once you decide to create a new logo, you'll instantly find
a whole new list of to-dos. This would include setting up
the brand definition, expressing it in a logo, and then
making sure that all of the rest of the pieces flow from
those
Knocking down those to-dos takes more effort than the
simple little bump that topples over the row of dominos.
What does redesigning really mean?
Think back to the first time you designed your logo—the
work, time, expense, and thought you had to put into the
project. Just because this is a redesign doesn't mean that
it will be any easier than the first time around. In fact,
it may be more difficult since you're more invested in your
business and brand than you were when you first launched it.
1. Having a good reason. You need to have a reason that
makes sense from a business perspective. If you're
redesigning your logo because you're bored, this might not
be the best use of your resources. But if you've made a
major change in your services, target audience, or the
benefits you provide, a redesign may be justified.
If you don't have a solid reason to redesign your logo,
reconsider whether a redesign is the right path to take.
2. Hiring a designer. Finding a designer to create just the
right logo for your company takes time, attention to detail
and the patience to really look into the designer's
expertise. You may be lucky enough to already have a
designer that you work with. In that case you just have to
make sure that they have the time and inclination to work
on your project. If you don't have a designer, you can see
my tips on hiring a designer to learn more about the topic.
3. Re-examining your Brand Definition. If you're going to
redesign your logo, you might as well dig deeper into your
brand and make sure that it's as polished and complete as
possible. Going back over your business's personality,
service offerings, product plans, and differentiation will
help make sure you're developing a logo that will help you
connect with your best customers. Clearly define who your
target audience is and what they want to see in a logo.
4. Redesigning the logo is a big investment.
If you're going to change your logo, you'll be investing
time, thought and money into the redesign. Make sure that
you have the bandwidth and budget to give the project the
attention it deserves.
5. Trashing and revising all of your existing marketing
materials. Once your new logo is complete you'll have to
recycle your business cards, letterhead, brochures and
other printed materials—and pay to have the new ones
printed. Then there's redesigning your website (and the
editing and rewriting that you should do along with that).
And don't forget about changing the digital design
templates on your computer—your branded email footer,
newsletter templates, Word letterheads, and Quickbooks
invoices.
Go through your marketing pieces and just think about what
it would take to re-create those. The writing, editing,
design, coding, printing... Do you really want to redo all
that work? And will the redesign of all of those materials
pay off?
6. Making the transition make sense for your clients. Your
clients get attached to your logo. They identify with it as
the face of your business. If you just change your logo
without saying anything to your clients, it can make them
feel disoriented and disenfranchised—like their feelings
about your business don't matter. Changing the way your
materials look can make clients wonder if your business has
been bought out, or if you've raised your prices or changed
your level of service.
If you do create a new logo, be sure to inform your current
and past clients about the change and to explain the
reasoning behind the redesign. This simple act can help you
keep their trust and keep them onboard with your business
through the transition.
Making sure that you're prepared to address these 6 steps
in your logo redesign will ensure that a needed redesign
goes smoothly—just like knocking over those dominos.
----------------------------------------------------
Erin Ferree is a brand identity designer who creates big
visibility for small businesses. As the owner of elf
design, Erin is passionate about helping her clients stand
out in front of their competition and attract more clients.
Her "Define Your Difference Branding Workbook" will help
you with your brand definition - the most important step in
the logo design process.
http://www.elf-design.com/products-define.html
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