Originally published in “This Month in Elgin August 2020”

Like most established companies, your business likely has a logo and brand personality with which your loyal clientele is very familiar and can easily recognize. Perhaps you already have a strong visual representation of your company that ties strongly with your industry and sends a message as to what service or product you provide and how.

However there are times in the life of a company when that visual identity may need either some small tweaks, or a complete overhaul. To understand when this may be the case for your business, consider the following:

1. YOU WANT TO GROW: Your company may be at an inflection point; poised to grow because you have narrowed your product or service that solves a very specific problem or fills a need. Perhaps your original branding was designed to appeal to a broad audience, but having operated for a number of years you can see that your actual market is a more targeted demographic, and your visual identity needs to speak directly to this group.

2. YOU HAVE A NEW MARKET SECTOR: If you provide a service or have a product which has been around for a while, and are comfortable with the steady growth of that business, this could mean your branding is working well for you. There is enough word-of-mouth and online reviews that you see steady increase in sales quarter after quarter. But if you plan to expand your market by offering something new, you may find yourself back at square one, patiently explaining the benefits of your solution to any new customer who will listen. While an effective tool for getting new business, it doesn't scale very well. This could be the time that you need your product to speak (or more truthfully, scream) what it does and how it does it, all on its own. This can only be done with effective branding.

3. YOU NEED TO EVOLVE: Perhaps your current visual identity doesn't fit the new way of doing business. While shying away from short-term trends, it is still highly important to strive to be relevant. Perhaps your current branding doesn't translate well to the hundreds of ways we now communicate digitally. Does it shrink down effectively to a tiny square on a smartphone? Is it memorable when viewed on a digital ad as well as a billboard?

Any rebrand project should be a thoughtful process, including a review of where the company's roots lie and where the business is headed.