Signs that your logo needs a redesign
Before you plan a logo redesign, create a list to see if you really need it, or if you just need to update the look of your logo. To guide you, here is some information that can help you understand if your logo needs a redesign:
Change of name of the company
Well, the redesign is obvious. If you have decided to change the name of your company, then you must change your logo completely, because that means a new brand and a new company too. Like this, the audience will be able to distinguish the old from the new.
Lack of clarity or bad logo message
If you continue to hear questions like, “what is your logo?” and that you repeatedly explain the meaning of your logo, it is obvious that the message of your logo is not clear. It could even be complicated, cluttered with too much detail or not at all connected to your business. If so, you need a redesign of the logo. The logo must have a strong link with the company because it is your brand image.
Read: Why you need a logo?
New services offered
There are cases where a logo reflects a unique service. If you have decided to add more services to the business, then you need to create a logo that will suit the business for all services. That’s why it’s best to design one that does not show a particular service if you have expansion plans.
Changes in society
Most of the time, you can design a logo based on your dreams or based on what the company will be. But as soon as the business grows, it turns out that the logo is not appropriate to the principles and services you offer. The merger with another company is another reason for redesigning your logo that would have the role of announcing a big change. If your business has evolved significantly and you feel your logo no longer fits, a redesign of the logo is a wise choice for it to reach consumers effectively.
Your logo does not look professional
The first thing you want to have is a professional logo. You want to show consumers and users that they can trust you.
But the question is how can you earn their trust if your logo does not look professional?
Drop logos that use clip art or font styles that are not at all presentable or related to your business.
So take a creative logo designer right away or lose your customers after a glance at your logo.
Outdated design
Well, this is only applicable if you still use a 1980s font style where the computer was not yet used to create logos. In that case, you need a new design for your logo. But that does not mean you have to follow the trend all the time. Keep your logo as long as it is effective and in keeping with the spirit of your business. Do not redo your logo just to stay in fashion. Remember that current trends could be tomorrow’s snapshots. If your logo is designed to be fashionable, then it will be quickly outdated.
A logo not versatile
A good logo works well in black and white and does not have too many colors so it is not too expensive to print on t-shirts, mugs and other products. If your logo is expensive to print and seems cluttered with details, it’s time to redesign it.
Your logo is similar to another logo
These are things that happen. If your logo is often confused with that of another company, then change it, because you might end up being a plagiarist, giving a negative impression of your company. This can happen by accident, it would be wise to change it especially if the company whose logo is similar to yours is more famous and better established than yours.
What to consider when redesigning a logo
Once you have decided on logo upgrade, keep in mind the following five tips:
Value of the business
Every company has its values and principles. When you start designing a logo, you can start by making a list of words that best define your business and design the logo on that basis. Make sure that with a look at the logo the audience sees what you want to say.
Check your competitors
Spying is not bad at all, as long as you do not copy their designs. The question is how your competitors identify themselves and how the target audience can react to that identity. If you think theirs is lame, do something better. If the logo is effective, find out what made it effective and try to do something similar with a better impact.
Evaluate your business
Answer few questions to examine your business:
What changes have occurred?
Are there changes in services?
Is it a bigger company now with more employees?
Do you have a broader reach for your company in terms of the targeted audience?
Know all the changes that have occurred and try to reflect this growth in the new logo.
Consider online use
Today, the web has a huge impact on businesses, including the design of your logo because most people pull their information from the web. So, when designing your logo, make sure that it will come out online, that it will load easily when used as a banner logo, will be easy to recognize, that it will have sharpness qualities. It must be visually attractive. The Web and more specifically social media will have a significant impact on your business and therefore it is important to consider them even in the design of your logo.
Brand Consistency
As your logo marks the identity and personality of your business, you must make sure that everything associated with it works well.
The logo, the typography, the website, the color scheme, the images, and the message must be coherent to build a strong identity.
Keep your identity
The logo is your brand. Your brand strengthens the trust and appreciation of your customers who love your products and services.
As your brand touches many people, it’s important to retain your identity despite redesigning your logo. Thus, it will be recognizable and this will avoid confusion for users.
You can keep your identity using the same color scheme, using the same font style or using the few elements of your previous logo. But then, you must decide if you are doing a refresh or a complete redesign.
It is important to evaluate everything correctly. If you think a new logo is needed, a good way to prepare your customers in advance. In this way, they are aware of the identity change that you are going to make.
In addition to creating awareness, you also create a buzz so that the redesign will be discussed on the net just like Yahoo! did it with their 30-days change in which they showed a different logo every day until the 30th when the final Yahoo! has been revealed.
All logo redesigns are not successful. Some have a negative effect on the audience, especially if the new design is worse than the old one or if it is unrecognizable.
No matter what the crowd says, now that your logo is there, they’ll get used to it. Be true to your brand. But once again, think about what your logo will deliver to your customers.
