About two out of three people who come to me wanting a rebrand leave with a refresh. Here is how I decide.
What is the difference between a refresh and a rebrand?
A refresh keeps what people recognize and fixes what has aged: cleaner lines, better type, colors that hold up on a screen, files that are not a JPEG from 2009. Customers see it and think "oh, they tidied up."
A rebrand changes what people recognize. A new mark, sometimes a new name, a new feel. Customers see it and wonder whether it is the same company. Sometimes that is what you want. Usually it is not.
How do I know which one I need?
Three questions.
- Do customers recognize the current mark? If your van, your sign, and your invoices have carried it for years and people know it, that recognition is an asset. Refresh.
- Has the business changed? Different customers, different services, a merger, a founder's name on a company the founder left. If what you do is not what the mark says you do, start over.
- Is the problem the mark or everything around it? Nine times out of ten the mark is fine, and the website, the business cards, and the sign come from different decades and different vendors. Fix the kit and leave the mark alone.
What does each one cost?
A refresh is $1,200, the logo tune-up on the start-small list, and takes two to three weeks. You get the cleaned-up mark, proper color and type, and every file format.
A new mark and identity starts at $2,500 and takes two to four weeks. A full kit with business cards, a banner, and a shirt runs $4,500 to $7,500 on top of that.
Printing is quoted separately and you pay the printer directly, so there is no markup buried in my invoice.
My logo was made by a relative or a generator. Is that a problem?
Only if it looks like it. Some of the best small-business marks I have seen were drawn by an owner at the kitchen table. Who made it does not matter. What matters is whether it reproduces cleanly at the size of a pen and the size of a truck, and whether it still looks like you. If it fails, it gets refreshed or replaced. If it passes, leave it alone and fix the website.
What do I bring to the first call?
The current mark in whatever form you have it, a photo of the sign and the van, a business card, and the website address. Tell me what bugs you. On the call I will tell you whether you need a refresh, a new mark, or a fix to the kit and what it costs.
Answered by Jared Lukes, Minneapolis. Twenty-five years in brand, UX, and technology, currently holding fractional AI and technology seats at three companies. About Jared.