For businesses of all kinds, a strong brand is essential. But even if your brand has been established for some time, it’s sometimes helpful to refresh it. Consumer and customer expectations are always changing and evolving. Refreshing your brand can help keep it relevant and compelling.
What is a brand refresh? A brand refresh is not a rebranding: It can be thought of as changes to your visual identity that present a more updated and modern presentation, from subtle adjustments to logos to an evolution of your color schemes. The benefits of a refresh vs. a rebrand include the opportunity to build and preserve your existing brand strengths, without the major investment in time and resources that developing a new brand requires. The biggest companies in the world, from Microsoft to Amazon to Walmart, have refreshed their brands on a regular basis over the year, helping their visual identity keep up with changes in consumer taste.
Some of the reasons your business might consider a brand refresh can include growth, competitive pressure and just simply the passage of time. If it’s been years since your last branding update, there’s a good chance it might appear a bit outdated. So, if you’re ready to refresh your brand, here are 4 elements that can help:
Element #1: Your Logo
The trend in current logos is to be simple and clean. Logos that had been designed far in the past sometime don’t incorporate the most up-to-date colors – and sometimes simply have too many colors. New logos generally only use one or two colors, and don’t necessarily have many graphical elements that used to be in vogue, like drop shadows and other adornments.
Designers and design consultants will typically advise you to consider “flattening” your logo: for example, removing unnecessary design elements and reducing the original graphics down to their simplest form. Consider how the Amazon logo has changed over the years and you can clearly see the best practice in logo design has moved to a “less is more” approach.
Element #2: Colors and Typography
Never underestimate the impact that changing a font can make. Fonts in particular become outdated over time – most of us will never forget the dark days when Comic Sans was actually popular. So if you haven’t evaluated your font usage lately, that’s one simple change that can make a huge impact, without constituting a total brand overhaul.
Similarly, additions of color or simple change to your colors can also make an incredible difference. You can add complimentary colors to your marketing material without disregarding your existing brand standards – or you can subtly change the shading of your primary colors to make them truly stand out.
Element #3: Interactivity
Adding interactive elements to your digital experience can really help consumers feel invested in your brand. And with new technologies, like 3D visual configurators and augmented reality, your customers can literally interact with your company and products from anywhere in the world, at any time. Now, you can allow customers to walk through virtual showrooms, see your products from every angle and more. Research has shown that customers who are able to configure and customize products are more likely to make a purchase – and will become more loyal to your brand.
Element #4: Video and Photography
New video and photography can be the cornerstone of an amazing brand refresh. Especially if you haven’t had a major photoshoot in a few years – take a look at the people in your photography. Are they dressed in current clothing and have modern hair styles? If your photo library consists mostly of products, there are still easy ways to make them much more impactful. For example, you can build a 3D model or 360 spin image just from CAD files and photorealistic digital imagery can actually be cheaper than traditional photography.
Ready to see how CDS Visual can help you refresh your brand? Book a complimentary, personalized consultation today.
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