Should I change my logo?

Posted by Lindsayanng

I have heard this question asked an awful lot lately by small business owners. I think that maybe the economy has spurred a change in the way people look at their brand, their identity. They possibly could feel that in these times, they need to stand out or shut down and a new logo could make all the difference in that. No matter the reason for the desire to change a logo, the answer is never a cut and dry yes or no. There are a lot of things that you need to consider and talk over with your designer before you make that jump. Try and figure out which “category” of business owner you land in and see if you can get some guidance. If you can’t and you are still confused, it’s ok. Shoot me and email and maybe I can help you make your decision.

Adding a new service to your business. Your business is growing and so is the range of services that you provide. This could be the best possible time for your business to change it’s logo or the worse. It all depends on how fast your business is grown and how much your services are changing. Many businesses make a mistake in changing their logo after the business has already started to grown and they end up completely alienating their old and loyal clients. You should really consider what you plan to achieve with this new logo when compared with what you plan to achieve with your new service. Does your new service really add a new dimension to your business or does it simply enhance an already existing service? This is a very good question to ask because if you are adding a feature that works more as an enhancement than a diversification you will want to consider keeping your logo, or doing a simple “update” of your logo to reflect the small change in your business.

A company like Kodak was always changing because their business is based heavily in technology, however they maintained Kodak text inside of the red and gold box from 1971 until 2006 – a long run for a concept to hold on to. With the digital age in full swing by the time 2006 rolled around, Kodak’s services and business core had changed. The move to a newer and cleaner logo was something that helped their audience look at Kodak as a more image technology based brand and less of film and cameras only.

Then you have companies like BMW and Apple who have essentially had the same logo for most of the businesses’ life. Even though the concept stays the same, the companies continue to evolve little pieces of their logo bit by bit so that it doesn’t start to feel old and tired. Little changes that can be seen by a designer’s fresh eyes can make a huge difference in your logo.

Growing your business to a new location/ larger location/ more employees. Generally this is a bad time to redesign your logo because when you change locations especially if you rely on in-person visitors to your establishment or office. A logo in terms of geographic location is used by many as a land-marker, so even if people who may have never stepped foot inside of your place drive by it daily, they will likely have memorized your logo, therefore remembering your brand. If your logo was designed well enough, that means that even those who have never used your service/product still know who you are, what you do, and where you are located. If you redesign your logo right after a move you will loose all of that familiarity that was associated with your business and it’s building. If you keep the logo you will hopefully have your audience move with you, or  minimally remember who you are should they see your logo elsewhere.

On the other hand, this could also be an optimal time to completely change your logo if the last one was really not working for you. If your business is in serious need of an electric shock in the tokhes (túkh?es) then you can really use this situation to reinvent the entire branding and identity of your business. Some times starting from scratch is just what a tired and lackluster business needs. A shiny new logo and identity paired with a positive marketing campaign can really pull a company from down and out to front and center

Just have a look at Wal-Mart’s logo. They have actually had a bunch of logo revisions, but chances are you remember Wal-dash-mart as it always being their name. The started as Walmart without the dash back in 1962 and just two years later a logo revision was done which added the dash between Wal and mart. Since then the font changed and the dash became the star but it remained wal-mart for 44 years until the company decided to really make a go at cleaning up and reviving their image. They created a new color which was still heavily based on typography, but for the first time they included a logo mark. That little star is now their mark that they can use with or without the word-mark, something completely new to them.

Your logo is dated and needs an upgrade. This is one of the best reasons to give your company a facelift and hire a designer to give you a new logo. Maybe when you started your business you didn’t have the money to hire a professional so you asked your niece who is really good at drawing *shutters* to create a logo for you. Maybe you did it yourself? Either way when you look at your logo you are left feeling a little empty and know that it could be better. When this happens, there is no wrong time to update your logo. It does not matter where you are in your business, any time doing an upgrade is better than not doing one. The reason why I tell you this is because no amatuer mac rat will make a logo that good. You know what I’m saying. I have had lots of clients come to me with their photo-shopped logo in all of it’s drop shadowed, beveled edge, gradient glory telling me that they feel if they change it that they will have a serious impact on their clients. That is just not going to happen. The chances are the customers/ clients that you have now that love what you do for them do so because they truly love your business, not because the logo is there. No company has ever failed for the sole reason that they changed their logo, and if your home-made logo is really that good, that it is the sole reason for people using your business, the niece that designed your logo should be given a Pulitzer prize or something. Really now is the best time for you to do a redesign and don’t look back.

Look at these! Just look at them. Its very clear which logo inspires customers to feel good about their company. Which one screams “amateur” and which one screams professionalism? That’s not a hard question to answer right? This company came to us having had paid a lot of money to an overseas designer for this hot mess. We chose to really go in a completely different direction because there was no saving the old logo and the new client was overjoyed.
The great thing about logos is that they can change as your business changes and as important as they are in your branding, they are not the only reason you are still in business. A logo is there simply to put a face on your business and give people a solid understanding of what you do and what you are all about. One look a logo should inspire some type of feeling in the person looking at it, whether it be a feeling of loyalty, stability, or friendliness a good logo will do that for you. Also, changing a logo is always best done with a solid plan behind it. If you are a small business (especially one that replies on foot traffic) you should have a solid marketing plan to follow the reveal of your new logo. Turn the new logo into an event at your store and celebrate it with your existing clients and your new clients. Make sure to flush out all items with the old logo and start using anything with the new logo as soon as you can. Just know that 50 unused business cards with your old logo on it will not kill your business and your new logo can easily make up for it by driving interest and new business right through your door.

So are you a business owner who came across this post and wondering what to do? Do you need to really go over the next steps and marketing with someone? Shoot me an email.

Are you a designer who has some awesome logo redesigns to show off? I love looking at before and afters!!!

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