How and when to rename your organization
CR explores the delicate process of renaming a company, from how you know it's time to redesign your visual identity to making sure your new look fits into your plans for the future
The big rebranding is an inevitable fact in doing business today. Companies are adapting, they are releasing new products, they are changing their focus and often it means that the identity they started with no longer fits the business they are transforming into. This is something that's especially prevalent in the startup world, where companies often start out with branding that later needs reworking – for example Airbnb, which is a long way from the blue and pink AirBed & Breakfast wordmark that the Company has introduced with.
So how do brands know when the right time is to embark on the agonizing process of rebranding? According to James Kape, director and co-founder of design consultancy Omse, the list of reasons is almost endless. "It could be time to redefine a new vision or a new purpose or maybe a creative mindset," he tells CR.
“It might be time to make it more relevant or timely to appeal to a wider audience. Maybe it's time to be more distinctive or engaging, or maybe the brand is lost. Perhaps it is time to expand into new markets to make sure your communication is appropriate. It can be based on how well established the business is – you really could have started figuring out what your purpose is and maybe the first [piece of branding] wasn't entirely right and you need to explain things better. Perhaps there has been a major change beyond that, and you need to show that somehow. "