Regardless of how long your business has been open or how well-established it is in the community, branding will always be a crucial part of your marketing — so it’s important you have a good logo. Here are some signs that your company’s logo may need a makeover:
Your company is evolving
Has your company changed in some way in recent years? Your branding should reflect that. If your company has undergone a change in leadership, strategic vision, product offerings, demographic targeting, or other business aspect, you should consider promoting that with a change in branding.
“This is the gold standard for why a company should change its logo,” says brand/marketing executive Barry W. Enderwick. “If they’ve pivoted, evolved, or otherwise shifted the business in a meaningful way, it is the perfect time to change the logo to express this new reality.”
Your logo isn’t adaptable
Your storefront isn’t the only place your company’s logo is displayed. It’s on your website, social media pages, business cards, print and online ads, vehicle wraps, billboards, merchandise, clothing, and much more. Thus, it needs to be scalable — whether printed on a banner or on a ballpoint pen.
Ayesha Ambreen of Business 2 Community emphasizes this. “Can your logo be stripped down to its most basic elements? Can the size of it be expanded or shrunk without losing its readability? Does it show well in black and white or in a single color?”
Your logo is badly designed
The fact you’ve been using your logo for years doesn’t automatically make it a good logo. You may personally love it — but that doesn’t mean it’s not unsightly.
Ambreen lists many potential issues that a company logo may have. It could suffer from not effectively communicating your product or identity, being hard for viewers to decipher, a poor choice in colors, being too complicated, or being too forgettable.
Your logo is outdated
Visual design trends change over time, just like clothing fashions do. If you want people to perceive your business as modern and “with the times,” your logo needs to reflect the visual elements that are current.
“Consumers want to feel like the company they are working with is up to date,” explains Safa Khudeira for user experience agency Intechnic. “Logo refreshes show you are evolving and changing to keep up with the modern world. You don’t want to seem like you are stale and unwilling to change. Especially if you are an older company.”
Maybe you want your business’ logo to have an old-fashioned or vintage style that communicates your company’s long history or consistency, rather than one that chases the latest trends. If so, you’ll want a logo that’s styled to deliberately communicate that — rather than one that’s simply decades old.
Do you always need a logo redesign?
Keep in mind a logo redesign doesn’t necessarily have to be drastic. A few minor tweaks may sufficiently refine it for now. Overhauling the logo from scratch can be a risky move that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“A logo redesign can be a bold statement that proclaims a break from the past,” cautions Forbes contributor Gabriel Shaoolian. “It’s important to consider if this is indeed the statement you’re trying to make. Bold redesigns can fail if they’re perceived as erasing a cherished brand history or betraying the principles the brand was founded upon.”
Your logo says a lot about your company; every miniscule detail of the design subtly communicates something about your business’ identity and values. Don’t settle for using an outdated, poorly crafted logo that could be hindering recognition in the market.