Evaluate your logo and learn what it takes to freshen up an old logo.
In the marketing world, staying in touch and keeping up with the times is important. Knowing how to recognize the trends can give your brand a competitive advantage if utilized. No business or brand wants customers to regard them as outdated or old. This is why it is important to take a good look at your logo once in a while. Your logo is the face of your brand, the first impression, and it has a lasting impact on the perception of your business. As trends and tastes change, so will the perception of your logo.
Many successful businesses have updated their logos to keep a compelling edge. Companies such as American Airlines, Walmart, Taco Bell, Facebook, Petco, Arbies, Pepsi, Apple, Shell, Volkswagon and Starbucks have all made benefiting changes to their brands, but kept a recognizable consistency along the way. Taking a note from these recently freshened companies, 3D effects and embossing are out and flat vector is in. One reason stated by marketers is because it simply looks just as vivid on an app as it does on a physical piece of paper. So how do you know when its time for you to update your logo?
Ask yourself a few questions first.
- Does it look outdated?
- Does it represent the progress of your business?
- Is it still relevant to your new goals?
If you do decide to refresh your look, keep some important considerations in mind.
- Make sure your changes are relevant. It is important that your logo still maintains and reflects the purpose of your organization.
- Don’t sacrifice your recognition. Unless you are completely unhappy with your logo, don’t start from scratch. Maybe it just needs a few smoother edges.
- Simplify rather than over complicate. Resist the urge to relate every single aspect of your story into your logo. Remember it is a symbol and a representation.
- Test it and ask others’ opinions because you are biased to your own brand. The best opinions come from strangers because they will have a genuine first impression.
A good guide to live by in the ever-changing advertising world is to evaluate your logo every five years or so. Everyone has to freshen up once in a while!
What are some more companies that have successfully freshened-up their logo?