New & Improved?
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Your company has had the same logo, slogan, signage and even office decor for years. You may sometimes wonder if a change is warranted. Would a new look really help your company’s bottom line? Revamping your company’s public face with a new logo or signage can definitely enhance morale inside the company while improving its overall appeal, according to Matt Lee, Director of Marketing for Adhere Creative, a B2B inbound marketing agency and brand development firm based in Houston, Texas.
“Refreshing your brand image can aid in brand awareness and image, attracting new talent, and inspiring current employees to engage with the brand’s direction as a company,” Lee stated.
Enhancing Your Company’s Image
A DIY logo is one instance where a change is definitely called for. Many new business owners and entrepreneurs understandably seek to save money whenever possible – but cutting corners by attempting to design your own logo is almost always penny wise and pound foolish, according to Entrepreneur magazine. Unless you’re a graphic designer by trade, or have a friend or family member who is, it’s best to spend the money to have a professional design a logo for your company – or risk having your company appear amateurish as well.
Even if your company’s logo was professionally designed, it may be outdated. If your business has added products and services since you originally opened its doors, the logo or slogan may no longer be an accurate representation of your company, according to Entrepreneur.
Mobile Devices and Social Media
One easily overlooked but vital reason that your company’s logo or signage is due for a redesign: they don’t display well on social media or mobile devices. Just as your website should be mobile friendly (or you should have a dedicated mobile app available), your company’s logo should be easily displayed on small tablet and especially mobile phone screens. Even the larger mobile phone screens that are popular with many users are still much smaller than the screen on a typical laptop or desktop computer.
Likewise, your logo might have looked OK on low-quality “yellow pages” paper or newsprint, but not so great online. Your logo should be sufficiently visually appealing (or at least striking) to display well on social media pages. In many cases, this means adding color or sharper graphics. On the other hand, your logo may simply be too “busy,” in which case, simplification is in order.
In other cases, the decision is driven by the message that you want to convey to your company’s customers about the business, according to Lee.
“Do you want them to think, ‘this company is doing something inspiring, something different, something new’ or do you want your customers to think, ‘no matter the changes in the industry, this company is a rock and stays true to their original nature,’” Lee explained.
If It Ain’t Broke
While it’s important to recognize when a logo or signage is outdated, change simply for the sake of change is often ill advised. This is especially important when, as noted by Lee above, you wish to convey that your company has a rock solid presence in the industry. And if your logo is iconic and well-regarded, making radical changes may be especially ill-advised.ne famous example of a radical change that was NOT well received by users was the new icon for the online social media app Instagram, which allows users to post and share photos. Its iconic and well-loved miniature camera was replaced in May 2016 with a “flat,” highly stylized representation of a camera. That said, Instagram has retained the new icon, along with making other changes in how the app operates.
The Customer Is Frequently Right
While some instances, such as those described above, clearly call for a change (or for staying with your company’s present visual images), other circumstances are less clear cut. In such instances, your company’s customers may be the best source for resolving the issue, according to Lee.
“It’s important to note however, that a brand isn’t what you say it is; it’s what your customers says it is. There isn’t a right or wrong answer, but it must match your brand direction. So that message needs to reach your customer audience,” Lee stated.
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Posted In: Management
