Logo Redesigning- The do’s, the don’ts the how’s’ and why’s

A pencil and paper in hand, I muse, an array of color palates pace through my mind, and I wonder what do logo designers think when they redesign a logo for a company?

Is it the product that compels them to design a logo in a certain way and then reform it again?

Does the image actually pop up out of nowhere?

Or is it some real science going behind (no, not the labs.)

Before you start feeling all jumbled up, let me help clear it all for you step by step.

So all aboard, say Ahoy!

Redesigning- do you actually need that? The WHY.

We all tend to grow accustomed to the things around us. The change takes time to sink, and this is why we see many companies continuing their average-looking logos, despite getting the itch to reform.

But,

There comes a time when you need that redesigning for your own good. When actually is that time, let us share it with you.

Logo redesigning is very similar to giving the brand a makeover. Logos may seem like a small part of your branding game, but they probably have an immense impact. We see that today 50% of the small businesses design and reinvent their logos themselves.

Reason?

They are skeptical of spending more than 500$ on a logo. This is why when asked, 65% of the small business owners were of the opinion that spending any amount is outrageous.

Sigh!

Little do they know that logos actually help make and sustain a brand.

What should be prompting you …

Evolution.

Evolution.

Evolution.

Evolution should be the new revolution.

1. A breath of fresh air

If you are a brand of yesteryear, you should give redesigning your logos a thought.

The fear that you might end up losing your clients is baseless. Trust me, and people always love the fresh look; it’s just you need to make sure it’s a balanced one.

How much ever-relevant your Logo was when you made it, there is a need to keep up with time and reform and refresh.

Please peek into your logos before the sign of aging starts to show.

For example, we see that sky news ditched the sky’s background and opted simpler yet strong lettering to emphasize their presence. The best part, it connects with the young generation too, simple yet impactful.

Sky News Logo

Important for you: All about Emblem Logos and why your brand needs one?

2. Keep up with the competition

You are awesome in your relevant industry.  You have been having the right numbers showing at your bottom line, but you feel that something is amiss.

The customers are not connecting, and the worst part is you feel that you are losing it to your competition.

Do you know why?

The competition probably has been doing something right. When there is no flaw with the product, then your branding needs a makeover.

Branding starts with the “LOGO.”

You need to either refresh or redesign the Logo to stay relevant to your audience.

Houzz Logo

When you have different brands springing up with a similar product line, you need to re-emphasize what you stand for. This helps your audience connect at a better level with you. Houzz did it when it revamped the look for the better.

3. Simplifying complexity

A complicated logo does not help connect. (YES, people look for more direct connections.)

Here is a fact for you.

An image gets processed 6000 times faster by a human brain as compared to text. So you see, adding image and text makes your logo complex, and hence you lose that first-look-hook factor.

An example could be of our dear brand Toys R Us.

Toys R Us Logo

We all love and connect with our favorite store. The old Logo had a more comprehensive color palette, and the R inside the star laid greater emphasis on the star rather than the letter.

They played with their existing Logo and simplified it with lesser colors and putting the star inside the R. The overall cohesion and simpler colors add a charm that re-kindles and strengthen the connection with the consumers.

Now you know why you need to redesign, let’s get to the basics of redesigning.

How should you be redesigning your Logo?

Before you take the plunge, make sure that you know what sort of result you expect.

With a goal in mind, it becomes much more comfortable and much more regulated and improves your chances of success.

Here are a few tips and tricks that you can implement or consider when heading for the makeover.

1. The case of reconsideration of cases

Your logo letter case can actually reform your Logo significantly.

Though apparently, it may seem as if no big deal, but in reality, the overall impact can turn from subjective to an objective one—a successful logo rework of Calvin Klein.

Calvin Klein Logo

We see how they successfully transitioned from small letters to a bigger case. The difference, though, is hardly noticeable. As a customer, you connect the right away as your connection has not been severed with the reform.

You may find it helpful: 9 Branding Mistakes That May Kill Your Business

2. Visualizing the visuals for a sharper look

Sometimes all you need is a fresher perspective.

You know why?

It helps to revamp the overall look at the same time, keeping the symbolism intact.

The greatest example is that of Mozilla Firefox. The fox has become fiercer, and the Earth has been given a darker shade to provide the Logo with a sharper and refined look.

3. Cash in on your forte

Playing on your home ground has an advantage. Said everyone.

Well, it’s true. If your Logo does not already exhibit your forte, maybe it’s the right to redesign.

The best example, in this case, can be YouTube

Youtube Logo

YouTube now has that iconic Red play button incorporated. This not gives a visual description of what they stand for and gives YouTube an icon that people immediately connect with.

So when you opt for the change, make a change that counts and helps your customer relate.

4. Scale it down to perfection

When it comes down to first glance hook-up, you definitely don’t want to hinder the first impressions, right?

A logo with lots of stuff going on in that small frame is definitely not getting anything across. It’s crowded, and people fail to connect. So when you are revamping, looking for the possibility of scaling down is probably the best idea.

Starbucks Logo

Words and lines and circles once surrounded the double tailed mermaid that we all are now so familiar with. But as Starbucks worked on its Logo and brought about a makeover, we see the double tailed mermaid taking the forefront of the stage and becoming more of a household item then it ever was.

When redesigning, you definitely should be doing these

These are a few golden tips that you need to keep in mind.

Probably go all Sherlock and store it away in a compartment in your mind and pull it out when and where necessary.

These are some essential yet critical tips that you need to be mindful of.

1. Winning the hearts of the audience

The Logo is the face of your brand. When a customer looks at your Logo, they need to feel the immediate connection with your products and your company’s thought process.

Therefore, when redesigning, you should make sure that you are blowing your company’s soul into it. 30% of people claim that they come back to the brand because they are able to connect.

2. Keeping it unique

Better create a logo that stands out among all.

Create something that people have never seen before.

Amaze them!

Getting inspired from existing logos is very mainstream. It’s better when you are looking to redesign the Logo to keep consistent with your current Logo.

This helps maintain synchronization.

3. Get all aboard

Trust you don’t want to mess up your standing with one wrong choice of colors.

We suggest that you should conduct a survey on an open platform. This will convey two messages across:

• You value your customers.
• You will get a fair idea of what customers may want.

4. Use the color palette wisely

It is fun to play with colors but play with it wisely.

It’s highly advisable to go with your current color scheme as people can relate it to well and will not have any difficulty in associating with you or your brand as they did before the branding.

Failure to understand why you are taking the project of revamping the Logo is going with artillery into the battle.

And this is one thing that no one looks forward to.

You should be armed with:

• The reason you are redesigning
• What you want to convey
• How do you want the revamping to impact your overall sales

You may find it interesting: Color Theory and why it is Important

The Don’ts of Logo redesigning

When you are looking to revamp your logo, it’s not the change in the design you are aiming for, but it’s a greater customer engagement you want to enjoy.

But many a time we see successful Logo revamps, like that of Dunkin, who incorporated the change to account for the growing menu other than Donuts.

Then there are poor results of Logo redesigning like that of WWE, where we see and more sober-looking Logo that has lost the raw touch that was associated with the wrestling giant.

WWE Logo

When you are redesigning your Logo, never replace the element that actually helped your customer connect.

Here are a few things that you definitely need to avoid when you are looking for a successful revamp of your Logo.

1. Please don’t add a thesis to your Logo

Too many details in Logo redesigning are not a good addition.

The more you fill the design, the more confusing it becomes. People tend to mix up and forget the real essence. Therefore, try to keep things simple.

For example,

Y’all remember Black & Decker?

 Its been a part of all our dad’s toolsets. Well, after the Logo went under the knife, it’s no longer Black & Decker. Instead, it is now Black + Decker.

What do you make of it? A whole shift, even that in a very confusing direction.

Black + Decker Logo

2. Miss the trend

You probably want to know what is trending today when sitting down to revamp your Logo. Don’t make the mistake that Yahoo! Did.

Here is how Yahoo tried to revamp.

Yahoo Logo

When the revamping was announced, people anticipated that it would be something big and mouth opening. But when this Logo was dropped, people couldn’t fathom why?

The usual zing that was associated with the word Yahoo was lost. The typeface was a general one, and the fans were all greatly disappointed.

A word of advice.

 If it’s the 90s and you adopt the font and color palate from the 20s, how is it ever going to impress anybody?

3. Keep it same

You cannot expect your Logo to stay the same for over a long period of time.

It is because things keep changing at a rapid speed daily. Who knows, you may have to make amendments in your design for it to gain recognition.

Cleveland Browns Logo

Five brownie points if you discover the change.

This subtle, right? The Cleveland Browns from the NFL are one team that redesigned their logos and kept it the same. Just turning your color’s shade a bit dark doesn’t count as a change.

A paradox indeed.

Most companies change their Logo once in a minimum of 10 years. And by change, we mean a real “significant” change.

4. Get too literal

Being creative doesn’t mean you go all out on the literal front and indulge a tad bit more into imagery all over your Logo.

That definitely is a recipe for disaster.

Airbnb Logo

I can see the smirks.

I know I know the symbol looks kind of odd, weird, and a combination of all such words. Most importantly, you don’t want to see that for a hospitality business.

But when warned you for not being literal, we meant this.

The symbol is Belo, and it means “belonging” universally.   

Verdict.

But the symbol does look odd.

Another important read for you: 9 professional logo design benefits you hardly know about

Final thoughts

Logo designing can be nerve bending, but Logo redesign in more challenging.

When redesigning, you are working with an existing image of the company, and you definitely don’t want to jeopardize that.

But you know what works in your favor?

This blog.

The blog has all the dos and don’ts and tips and tricks that you should be opting for when redesigning so that you can avoid all the possible mishaps.

So time to let that tingle in your fingers give you a meaningful and a beautifully revamped logo—one which will be admired and never end up in the list of worst-case scenarios.

Ciao!