Having a great logo is something that every business aspires to, and when you do finally settle on a logo, the hope is that it’s going to become an accurate and popular representation of your brand. However, if your brand isn’t doing well, or if you just want to make a change, you may begin feeling like it’s time for a new logo for a fresh start.
Creating a new logo, especially for established brands, isn’t something that you just do without a great reason. And while you may find dozens of reasons that stand out to you as good enough for a change, we’ll discuss a few of the most popular below, as well as some pros and cons pertaining to a logo change.
Reasons to Change Your Logo
Re-branding
It could be the case that your brand has suffered damage for some reason. A failed product or some other circumstance may have harmed your ability to keep a happy audience. So when pushing for a brand change, a logo change is often considered for the proverbial fresh start.
Outdated
Some brands operating online or even on a smaller scale in general feel that they need to revamp things every few years. This often isn’t the case, but it’s definitely a good reason to change your logo if you haven’t been achieving the desired results. A logo change isn’t a guaranteed fix, but it may allow you to achieve that important new start.
New Approach
Starting from scratch with your brand and reaching out to new markets with new products and a new mission statement might be a great reason to change your logo along with other aspects of your business. Be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater if your logo is good; however, changing it along with everything else makes sense if you’re following a new approach.
Testing Purposes
There may come a point in time with your brand where you want to test the waters without making a permanent change. With this, you can create a new logo design and test with a control group to gauge the reaction. This will allow you to make an information decision as to the potential change.
Pros and Cons of a Logo Change
Pros:
- A logo change can show initiative and show that your company is thinking about the future
- It may give fans more trust in your brand if you’re tailoring your logo to a more social audience
- Re-branding is tricky business, but a logo change lets everyone know that you’re in the process of improving your business
- Changing your logo might help you make a much better first impression with new viewers
Cons:
- Changing your logo may make your brand look unstable and indecisive
- There’s always the potential of scaring customers away and alienating those loyal to the brand
- A logo change can send mixed messages about ownership, company direction, etc
- The new logo could end up doing poorly and could irreparably harm your brand
Whether you decide to ultimately change your logo or not, you should know that it is a big decision to make. All the research and design work that went into the first logo needs to increase with the second, because a new logo has to be better than the first. If not, any change whatsoever is going to be detrimental.
Remember that a logo change cannot be undone in the public’s eye, so always be sure that you’re ready for the change before you make it, and relax with a good cup of coffee.