Is It Time to Tune-Up Your Company’s Logo?

Is It Time to Tune-Up Your Company’s Logo?

Your company’s logo is the most visible element of your brand identity.  But if your logo is more than five years old – or if there’s been a significant change in your mission, core services, customer base, or marketing strategy since your logo was developed – your logo may be due for a tune-up.

Here’s how to evaluate and update your company logo to support a smart branding strategy:

• Icon: If your logo includes a graphic element that serves as a visual icon for your business, is it still relevant to what you do – and what you do best? Even more important, is its meaning understandable to the customers you’re doing business with today? Ask ten customers and you’ll find out fast.  And ask employees, too. If people can’t quickly explain the meaning of your icon, it has lost its communication value and it’s time for a revamp.
• Colors: Are the colors of your logo outdated? Colors change in popularity and yesterday’s colors may be giving your logo an old-fashioned look. If so, select fresh, contemporary logo colors and a new palette of secondary colors to be applied consistently to future marketing campaigns.
• Typeface: Does the typeface that spells out your company’s name still reflect your style and market positioning? If you’ve changed your marketing strategy to position your company in a new way, a new logo font may be in order. Serif fonts imply tradition and strength; sans serif fonts are friendlier, more modern, and less formal.
• Tagline: Does the marketing tagline that accompanies your logo still convey your most important marketing message? Taglines typically have a shorter lifespan than logos. Review your tagline to be sure it states in a clear, concise, and memorable way the most important factor that differentiates your company from competitors.
• Standards: Are your branding standards up to date and in the right hands? You may have a new marketing agency or marketing staff that’s never seen your standards and may be using your logo incorrectly in marketing campaigns.  Review your standards, update them where needed, and share them with your entire marketing communications team.
• Formats: If your branding standards were written years ago, they probably don’t include style guidelines for web branding or deploying your brand on social media like Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. If you’re using these marketing channels, develop guidelines for the proper use of your logo and brand identity on the web and mobile devices.