Before and After: Redesigning an Existing Brand

Overview

Most branding work is not greenfield — the majority of initiatives are repositioning and redesign of an existing brand. As organizations grow their purpose becomes more lucid, and the creative team faces three crucial questions before touching anything. The governing discipline: evolve deliberately — keep what carries equity, change what no longer serves the brand, and always tie the change to a real business reason. "Change brings opportunity," but only when the rationale is clear.

When to use

• Deciding whether an existing brandmark, packaging system, or name should change at all.
• Choosing between an evolutionary refresh and a revolutionary overhaul.
• Judging how much equity to protect (colors, symbols, letterforms, name recognition).
• Building the business case for a redesign to internal and external stakeholders.
• Considering a rename, a shortening, or a merger-driven identity change.
• Hand off to a fresh-identity skill when there is no existing equity to preserve — this skill is about changing something that already exists.