Is it time to change the company’s image by rebranding and creating a new key visual?

We look with admiration at brands that exist and have thrived for decades. They were, and they will probably be because they constantly change and adapt to the situation. Maybe they just know when to change the image and rebrand the company?

Are there times when a greater or lesser modification of the corporate image is inevitable? According to Patryk Sowa, Digital Graphic Designer at 25wat, it is possible to indicate at least a few such situations in which it is a good — and sometimes the only possible — decision.

What is rebranding and key visual?

Rebranding is a change of the current brand image, but consists not only modifying visual identification but also a more significant internal transformation of the brand, externalized by changes at the graphic level.

If the company decides to transform elements such as key visual, logo, logotype, naming, for modern customers, it is often a sign that it is evolving, that something is changing in it. The symbol of this evolution is a new image.

Key visual(definition) is a graphic theme of the brand, which consists of, for example, typography, color (colors), layout, photos, icons, illustrations. What does it do? It distinguishes the company from the competition and helps the customer identify the brand (which is why it appears on all advertising materials, employee uniforms, company cars). Key visual should be unique, distinctive, consistent, convey the brand’s values, ​​and evoke appropriate emotions in specific recipients.Key visual is part of a rebranding.

An example of a new key visual for Gazomet — 25wat project

When is it worth rebranding and changing key visual?

Refreshing a corporate graphic theme or simply modernizing it does not mean that the organization has undergone a comprehensive rebranding. Of course, nothing stands in the way of changing the key visual to one that is more suited to the brand value or more expressive than the market competition. After all, it’s also a way to reach your customers and be remembered by them. (Read 5 graphic designer’s tips on creating a key visual, to check if your key visual has been designed following good design practices).

Changing the image along with the change in the direction of the company’s activity is a more complex process than simple graphics retouching.

When is logo and company rebranding needed? Here are the most common situations:

• Obsolete appearance and the way of communicating with the client. Out-of-date lines, colors, fonts, archaic design, and communication not suited to customers’ aesthetic and technological expectations require changes for the company to continue its operations.

  The communication design differs significantly from what the competition offers. For example, the logo and the entire corporate identity of the company were created in the 1980s. They did not match the new aesthetic sensitivity of modern customers, nor do they work in social media. As a result, the company is not very attractive to customers. Its appearance and actions also evoke erroneous associations about the condition and strategy of the company in potential employees.

  The new key visual needs to be taken care of, especially when the company decides to undertake digital activities and its current graphic theme is not adapted to it or was not designed for online communication.
  (If the change is only about modernizing the logo, then refreshing the key visual is enough.) 

• Changing your marketing strategy.If a company is undergoing evolution or a revolution (redefining sales, strongly modifying the offer, digitizing services, changing the customer profile, etc.), the way to strengthen the message about transformation is a new brand visualization. The new-look shows what is happening in the company and shows customers the direction of changes. 
• Badly captured company personality. The original branding of the brand has been incorrectly prepared, and the company does not reach the customers it would like to reach with its offer. The visual image of the brand is misread. This can harm your sales and image goals. To prevent this from happening, the brand must be re-created. 
• Image crisis or communication crisis. In case of embarrassment and loss of trust in the company, there is a need for great changes if it wants to stay on the market. Changing the layout and strategy is a way to cut yourself off from negative associations. 
• Acquisitions, mergers, partnerships. These are situations in which a new business entity is created, or the market tycoon absorbs a smaller company. In this case, the smaller takes over the image of the larger. 

If the company needs a quick refreshing of its image, it is enough to renew the key visual. However, suppose the changes concern sales strategy, communication with the client, communication within the organization, and finally a visual change of the image and a strategic metamorphosis. In that case, it is worth carrying out rebranding.

Rebranding and new key visual — examples 

How does it look in practice? How do brands change their image? Here are some interesting examples of altered visual identities:

OLX. This is the second rebranding in the history of the platform. The first was in 2014, when the advertising site changed its name from tablica.pl to OLX. The second approach was less groundbreaking. The graphic design of the site and the brand logo have been refreshed. The new key visual has gained much more modern style. The graphic designers removed bright colors, thanks to which the brand was not perceived as aimed at a younger audience anymore. The design team focused on shades of graphite and blue. Now the brand is perceived as more mature. Refreshed branding emphasizes the philosophy behind the new identification. It is supposed to suggest the possibility of a wise choice. This can be seen in the logo, where the middle “L” seems to separate “O” and “X” from each other, which can be explained as followed: the user has a wide choice and can select offers.

Xiaomi. The changes in this case are very delicate. They may even be imperceptible to some people. The main modification is basing the brand’s signet on a shape that is something between a circle and a square. The typography and colors of the brand were also modified. The designers wanted to make the brand more dynamic and lively while not breaking associations with the previous project. The refreshing of the logo aroused a lot of emotions. On the one hand, there were voices that the change was too small and unnecessary; on the other hand, it was a natural evolution of the sign.

Examples of rebranding carried out by 25wat:
GazometIt is a company that designs and creates solutions for the gas industry. The rebranding we’ve proposed focused on transferring the professionalism and know-how of the company. We obtained the desired effect by implementing real technical drawings and minimalist layouts of company materials. (The implementation works on the new website are nearing completion).

Rebranding of the Gazomet company’s logo carried out by 25wat

Student Depot. This is a private network of dormitories. The aim of the rebranding was to create an energetic and lively key visual aimed at young people. In this project, we put great emphasis on the choice of colors. They are more saturated and bold, and each color corresponds to the specific city in which the residence hall is located.

Does your company also need rebranding? Yes, if any of the situations above occurs. Or maybe there are other reasons? At creative agency
we know that every business has its history, so we will help you decide if it’s time to change your image. Just ask us about it.