Is now the right time to rebrand?
With branding playing such an integral part in every artist’s career, it is important to know when to refresh your image. Your branding is a huge part of who you are, telling your story to your audience and reinforcing your core values. Branding is not simply a logo, it covers everything from the font you use across your promotional materials to your press images that you share with the media, from your team’s uniforms to the design of your merchandise. Large corporations operate using brand guidelines that define everything down to the size of the small print featured on letters sent to the public, and the minimum size of their logo across promotional materials. While you may not need to be this strict, your branding should still always be reflected continuously across your promotional materials. But how will you know when it’s time for you to move on and rebrand? It is important not to dive into rebranding without considering exactly why your image needs to change, and taking the time to evaluate the reasons why the brand you have isn’t reaching your expectations.
New year new brand
The new year is a fairly common time for rebranding, with individuals and corporations desiring a fresh start at the opening of a new chapter. Any time that something new begins, it is worth considering whether to adapt your branding accordingly. You may be about to begin a new project, or start producing a brand new album. Although in the majority of cases a rebrand isn’t necessary, you should always be revisiting your branding to see if it still represents your current situation, and whether it needs to be developed further. Even without conducting a full rebrand, making a few minor adaptations and giving your logo uplift can signify an exciting new time in your career.
Changing your style
Another time in your career that may signify the need for a complete rebrand is if your style changes. If you take a new path with your music and decide to change genre, this may be an ideal time to rebrand and start afresh. You may even want to rebrand if you change your own personal image, as your brand should always represent you, or else risk confusing your audience. With a brand that fits your image and style of production, your campaigns and releases will have an even bigger impact.
Keeping ahead of the trends
If your brand has stayed the same for a long period of time, it may have started to appear out of date. Trends around fonts and colours are constantly changing throughout the year, it is important to stay ahead of these trends and make sure that your brand is not giving you an out-dated image. Even without the influence of these trends, brands that have been in place for years naturally begin to look more out of date, and an out of date brand will have a negative impact on your image. While this doesn’t necessarily signify the need to completely rebrand, a minor adaptation to your font or colour scheme, or a minor logo adaptation could go a long way in modernizing your image.
Consider your reasons
Although rebranding is an exciting prospect, it is also important to look at the reasons for not rebranding. If your fan base has already grown accustomed to your current branding, a drastic change may damage your reputation and level of influence. If your brand is working in your favour currently, and is easily recognizable, it may be a bad idea to make changes. It is vital to weigh up all of these factors to ensure that rebranding really is the right decision for you. Your branding is such an integral part of your persona that making a rash decision could be hugely detrimental for your career. Take your time and make sure that your decision really is the right one.
The negatives of rebranding
Rebranding is also a costly process if you employ a professional design agency to undergo the task. Every time you rebrand, you will undertake a large number of costs, and may be surprised at just how expensive it can be. After all, when you change your logo you will have to recreate absolutely everything, including your social media imagery, your merchandise, your team’s uniforms. Not only is the process costly, it can also take a great deal of time. Creating a new brand is not an easy process, and there are many stages involved. You will need to work with a design team to develop a brand identity of your choosing, and the agency must be given ample time to complete their process. Creating an identity cannot be rushed, and with such a large amount of money at stake, it is vital to make sure that your new branding is exactly how you want it to be.
There are plenty of aspects involved in the decision to rebrand. Make sure to weigh up each and every pro and con, and be certain that your chosen decision is the right one for you. Even without fully rebranding, there are plenty of minor adaptations that can be made to modernize your brand for the positive. Even a simple change in font can bring your logo up to date and can completely revitalize your image. If you do decide to rebrand, ensure that you enlist the right design agency for the job, and make sure to take the time necessary to work with them. Rebranding is a process that cannot be rushed, so take your time in order to really achieve the best possible result.