When should you rebrand? Five questions to answer first

Every so often a founder tells me they need a rebrand. When I ask why, the answers are usually some mix of: sales are slow, the website feels dated, we don't look as big as we are, and honestly, we're bored of the logo.

All real feelings. Not all of them are brand problems. A rebrand feels like progress, which is exactly why it's easy to get wrong. New logo, new colours, a launch post, and three months later the same problems are still there in new clothes.

1. Has the business actually changed?

A new audience, a new product, a merger, a move into new markets, a name that no longer fits what you do. These are good reasons. “We've been looking at it for five years” is a reason to refresh, not rebrand. Your customers have seen it far less than you have.

2. Is it really a positioning problem?

If people don't understand what you do or why you're different, a new logo won't fix it. Start with the words: who it's for, what you do, and why you over the alternatives. Get that sharp and the design finally has something to express.

3. Is it really a consistency problem?

Sometimes the brand is fine but it's applied ten different ways. That looks like a weak brand, but the fix is templates, a one-page guide and fewer hands, which costs far less than starting again. I've written about keeping a brand consistent.

4. Is it really a website problem?

A lot of “we look small” comes down to the website. A sharper site on your existing brand can change how people see you faster than a new identity. Start with these six fixes.

5. Can you afford the rollout?

The logo is the cheap part. Then come the website, social profiles, decks, documents, signage, email signatures, packaging and merchandise. If you can't change them all within a few weeks, you'll spend a year with two brands, which is worse than one tired one.

Rebrand or refresh?

A refresh updates how you look and keeps what people recognise: a tidier logo, modern type, a tighter palette, better templates. A rebrand changes how you're understood: positioning, identity, sometimes the name. Most businesses that think they need the second actually need the first.

If you're weighing it up, book a call and let's talk through what's really driving it. Sometimes the honest answer is that you don't need one yet.