Is your brand getting old? Is there value in holding onto the old logo or does it need to be freshened up? When is it time to ditch your old logo and rebrand? Maybe you are thinking of even going further and renaming your brand with a completely new name.

What is the difference between a brand and a logo? A brand is a name we use to define a business entity, a product or a service. A logo is a representation of your brand to the customer, and it becomes so familiar to them that they recognize the brand with just a quick glance at the logo. For instance, I know the giant "G” on an orange lightning bolt is Gatorade. A white wave on a red background is Coca-Cola. Those logos are so familiar, just a description brings the brand to mind.

Sometimes there are good reasons to modify the look of your logo, especially if marketing factors have changed. It could be that your target market has changed and your logo no longer reflects their taste. It could be that your company has changed and you need to inform the public about it (think of a merger or acquisition). It also could be that you are promoting something new and want to reach out to a specific demographic group. Before you go all-in on rebranding, evaluate the value of your current brand first. Do the consumers in your target market know your brand name? If not, you may want to consider a new brand and come up with a new name altogether. However, if they know your name, but are not responding to your logo, it is time to rebrand to catch their attention.

To demonstrate what I am talking about, let’s look at some of the most famous brands and the logos that have been used to represent them over time. See how each of them has changed and the reason behind the rebrand or new brand.

Adidas

Take a look at these Adidas logos over the years. Their founder, Adolph (Adi) Dassler, started the shoe company with his brother, Rudolf. After a few years, the brothers split up and Adi changed the name of his brand from Dassler Shoes to Adidas (a shortened version of his name Adi-Das). Notice that each logo has kept the three stripes from the original logo and the same font until 2022 when the reductionist logo kept the "Adidas Mountain” without the name of the brand. As you can see, they freshened up each logo for a new generation without getting rid of the most identifiable graphic.

IBM

Sometimes a new brand is what is needed, especially as the technology around a brand changes. At its founding, International Time Recording Co. shortened its name to ITR, which was reflected in its logo. Later, the brand was changed to Computing Scale Co. and then to Computer Tabulating Recording Co. The brand was then changed to International Business Machines before being shortened to IBM. For all of these new brands, what is very unique about the IBM logo is that it has changed very little since it became a three-letter brand in 1946. During that time, it became so iconic that people would refer to the color of the logo as the nickname, "Big Blue” to indicate the brand.

KFC and FedEx

Another good reason to rebrand reflects the way your target market refers to you. We tend to shorten brand names the more familiar we are with them. Much like the acronym, IBM, both Kentucky Fried Chicken and Federal Express rebranded to embrace the vernacular of their target market. This not only allowed them to refresh their look for a modern customer, but it also helped them become more memorable. How so? Anytime you can shorten a brand name and consumers remember it, do so. People have a better chance of remembering shorter names. But we also create shortened versions or nicknames of people who are closest to us. The same can be said of brands.

AT&T

Finally, let’s look at another reason to change your logo. Sometimes there are grounds for making a break from your past. In 1984, AT&T was broken up after being found to have a monopoly on the telephone industry. The company originally known as American Telephone and Telegraph had long used the image of a bell on their logo – to the point that many people referred to the company as "Ma Bell.” However, after the company was forced to split into seven companies, the bell on the logo needed to go away. The graphic globe was used to replace it.

If you are considering changing your logo, ponder what your brand means to your customers. Is the logo representing you well? If not, it is time for a change. If the brand is not being recognized in the marketplace, it may be time to come up with a new brand. If you simply need a new look, examine what aspects of your current logo are most appealing to customers. Keep those elements in your new style.