If you found this blog post, you’re probably in need of a branding solution. But maybe you’re not sure what you really need - a brand refresh, a rebrand, or a new brand altogether.

So what’s the difference between the three? And which one would work best for you and your organization?

I’ll explain the difference for you here, and help you figure out which solution is best for you based on what stage you’re at with your company. I’ll also tell you why, no matter what solution you choose, you should be looking for more than just a logo design, and help you identify what should be included in a branding package from a creative digital agency.

First, let’s define some branding terms

Branding
Branding is the strategy used to develop a meaning and identity that becomes the image or perception consumers associate with a company or organization, or a specific service or product.

Brand Guidelines
Brand guidelines are the ideology and framework an organization and its employees follow to stay consistent and true to the brand across all verbal, written, and visual communications. These guidelines allow organizations to solidify and grow their brand.

Logo
A logo is a symbol or design that an organization creates and uses to identify itself and its products. The logo is at the forefront of all branding.

Logo System
A logo system is essentially a graphics framework that gives companies or brands the flexibility to make adjustments to its logo for different situations, like holidays or events, while staying true to the overall brand and symbol.

TYPES OF LOGOS:
Wordmark logos use letters and words to identify and represent the brand. For example, Google and Etsy use wordmark logos.

Lettermark logos use initials - either a monogram or an anagram - to represent the brand. ESPN and NASA use lettermark logos.

Brandmark logos use a graphic, often abstract, to showcase a feature of the product or service a business offers. Brands that use this kind of logo include Target, Nike, and Apple.

Combination logos merge elements of a wordmark logo and a brandmark logo by using both text and graphics. Well-known examples include Adidas, Amazon, and Spotify.

Which branding solution meets your needs?

Now that you have a better understanding of what the branding terms mean, we can take a closer look at the different kinds of branding solutions and identify which one would work best for your company. 

Read the different company descriptions below to see which one you relate to the most. That will help determine what you need for your business.

---

If your company has been around for a while

Maybe your logo was created when you were first starting out and your company hadn’t yet become what it is today. Your branding followed the trends of the time when you started, but it hasn’t grown to be timeless.

That being said, your logo has recognition. It’s on packaging, displays, and merchandise. Doing a complete rehaul on your brand would be a disservice to the equity you’ve built with your customers and community, but you know you need to adapt your image to fit more modern times.

Does this sound like you?

You need a BRAND REFRESH

This solution means you don’t have to start from square one and lose all of the recognition your brand has acquired over the years. A brand refresh allows you to get a fresh update for your main logo, and add a logo system to your repository for different use cases like on social media, websites, advertising, and more. 

A brand refresh can also help you either develop brand guidelines for the first time, or revamp your existing guidelines. A refresh can expand upon guidelines so they cover all of the bases like colors, fonts, logo system use cases, stationery, and tone of voice.

If you’re working with a creative agency on a brand refresh, make sure these deliverables are included in the branding package:

• Discovery meeting: An introductory meeting to ensure everyone is on the same page with the brand refresh, creative ideas, and ultimate project goals 
• Brand strategy and positioning document: A document that outlines what you’re offering and identifies your target market/audience, personas, core values, mission, brand pillars, and core promise 
• Updates to your current logo: Updates to your logo to help make it more timeless or fit better with modern trends, without sacrificing brand recognition
• Logo system: A collection of different logotypes around your primary logo for various use case scenarios
• Brand guidelines: Guidelines on colors, fonts, logo use cases, web recommendations, print vs. digital recommendations, tone of voice, and more that you can follow as part of your brand strategy
• Brand asset folder: An easy-to-access folder with everything your brand needs including flat, transparent, and vector files for your complete logo system - both in color and black and white

---

If your company has been around, but your business has changed

Maybe your company has been around for a long time, or maybe it’s still relatively new. Either way, you feel like your business has changed quite a bit from your initial offering, mission, values, or even your target market. 

When your business started, you had a vision. Your branding represents that vision, but it no longer serves the business. Your brand has momentum, but you can’t help but feel like your branding and assets are holding you back.

Does this sound like you?

You need a REBRAND

It’s time to go back to the drawing board and treat your business like it’s brand new in the way of finding and defining your brand identity. You need to discover and cement your core values, tone of voice, target market, services and capabilities, and how you serve your customers and community. 

A rebrand may include new naming recommendations, tag lines, colors, fonts, and more. This solution helps you keep up with the industry, which is important to stay relevant.

If you’re working with a creative agency on a rebrand, make sure these deliverables are included in your branding package:

• Discovery meeting: An introductory meeting to ensure everyone is on the same page with the rebrand, creative ideas, and ultimate project goals 
• Brand strategy and positioning document: A document that outlines what you’re offering and identifies your target market/audience, personas, core values, mission, brand pillars, and core promise 
• Primary logo development: A rejuvenated logo to better fit and represent your rebrand and core values
• Logo system: A collection of different logotypes around your primary logo for various use case scenarios
• Brand guidelines: Guidelines on colors, fonts, logo use cases, web recommendations, print vs. digital recommendations, tone of voice, and more that you can follow as part of your brand strategy
• Brand asset folder: An easy-to-access folder with everything your brand needs including flat, transparent and vector files for your complete logo system - both in color and black and white

---

If you’ve just launched a new initiative

Congratulations! What an exciting time to bring your passions to the world. 

Whether you started a new company altogether, or added a new division or line to your existing business, you know branding is your first impression - and it needs to count. Maybe you have a company name already and have some ideas, but need suggestions. You may have started your own research, or maybe you haven’t done any kind of discovery yet. 

Does this sound like you?

You need a NEW BRAND

In a new brand strategy process, you will develop your brand’s identity and strategy through discovery, research and brand positioning. It’s important to solidify your target market, offering, value, mission, and personas before creating the visual representation of your brand.

Each step in this process is just as important as the last to create a brand that will outlast modern trends and stay relevant for an extended period of time. 

Once the upfront discovery work is completed, that’s when the conception of the visual brand begins. That includes creating the primary logo, and the logo system that will go along with it. You’ll also develop brand guidelines that will help make sure your brand is being implemented correctly by everyone on your team.

If you’re working with a creative agency on a new brand, make sure these deliverables are included in your branding package:

• Discovery meeting: An introductory meeting to ensure everyone is on the same page with the new brand, creative ideas, and ultimate project goals 
• Brand strategy and positioning document: A document that outlines what you’re offering and identifies your target market/audience, personas, core values, mission, brand pillars, and core promise 
• Naming consideration & research: The research that will support all decisions made on your brand and logo
• Primary logo development: A design or symbol that will represent your company and brand
• Logo system: A collection of different logotypes that will be developed around your primary logo for every use case scenario 
• Brand guidelines: Guidelines on colors, fonts, logo use cases, web recommendations, print vs. digital recommendations, tone of voice, and more that you can follow as part of your brand strategy
• Brand asset folder: An easy-to-access folder with everything your brand needs including flat, transparent and vector files for your complete logo system - both in color and black and white

---

The bottom line

Whether you are just getting started with your business or still working with a logo that was created in the Y2K era, every branding project should be approached as a way to dig up problems and address challenges. Each project will require discovery and research to develop solutions and strategies that will help create a lasting brand presence that services the company's core values and audience.

If you take one thing from this post, remember there is a huge difference between creating a logo and building a brand. Paying for just a logo design is like running a marathon without any conditioning beforehand. You may finish the race, but not in your best time - and you most definitely will be hurting or pay for it later on. The best thing you can do for yourself and your bottom line is to prepare for your marathon by investing in a complete branding project - whether it’s a refresh, rebrand, or new brand.

Are you ready to get the ball rolling with a branding project?

Contact Cypress North to see how our creative experts can help take your brand to the next level.