Branding for Established Businesses
Branding for Established Businesses
A practical guide to updating your brand
Get clear on what your business needs to say.
We'll work through your business, customers, and competition, then turn what we learn into a practical strategy and messaging guide you can use across your website and marketing.
I work with established businesses that have changed what they sell, who they serve, or the kind of work they want to be known for. Whether you sell a product or provide a service, the starting point is the same. Look at what customers come to you for today and what they need to understand before they choose you.
A good update should make things easier for your team, too. The next time someone writes a proposal, they have a clear way to explain what you offer. When they put together a presentation, they have a design they can build on.
Where you start depends on what’s getting in the way.
Four places to start
01.
Make your offer easier to understand
People still know you for what you used to sell. If the design still fits, we can keep it and find a clearer way to explain what you offer now.
02.
Update a look you’ve outgrown
People understand what you do, but the logo, colors, or type still feel like the business you started with. We can keep the words that work and update how the business looks.
03.
Get the words right before redesigning
If both need work, we start by getting clear on why customers choose you. That helps us decide what the design should emphasize and which work to put in front of people.
04.
Put the design you have to better use
Your logo and colors still work, but everyone puts proposals together differently. We can use what you already have to create a layout your team can use again.
When the words and the design need to work together
For Wonder Grounds, I worked on how the business explains what it offers and designed a visual identity to match. See how those decisions came together in the finished work.
Q:
“Our look still feels like the business we started with.”
A:
Your logo, colors, and type made sense when you were getting off the ground. Now you’re taking on more involved work, and the overall look feels out of step. We’ll keep the wording that already explains your business well and develop a look that fits the work you do today.
Q:
“The words and the design both need work.”
A:
Say you’ve moved from one-off assignments to larger projects. We’ll first work out how to explain what those projects involve and why clients hire you for them. Then we’ll use those decisions to guide the design, including which work to feature and how to present it.
Is now the right time to update our branding?
If something feels dated, you can take your time. An update becomes more useful when there’s a specific change coming up or a problem you keep running into.
01.
You’re about to introduce a new product or service.
People need to understand what’s new and how it fits with what they already know you for.
02.
You’re going after a different kind of customer.
The examples and materials you use today may still speak to the customers you started with.
03.
You’re about to redo a website, brochure, or sales deck.
It’s a good time to settle what it needs to say before paying to design it.
04.
Customers keep getting the same thing wrong.
If inquiries still come in for work you’ve moved away from, start with the places people get that impression.
Use what’s coming up to decide what needs attention first. The rest can wait until there’s a reason to change it.
How to tell if a recommendation makes sense
Before you spend money on an update, ask what it will help customers understand or do. A good recommendation should be easy to explain in those terms.
Say someone recommends a new logo. Ask what the current one is getting wrong. If customers recognize it but still think you only offer the service you started with, clearer wording may be the better place to spend your money.
You should come away knowing why the change matters and what you can keep using.
Three questions to ask before you say yes
What are customers misunderstanding today?
Ask for a specific example, like inquiries for a service you no longer offer.
Why would this change help?
If someone recommends a new logo, ask what it would do to clear up that misunderstanding.
How will we know it helped?
Agree on what you’d expect to see afterward, such as fewer inquiries for the old service.
Let’s figure out what needs updating
Tell me what’s changed in your business and where things feel off. If there’s a website, logo, or proposal you’d like me to see, we can look at it together. I’ll share what I’d tackle first and why.
Not sure you need a full strategy project?
The First Impression Review is a smaller place to start. I'll look at how your business comes across today and help you identify what may need attention.