Encyclopedia Rebrandia: The preparation

II.a – Pre-rebranding decisions to make

Before embarking on a rebrand, a brand must be tasked with making some key decisions. These decisions will shape the course of the rebranding process, and provide key advantages to the journey ahead. They include:

• How to choose the best agency to partner with for a rebrand?
• How much will a rebrand cost and how should it be budgeted?
• How to best manage the change internally, bringing everyone on board across the business before launch?
• How to put brand governance processes in place to ensure the hard work is implemented properly?

A solution like Frontify can alleviate and support a brand’s execution of all of the above considerations, and make the rebranding experience as seamless as possible.

• Cost & budget: When considering a rebrand strategy and budget, a brand must make sure all costs – including agency, toolkits, design and tools, and software – are accounted for. Considering a brand guidelines platform that will host the new brand identity, promote brand governance, and increase awareness of the brand internally and externally, will save money and in the long term.
• Change management: Change can be a difficult thing to enact and adopt. By getting a headstart with digital brand guidelines that will host all of the new assets, brand identity, templates and more, a company can introduce not just its new brand design, but the new way in which the brand design is used. Having an easily accessible platform that allows teams to engage with the new brand and understand it allows a brand to tackle a lot of the confusion and frustration that can come with a rebrand project head-on.
• Brand governance: More often than not, brand governance falls to the creative, brand and marketing teams. However, true brand governance should be the role of every stakeholder in the company. This is more important than ever during a rebranding journey. With a tool like Frontify, brands can empower every member of every team with the knowledge and tools to be brand guardians. Having one centralized space where the new identity lives and breathes can give the whole company reassurance that they are making as much of an impact in brand governance as brand and design teams are.

See also: Dump your PDF guidelines

II.b – Partnering with the right agency

Selecting the best possible partner agency is a critical step in any rebranding process. The strategists and creatives at a design agency serve as strategic allies, bringing expertise, fresh perspectives, and specialized skills that can significantly impact the success of the rebranding effort. They can enhance and elevate a brand’s rebranding vision, providing insights and a fresh perspective that isn’t immediately apparent. Their experience can be invaluable in avoiding common pitfalls and capitalizing on opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked.

A partner agency can help to deliver much-needed tech updates during a rebranding, particularly in leveraging Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems and brand-building platforms like Frontify. This expertise can hugely streamline the rebranding process from start to finish, giving the new brand identity a home and a seamless rollout experience for stakeholders and external partners.

The right agency becomes an extension of the internal team, aligning with organizational goals and driving the rebranding process toward measurable, impactful results. The time and care taken in choosing the right partner will always pay off throughout the rebranding process and beyond, setting the stage for a successful brand evolution and long-term market positioning. See also: Reflections on rebranding with Borussia Dortmund

II.c – How rebranding has changed

Rebranding has undergone a significant transformation in the past ten years, adapting to the rapidly changing digital landscape and evolving consumer expectations.

One of the most notable shifts has been the adoption of a digital-first approach. While traditional media still plays a role, a brand embarking upon a rebranding journey must now account for how it appears and functions across various digital platforms. In conjunction with this, there’s now a heavy emphasis on responsive design in order to account for the variety of screens and devices on which the new brand identity will appear. Flexible logos, scalable design elements, and even adaptive copy can be developed, widening a brand’s visual language to ensure the new brand identity is versatile yet recognizable.

The emphasis on brand purpose and values has also become more important over the years. Increasingly, brand consumers (especially younger generations) want to align with brands that reflect their values and ideals. As a result, rebranding projects often require considerable time, thought, and resources to solidify and articulate their brand mission and values.

This shift goes beyond mere visual changes, requiring brands to demonstrate an authentic commitment to their stated purposes through actions and communications.