Growing up: How I rebranded my business
Guest blog from Jonathan at Alder & Alder
A rebrand isn’t about changing your logo. It’s about changing perceptions. If you can change the way people look at your business, you can create new opportunities. You can open up new markets and reach new customers. You can achieve new goals and new objectives.
“A rebrand isn’t about changing your logo”
This is where Joanne was when she approached us. Her business had grown, and she recognised that her identity was no longer a true reflection of the skills and services she delivered for clients. Joanne wanted a new identity that matched her ambition. Our first step was to understand what this ambition was.
We begin our rebranding projects with a brand definition exercise. The aim is to learn about our client, so we can create an identity that captures the personality of the business. To do this I asked Joanne lots of questions. We began by talking about Joanne’s goals for the business, and how many clients she needed to achieve those goals. Joanne shared her description of an ‘ideal’ client, to help us develop a clear image of the target market the new identity would need to appeal to.
One of the benefits that your brand brings to your business is the ability to differentiate your company from competitors. To understand what makes a client different we need to know two things: What you do and how you do it. What we wanted to establish in our discussion with Joanne wasn’t just the range of services that she provides to clients – the ‘what’ – but the benefit that those services deliver. What is the difference she makes? We also wanted to learn what values Joanne wanted people to associate with her business. It’s these values that describe ‘how’ a company does business.
“One of the benefits that your brand brings to your business is the ability to differentiate your company from competitors”
This stage of the project – the brand definition activity – is vital. The information we gather at this point forms the foundation for everything that follows. This is exactly what happened in our work with Joanne. When we were discussing ‘what’ Joanne does, she said “I give my clients room to grow”. This statement was the insight we were looking for. This was the fuel that we would take into the next stage, the brand design stage, where we would create the identity that would help to differentiate Joanne from her competitors.
We created three different design concepts and sat down with Joanne to present them to her. We always like to meet clients face-to-face to present creative work, especially at this first stage when everything is new and clients often have lots of questions. It’s much easier to explain our proposals and the reasons behind the decisions we’ve made when we’re sitting round the same table. We talked Joanne through each concept and the alternative colour and typeface options, to demonstrate how each element can influence the image that a logo projects.
“The design that Joanne chose captured her role in giving clients ‘room to grow’”
The design that Joanne chose captured her role in giving clients ‘space to grow’. A swirl of colour (reflecting the busy schedule of her clients) is punctuated by a neat white circle, the space that Joanne creates for them, so they can focus on what’s most important in their business. The new logo and colour palette was applied to Joanne’s stationery and website.
We hope the new brand helps Joanne to grow her business, not only by being distinctive and memorable, but also by demonstrating – through her logo – the benefit that she brings to her clients.
If you would like to know more about rebrand your business, you might be interested in the guide we have created, describing 10 practical steps for rebranding. You can download it here: http://bit.ly/2L0uFdl
If you’d like to have a chat in more detail, just drop me an email: jonathan@alderandalder.co.uk. It would be great to hear from you!
Jonathan Alder, Managing Director
Read more about my rebranding journey here
If you’re thinking of using a VA, you can take our quiz to work out what type of support you might need!