When Do You Need A New Logo?
Whether you hired a professional to design your logo or you designed it yourself using Microsoft Paint, there comes a time when you may need to reevaluate your logo. Perhaps your company mission has changed and you are going in a different direction. Or, maybe your logo used to appear on print ads and is now primarily on the web, and it didn’t adapt well to the change. How do you know when it’s time to let go? The truth is if you hire a professional from the beginning and give them a clear idea of your business, plans for the future, and target audience, you should be provided with a timeless, memorable and attractive logo. But how do you know if you have a great logo? Here are a few ways to recognize if your logo needs a facelift.
Your logo uses obviously outdated styles.
(drop shadows, gradients, 3d effects)
Part of having a timeless logo is staying away from trends. Drop shadows and other 3D effects don’t translate well in vector format, and will definitely make your logo (and your company) appear dated.
You did the logo yourself.
Assuming you aren’t a professional graphic designer, you shouldn’t take it in your own hands to design your own logo. Let a professional do the job, and you can always give your input on an idea you have. Be sure to listen if a professional (or multiple professionals) tells you an idea you have for a logo clashes with how you want others to see your company.
Your logo is complex.
The more complex your design is, the harder it is to translate across all platforms. For instance, you won’t be able to see many details when it’s in a smaller format, such as a business card or on a mobile device. If it’s necessary for your logo to stay complex, you should at least consider a simplified version of the logo for these smaller formats.
Your logo doesn’t stand out amongst your competitors.
It could be that you had little competition when your business started and your logo was designed, or perhaps your competition has upped their game. It’s important that you stand out from your competitors, but that your logo still embodies what your brand is.
All you have are raster files.
Logos should always be in vector format, meaning they can be infinitely scaled without losing clarity. Screen printing and embroidery companies always use vector files, and if you can’t provide one, you may either be turned down or charged a fee for their own artist to convert your logo into a vector format. If the quality isn’t very good, the conversion to vector will not be sharp either. So it’s possible that maybe you had a good logo, designed by a professional, several years ago. But how do you know when it’s time to redesign?
Your logo doesn’t adapt well to the screen.
Maybe your logo looks great on signs and print, which is primarily where you used to display it. But within the past 10 years you’ve moved most of your business online and your logo hasn’t translated well. Since so many people now use their mobile devices to access the web, maybe your logo doesn't translate well on a small screen. Or, it's even possible your colors did not convert well from CMYK (printing colors) to RGB (screen colors).
You may need a new logo, or you may only need some small adjustments. You can even have two versions, if necessary, as long as they are easily recognizable as your brand an fall within your company’s identity branding scheme.
Your business has changed.
If your business has changed drastically since your logo design, be sure to ask yourself if your logo still embodies the message and brand of your current company. While hiring a professional at the start can prevent a lot of these circumstances, sometimes a redesign is unavoidable, and often welcomed by your audience if done correctly. If you are still unsure if your logo needs a redesign, send it to me and receive a free evaluation of your logo, as well as a quote for a new or improved version!
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