The corporate design is the figurehead of a company. It is an important part of the corporate identity and also directly influences corporate communication, for example marketing. When founding a company, those responsible therefore invest a lot of time and money in the alignment and design of their very individual design. It should reflect the company’s values, be appealing and at the same time so unique that it will be remembered.
A good corporate design ensures a uniform appearance of the company and is particularly important for visual communication. Corporate values and strengths are reflected in the corporate design. On the one hand, the corporate design of companies includes the company logo. But the design of websites, advertising material, e-mails, presentations or trade fair stands also contribute to the visual public image.
After entering the market, most founders use their corporate design over a long period of time. Once the brand has established itself, very few people give a thought to the fact that not only the company’s orientation but also the environment will change. What was considered fresh and modern ten years ago can quickly leave a different impression today. This applies on the one hand to long-standing regular customers, but especially to potential new customers. The decision as to whether the corporate design should be refreshed or relaunched is therefore not so easy.
When is a refresh for the corporate design worthwhile?
In our age of digitalization, trends and fads come and go like ebb and flow. As a company, it is not easy to meet the spirit of the times, because that is exactly what a refresh of the corporate design is aimed at. A refresh serves to adapt to current tastes, design trends and the target group. Because this may also have changed over the years. As far as design trends are concerned, playfully squiggly design forms were still the order of the day until a few years ago. This was followed by a period of stark colors and color differences. In the meantime, the trend is moving towards clean and clearly structured designs.
Anyone considering a refresh for their corporate design is therefore faced with a challenge. It is difficult to predict which trend will prove to be a flash in the pan and which will prevail and can make the difference between success and failure. Basically, a refresh should fit the brand on the one hand, but the target group on the other. Anyone who jumps on a trend with neon colors as a building contractor with a family tradition seems implausible and may weaken trust in the company. Accordingly, a refresh should always be carried out carefully and never lose sight of one’s own company values. Even an adjustment in the choice of colors and also the slight revision of the logo design from, for example, very hard to softer shapes and lines can have a positive effect on the outside world.
When does a relaunch of the corporate design make sense?
A complete relaunch of the corporate design is a bigger undertaking than a mere refresh. Therefore, the decision for a relaunch should be carefully considered. A relaunch is a good idea if a design adjustment would not achieve the desired effect. For example, corporate values are changing because the new management now focuses on ecology and sustainability, which was not the case before. Or maybe there has been a change of ownership and the new boss wants to make the change visible in the corporate design. A scandal with which the company has made negative headlines would also be particularly sensitive. All these examples are good reasons for a complete relaunch of the corporate design.
The challenge of the relaunch is not to offend long-standing customers who also associate services and values with the brand and corporate design and at the same time to win over new customers. A complete new start with a completely new corporate design can only succeed if marketing and campaigns as well as press and public relations work mesh perfectly. If new values such as ecology and sustainability are to be conveyed with the new corporate design, the new design can only establish itself if the marketing is geared accordingly and the company naturally acts accordingly.
Result
The following rule of thumb can be helpful when deciding whether a refresh or a relaunch of the corporate design makes sense: External changes result in a refresh, internal changes can make a relaunch useful. So if the company’s environment changes in terms of design trends and general zeitgeist, a design adjustment should be made through a refresh. A relaunch, on the other hand, is recommended if the corporate values, the philosophy and possibly also the decision-making powers in the company change.