What is brand refinement?

The agenda of a brand refinement is to be continuously assessing a company’s identity and branding activity over time. This might result in simplifying your logo, updating your colour palette or updating your website. Brands should be seen as fluid rather than static, and responding to trends or acknowledging that part of your brand isn’t working effectively is really important to make sure that you stay relevant to your customers. The advantage of a ‘refinement’ is that you generally don’t lose any of the equity you have built up in your brand.

Last year we were approached by White’s of Old Cantley to refine their brand. White’s are an experienced farming family of five generations with an established brand, but recently they have expanded their product range with a variety of flavoured rapeseed oils, lip balms and massage oils. We added a range of colours to their palette to reflect the new products and also refined their logo to make it more flexible to use across a broader range of applications. 

What is a rebrand?

When rebranding, nothing should be off the table. This should be a broad review of your brand, and you may decide your company name needs to change, you need a completely new logo and typography. This should usually be done to reflect a significant change in the business, if you are offering a completely different product or service, attempting to target an untapped market, or if your business has changed ownership. If you don’t think your brand is working effectively at all, or you have developed a bad reputation, rebranding is also a good way to start afresh with your customer base.

Recently we created a new brand for Ancala Water Services following the acquisition of Kelda Water Services Defence by an independent infrastructure investment business named Ancala. With the new ownership came a new name, a new set of company values and a new approach. We developed a new brand to reflect these notable changes in the business and rolled out the new identity across their range of sites and vehicles.

Should I rebrand or refine?

There is often a fine line between rebranding and refining, because every company is unique in its’ own way. However, your branding needs generally should reflect the needs of your business and changes you are undertaking. If your company has a strong reputation, you are making a small change to the nature of your business or marketing strategy, or you simply feel that your current brand has become slightly outdated, you should consider refining your branding by making small, considered changes. If you feel as though your brand is being perceived negatively or you are making wholesale changes to your business it may be more beneficial to rebrand completely.

If you’re not sure, at Moirae we understand that every business is different, so we get to know your company in detail and can advise if refining or rebranding is the best approach to suit your needs.