4 Signs You've Outgrown Your Brand
Within any mission-driven business, one of the most significant (and gratifying) indicators of success is growth.
But as you expand your impact and reach, you may start to feel like you're outgrowing the identity you established at the beginning of your business story. Your brand—the identity that once encapsulated your mission and vision—suddenly feels cramped and restricting.
It's a common threshold that businesses cross, and there's nothing wrong with feeling like your brand needs a little facelift!
After all, change is constant, and I'm a firm believer that your brand should be propelling you forward to where you want to be, while also honoring where you have been.
But even though it's normal to have your brand grow and evolve with your business, how do you know if it's the right time for the investment?
Here are 4 signs you've outgrown your brand and ready for a rebrand:
1. Your Marketing Feels Boring & Disjointed
Does your marketing feel a little inconsistent or maybe just flat-out boring? A brand lacking versatility will leave your marketing falling flat every time.
Clients often come to me with just a logo and a limited color palette, which at one time seemed sufficient enough, but now they're feeling a serious lack of visual interest, brand personality, and cohesiveness.
Without a comprehensive library of brand elements and clear brand guidelines, you're likely seeing inconsistency and a lack of personality creeping through your marketing.
For example, you may be thinking you need a new website or new marketing collateral like brochures or printed guides. But once you start to try and develop those touchpoints, they seem overly repetitive or lackluster visually.
The reason for this is that you're lacking a brand that's cohesive yet versatile enough to implement across multiple marketing touchpoints without feeling stale, repetitive, or disjointed.
2. Your Brand Looks Visually Dated
Remember back in the early 2000s when those glossy beveled logos were all the rage? Or when a certain color scheme seemed "quirky and cool" for all the hip businesses?
Or what about all those hand-written script fonts that were all the rage a few years ago, but now are all over Canva? (No shade to Canva, we just don't want a DIY brand here.)
Nowadays, if your brand visuals are stuck in a past era, you're not playing into nostalgia; it's a red flag.
The shiny and new aesthetic that you once loved at the beginning of your business journey might signal your brand as outdated today. And as a result, your brand might struggle to stand out among other modern competitors.
As your business evolves, your branding needs to evolve too, especially if your goal is to attract newer, younger audiences.
3. You're Making Big Pivots in Your Business
Major biz pivots should come with lots of internal innovation, not just in strategy but also in branding.
If there's a misalignment between the future vision of your business and how your brand presents itself now, it can create a lot of confusion and inconsistency among your target audience.
A big pivot might look like:
A shift in your target audience
Focusing on a different industry niche or specialty
A new business name
A new business model
Re-launching your core offerings
And many other changes! But with all of these shifts comes a need for an even BIGGER shift- your brand.
Rebranding during big business shifts is not so much a makeover as it is a realignment—ensuring every visual aligns seamlessly with your renewed direction and purpose.
4. You Simply Feel Unaligned with Your Brand
The most nuanced sign that you've outgrown your brand is that you simply feel "out of sync" or "unaligned."
I say "nuanced" here because it takes some serious, intentional reflection to know whether those feelings are a true symptom of an unaligned brand.
Maybe you want a brand identity that's not just aesthetically pleasing but also timeless, upholding your core values and reflecting your purpose. Sounds great, who doesn't want that, right?
But if your brand feels more like a draining costume you're putting on, rather than a natural, true reflection that fits like a glove, that's a key sign you're unaligned or out of sync with your visual brand.
When passion fizzles out because your branding doesn't echo your values, trust that intuition. It's a profound indicator that it's time for a rebrand.
Your brand is a living, breathing entity that should evolve as you do.
It should scale with your ambition, pivot with your innovation, and stay relevant with the times.
If these signs resonate, it may be the time to consider a rebrand!
Remember, with a trusted design partner and an expert strategy, rebranding is not just corrective—it's transformative.
My holistic and collaborative branding process is designed for mission-driven businesses who want to create a timeless visual brand that conveys your story, shines a light on who you are, and meaningfully connects with your community.
If you’re feeling a tug, it may be time… I’d love to chat more about how we can reach your branding and marketing goals!
