How do you know when it’s time for a change and what should you do about it?
We’ve had meetings with two potential clients in the last few weeks who aren’t happy with their logo but aren’t sure what to change, what to keep and when to do it. Believe it or not, this is a good problem to have because it usually means a business has grown, evolved and outgrown its old identity and a logo refresh could be a really good choice.
Most businesses start out with a logo that was created quickly, cheaply or without much thought about the future. Very often lots of our clients, created their logo themselves. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, and they often do a really good job. They also usually have a definite timeline, too.
The thing is, businesses change. You refine your offering, your clients change, your values become clearer, your confidence grows, and suddenly that logo that felt fine a few years ago starts to feel like wearing a jumper that’s three sizes too small. You can get away with it, but it’s not comfortable, and people can tell!!
So what holds people back from just changing the logo and taking the leap?
A big one is the fear that if you change your logo, you’ll lose recognition, confuse your existing clients or somehow throw away years of brand equity you’ve worked hard to build.
And of course, it’s a valid concern. But here’s the truth: most of the time, people are far less attached to your logo than you are.
What people recognise is you. Your name, your reputation, your quality of work, the relationship they have with you. Your logo is the visual wrapper around all of that, and wrappers can be updated without changing what’s inside.
The key is in how you manage the change.
So How Do You Know If You Actually Need a Change?
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Does your logo reflect the quality of work you produce? If your work has moved upmarket but your logo still looks budget, there’s a mismatch. Clients make assumptions about your level of service based on how professional your branding looks, and those assumptions happen in seconds.
Does it still represent what you actually do? Businesses pivot, specialise and evolve. If your business name or logo was chosen for a version of your business that no longer exists, it’s worth asking whether it’s still serving you.
Do you feel proud to share it? This is the simplest test of all. When you’re handing out a business card, sharing your website or putting your logo on a document, do you feel confident? Or do you quietly cringe a little and hope nobody notices?
Has it aged badly? Design trends move fast. Certain fonts, colour palettes and styles date very obviously. If your logo screams a specific decade, especially pre-2010; it may be time.
If you answered yes to any of those, it’s probably time to think about updating your logo.
But, how do you update your logo?
Changing your logo doesn’t have to mean starting from scratch. There’s actually a whole spectrum of options depending on how much has changed and what you want to achieve.
Option 1 – A Subtle RefreshThis is the gentlest option and often the most sensible one. You keep the essence of your existing logo; the overall shape, the colour palette, the general feel, but you modernise it. Cleaner lines, a more contemporary font, slightly updated colours. The result feels familiar to existing clients but looks sharper and more current to new ones.
Option 2 – An Evolution A step further than a refresh. You’re keeping some recognisable elements, maybe the icon, maybe a colour, but you’re reworking the overall feel more significantly. The logo still has a thread of continuity with what came before, but it’s clearly been thoughtfully updated to reflect where the business is now.
Option 3 – A Full Rebrand Sometimes a business has changed so fundamentally that a complete rebrand is the right answer. New name, new logo, new colour palette, new everything. This is the most significant undertaking and, when it’s done well, it’s transformative. It signals a real new chapter and gives everyone; clients, team, the world!
We are big fans of evolving your logo in small, manageable steps, and it is something we have done ourselves.
Click here to see our own brand evolution, it might give you some ideas and help you visualise how your own logo could be developed.
If your logo no longer feels like you, trust that feeling. It’s usually right but don’t make any rash decisions.
When someone comes to us and says “I don’t think my logo is working anymore”, the first thing we do is listen. We want to understand the business, where it’s been, where it’s going, who the clients are and what the brand needs to do for them. We never just jump straight into design. We only ever recommend what we think you need. It’s a big decision to make any changes to your logo, and you need to feel assured and confident in what you are doing.
If you’d like to have a chat about your logo, whether that’s a subtle tweak, an evolution or a full refresh, we’d love to hear from you. No obligation, no hard sell. Just a conversation.
PLUS, as part of our birthday celebrations, we are offering 20% off our brand refresh packages for our newsletter subscribers.
Our brand refresh includes:
✅ Updated brand colours and typography
✅ Icon tweaks and layout adjustments
✅ Logo variations for all assets
✅ Logo vector files in all variations
✅ Brand guidelines document
This offer is available until 30th April 2026 and is limited to the first 5 brand refresh projects, so please don’t wait too long!
If you’re logo needs some TLC, get in touch to find out more.
