By Anna Stallmann, CEO and Managing Principal
If you’ve ever gone through a rebrand, you know it’s more than a new logo or a fresh color palette. It’s introspective. It’s strategic. Sometimes it’s messy. And right now, we’re in it ourselves.
If you haven’t been through a rebrand, we thought what better time to peel back the onion and show you what this really looks like when it’s done thoughtfully and strategically. Spoiler alert: it’s not a quick or glamorous announcement – it’s a deep, layered process rooted in intention.
Let’s walk you through the 10 steps to take in a rebrand:
Step One: Decide IF You Need a Rebrand – and WHY
Before diving into a rebrand, the first question should be: Is it necessary?
A rebrand isn’t a trend to hop on. It’s a strategic move when your business is evolving and needs its identity to evolve with it.
Some reasons it might be time:
- You’ve shifted your services or products in a major way
- Your values or company persona have grown or changed
- You need to reintroduce yourself to the market after a tough period
- Your current brand no longer resonates with your ideal clients
- Its simply been too long and times have changed
But here’s a reason that you should not rebrand: to generate short-term hype. A rebrand is not a publicity stunt. It’s a long-term investment in clarity and alignment.
Desired outcomes might look like narrowing your target audience, attracting better-fit clients, or selling different services more effectively. Get clear on what you want before making any moves.
Step Two: Conduct a Brand Audit
Once you know why you’re rebranding, it’s time to take inventory. A brand audit looks at where you stand today in relation to your goals.
What to include:
- Market positioning
- Audience perceptions
- Ideal client profiles
- Your differentiators
- Tone of voice
- Visual identity
- Communication channels and content
And more…
It’s a big job, and we don’t recommend doing it alone. Bring in external perspectives — clients, partners, even industry peers. We’re too close to our own work to see it clearly.
Step Three: Sit With It
Now, pause. Seriously.
Take time to live inside your brand with the audit insights. Run your business, interact with clients, and observe what aligns — and what feels out of step.
The best decisions come after reflection, not reaction. Don’t skip this step because it doesn’t feel “productive.” This is the difference between a surface-level refresh and a meaningful transformation.
Step Four: Write the Brand Story — Before Anything Visual
Before picking colors or fonts or playing with names, start here:
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- Who do you serve?
- What do you believe in?
Refine your value propositions, your white space, your key messages. Your brand story drives your name, your logo, your visuals — not the other way around. This is the substance that everything else is built on.
Step Five: Name It (If You Need To)
Sometimes a rebrand requires a new name. Sometimes, the existing name just needs an evolved story behind it.
Once you’ve landed on your name – or decided to keep the current one – circle back to your messaging. Update your tagline, boilerplate, and how you describe your business across channels.
Step Six: Build the Visual Identity
Now for everyone’s favorite part, the creative. But again – strategy leads.
Start with black-and-white logo wireframes. Focus on shape and form before color. Once the structure is right, layer in color that carries meaning and purpose, texture, and other visual elements. Explore secondary colors, accent graphics, typography – all in service of your story.
Step Seven: Audit All the Places Your Brand Lives
This is bigger than your website and a fresh batch of business cards. Your brand shows up everywhere:
- Internal documents
- Email signatures
- Social media templates
- Pitch decks
- Advertising
- Employee onboarding
- Office signage
- Swag
- Internal and external communication tools
Your rebrand needs to touch every single one of these products. It’s how consistency and clarity get baked into your entire operation.
Step Eight: Build a Rollout Timeline
A brand doesn’t change overnight. Build a timeline that phases it in thoughtfully:
- Start with internal alignment and feedback
- Preview the brand with loyal clients and stakeholders
- Announce it to the broader public
- Roll out visual and messaging updates in a planned sequence
The goal is to guide your audience through the transition, and not drop it on them cold.
Step Nine: Educate and Reinforce the Brand Message
Your people, including employees, partners, ambassadors, are your first (and most important) storytellers. They need to know how to talk about your brand clearly and confidently.
That means training, tools, and ongoing reinforcement. Make your brand story repeatable and memorable. When your team becomes fluent in the new brand, it becomes real.
Step Ten: Celebrate It!!
You’ve earned this. A rebrand is not a cosmetic update – it’s a major milestone in your business’s growth and maturity.
Take a moment to honor the work. Share the process. Toast the evolution. And step forward proudly knowing you’ve built a brand that aligns with who you are and where you’re going.
We’re on this journey too.
ASC is evolving, and we’re walking these exact steps ourselves. We’ll be sharing more in the months ahead, but for now, we hope this helps demystify what rebranding actually takes when it’s done with depth, purpose, and pride.
Want help navigating your own rebrand? Let’s talk.
