Have you ever looked at something you absolutely loved a while back and think to yourself, “What was I thinking?”. I have. That is just one reason why a company may want to update their brand. Design aesthetics change with the times and the way people view and interact with brands do as well. With the growth of social platforms, less words, more compelling graphics, and a simpler approach are more effective because you have less time to grab the viewers’ attention. Check out famous brand updates such as Apple Computer, Mastercard and FedEx. They have adjusted to be more current through the years.
A periodic and objective review is important to ensure first and foremost that your logo and brand are doing its job. Does it accurately represent your company? Is your brand effective in reaching your target market? Do YOU still like it? When reviewing, don’t just look at the logo but also your color palette, fonts, and other brand elements you use to represent your company, service, or product. Some brands stand the test of time better than others. Coca-Cola is a great example of a company that has reviewed its logo over the last 132 years. Originally created in 1886, they have effectively maintained a swoosh accent of the letter C evolving and refreshing the look throughout the years. Check out the evolution.
Our own brand has evolved. I thought our previous logo was awesome at the time, but now not so much! With an Italian background, it made sense to incorporate flowers since Fiore means flower in Italian. In 2006 script fonts were very popular so integrating these elements worked nicely. The color palette was muted and fitting with the time as well. As a whole the logo worked. It offered an icon with strong type while the flower pattern could be used as a design element. Starting as a one-woman company, with the core business being print design, this logo represented Fiore Design at that time. But our business has grown beyond print and digital to environmental graphics. Our clients are still communications and marketing managers but also architects, building and project managers. We have grown from myself to a team of designers and account managers. So, what worked in 2006 was no longer the right direction and we needed to take another look and become our own client.
Coming to the decision to make the change was not easy. We worked internally on the logo and I reviewed many options. We looked at subtle and more aggressive changes. The goal was to represent our business now. We simplified the logo by dropping the script letter f, making it easily readable on many digital applications and in various sizes. As a company that has been around for over 10 years, removing the script f revealed the base design and perfectly portrays the stability of the company. The dark blue remains as our flagship brand color symbolizing strength and trust, two values that are at the foundation of how we do business. Expanding our color palette was integral to expanding our appeal to a broader clientele. The introduction of an engaging, energetic, and modern palette and the creation of a custom pattern all work together to add depth and interest and accelerate our broader appeal. After several reviews, we had everything we needed to re-launch our own brand.
Our new brand is easy to use and has been rolled out successfully. As we grow our client base, I feel more confident that our logo represents Fiore Design today while maintaining some historical elements. It portrays the effective design solutions we offer to our clients every day.
If you’re questioning your brand and think you may need a refresh, we’d love to be a part of your brand evolution story.
Karen Fiore, Owner and Creative Director