Fresh

Face it: being “behind the times” is the last thing anyone wants. And yet so many brands can fall victim to neglect. This is especially true online, where trends come and go faster than you can say “2.0″and new technology is emerging every day.

Every aspect of a brand needs a little TLC here and there to keep it feeling fresh. Even huge brands with tons of equity in their logo will update it now and then. Expect to devote resources for maintaining your brand! Don’t send it out alone and without the support and love it deserves.

Logos are the Primary Touch Point of Every Brand

A successful logo should have lasting power. It should communicate the goals and values of a company or organization. This isn’t always the case, though. Sometimes goals and values change, sometimes mergers happen, and sometimes color schemes become iconic of an era you’d rather forget. Don’t get me wrong either, you can convey the ideas of history and trust and not feel dated.

A logo change does not need to be ground-breaking to be successful. Don’t feel like you have to re-design it completely. Many times, brands will make subtle changes to their logos as the years pass. Take the Firefox icon for example:

Old Firefox icon at left and redesigned version at right (image via Brand New). You can read the creative brief for the redesign here. Basically, they were looking to modernize some of the textures and the shape of the tail and play down the level of detail.

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Now here’s an initiative that lends some heart and soul to the (oftentimes) silly seriousness of branding. Enter Save Your Logo. The basic gist is that the initiative “creates an opportunity for companies represented by a plant or animal in their logo to contribute to the conservation of that species.”

Wow – what a great idea that we can all get behind. As a matter of fact, Lacoste has already committed to conservation efforts related to crocodiles.

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