Steps for Rebranding Your Agency

Rebranding your agency can be daunting. But with careful planning and exploration, you can create the brand that best represents you and your business.

1. Set Expectations Early

Client work pays the bills, so it usually takes priority. Because of that, the number one thing I see is agency owners taking shortcuts on their own branding to get to the final result as quickly as possible.

My advice would be to treat your branding like a client project. Schedule it in the workflow, give it its own job number, and track the time you spend on the project. This way, it will hold the same weight as all your work for your clients. When new work comes in, the rebrand won’t be pushed to the side, which frequently happens the second any new business comes through the door.

2. Build a Plan

Build a deliverables list that you can tailor to your launch plan, potentially adding detail in other areas post-launch. Think about the outputs you need to launch with and work from there. Knowing what you need to get out of the process will help drive your focus as you build your brand.

Understanding your unique selling point (USP) will set you apart from others; it’s something to hang your hat on and build the brand around. It is good to take note of your competition, but try not to create mood boards based solely on their work. It’s the main reason design trends occur; it becomes an echo chamber of the same ideas and creative techniques. It is best to look outward, away from your sector, linking concepts and themes to your USP.

Then, ask your clients and staff how they perceive the current brand and positioning. Ask about the logo, and whether it represents the business and its values. Ask them what they expect from a new logo, what colours they associate with the agency, and, most importantly, what they think your agency truly represents. This can be an informal/formal chat, or for larger agencies, a Typeform survey or something similar.

3. Make A Name For Yourself

Now that you’ve done a deep-dive analysis of your current position, values and USP, it is time to look at your name. Does it represent your vision for the company? Is it unique? Is it easily communicated? If your answer was ‘no’ to any of those questions, it might be worth renaming your agency.

Word association exercises can help bring connections to themes and highlight other conceptual areas to explore. It’s worth seeing if your name could be created from a well-known phrase. Try out www.phrases.org.uk and see if that sparks any ideas.

Every intriguing name has a story behind it; it sparks curiosity and invites questions. But remember, the name is only the start of the tale. Don’t overthink it too much; even if your product thrives online, your business has a real-world presence. You’re more than just a web address.

4. The Foundations

Once you’re happy with your company name (whether you have a shiny new one, or are happy with your existing one), it’s time to create the brand around it. There are some consistent things that every brand needs:

• Logo(s)
• Colour Palette (start with RGB)
• Brand Fonts
• Graphic Devices / Patterns / Brand Ornaments
• Presentation / Pitch / Proposal / Proposal Templates
• Social Media Templates
• Email Signature

Compelling logos are simple, scalable and flexible. Is your logo legible when blown-up to fit on a billboard or shrunk to fit in a profile picture on your social channels? Does your logo work in black & white? Can your logo be used with a tagline? If you delete the name, will it still work as a brand mark? All these points are worth considering.

5. Briefing

This brief will serve as the foundation for your rebranding project. It should be comprehensive enough to guide the creative team, while leaving room for creativity and innovation. It’s essential to engage with the team throughout the process to ensure the Rebrand meets your agency’s needs and goals. You’ll need to collate all of your research, positioning and audience details into a document that can be easily shared with your creative team.

If you have an idea of how you’d like to sound through your verbal communication, you should reference that as well. At this point in the brief, it’s best to give more detail than not. You don’t want assumptions about tone of voice, or where your agency sits within the marketplace.

Next up are your references. My top tip would be to only include what I call ‘scrapbook’ references; crops of a font you like; bits of colour-referencing; or some cropped logo features. Essentially, you want to build a mood board that gives an aesthetic direction. But don’t pack it full of logos and the work of other companies. This will lead to regurgitating other ideas and concepts that worked well for others, but not necessarily for you.

The next step is to draw up a list of deliverables you would like from the project. This list can be edited down the line, but it’s great to capture anything specific you need. For example, if you use a particular platform for your marketing or require bespoke printed stationery.

It’s always good to allocate a budget. Set a minimum and maximum amount (knowing that there will always be room for movement with scope and timeframes.)

6. Collaboration is Key

Any good external creative studio or freelancer should heavily involve you throughout the creative process. They should ensure that you have a two-way communication, which makes you feel engaged along the way. There shouldn’t be any shocks in ‘big reveals’ or presentations, as the creative concept(s) should represent your company strategically and creatively. Remember, your brand will probably be the first interaction between you and your clients.

Every studio or creative will follow a similar process. There will be nuances along the way, but the best piece I can offer is to trust in their process. They will get to the right solution. It may require some further detail or amendments, but if you see your role as a guide rather than a dictator, the project will benefit massively.

7. Resonate with Potential Clients

The whole process should be empathetic towards your target clients; what level of brands do they usually consume and what are their expectations? As long as you’re able to plan the project effectively and clearly communicate the goals and aspirations of your agency, then you will end up with a Brand that represents the values and principles that you adorn.