Not every business starting a logo project is starting from nothing. Plenty already have a logo, sometimes one that’s served them well for years, and are looking for a redesign rather than a fresh start. This is a genuinely different project to designing a brand new logo, and it’s worth understanding how the process differs before getting started.
Redesign Versus Rebrand: Knowing the Difference
A full rebrand usually means starting over almost entirely, a new logo, sometimes a new name, a new colour palette and visual language, built to support a significant shift in the business itself. A redesign is more modest, refining, modernising or cleaning up an existing logo while keeping its core recognisable elements intact.
Most businesses looking to refresh their branding are better served by a redesign than a full rebrand, since a redesign protects the recognition and trust already built up around the existing logo, rather than discarding it and starting from zero.
Signs a Redesign Is the Right Call
If your current logo is generally well liked and recognised but feels visually dated, if the typography or colour palette feels out of step with current design standards, or if the logo simply hasn’t kept up with how your business has grown, a redesign is usually the more sensible option over a full rebrand. It lets you modernise without losing years of accumulated brand recognition.
What a Redesign Process Typically Involves
A good redesign starts with understanding what’s actually working in your current logo and what isn’t, rather than assuming everything needs to change. A designer will typically look at your existing mark, your industry, how the logo performs across different formats, and identify specifically what needs refining: perhaps the typography feels dated, the colours don’t translate well to digital use, or the mark doesn’t scale down cleanly to a small icon.
From there, the process looks similar to a fresh logo project, initial concepts, feedback, revisions, final files, but anchored around evolving the existing mark rather than starting with a blank page.
Deciding What to Keep and What to Change
The hardest part of a genuine redesign is deciding which elements of the existing logo are worth protecting and which aren’t. A distinctive shape or symbol that customers already recognise is often worth keeping, even if it gets refined or simplified. Outdated typography, poor colour choices, or a design that doesn’t work well digitally are usually the elements most worth changing.
When a Full Rebrand Makes More Sense Instead
If your business has fundamentally changed direction, merged with another business, or is dealing with a genuinely damaged reputation tied to the existing branding, a full rebrand may serve you better than a redesign. In these cases, protecting the existing logo’s recognition isn’t actually a benefit, since that recognition may be tied to something the business is trying to move away from.
About Business Logo Design Australia
Business Logo Design Australia designs custom logos for businesses across the country, from new startups to established businesses going through a rebrand. Every project starts with a real conversation about your business, followed by original concepts, a set number of revisions, and a complete set of final files ready for web, print, signage and everyday use. Pricing is laid out clearly before you commit to a package, so you always know what’s included.
Related Reading
- How to Compare Logo Design Packages
- Icon Design vs Logo Design | What’s the Difference?
- What Are Graphic Design Services?
Ready to Refresh Your Existing Logo?
Business Logo Design Australia can help you work out whether a careful redesign or a full rebrand makes more sense for your business right now.