Brand Refresh vs. Rebrand: When and How to Update Your Brand

When it was recently announced that Newcastle United would be updating their crest for the season starting in August 2026, I was left with mixed feelings. As a loyal supporter for over two decades, I’ve grown to love the badge and its iconic visual identity.

Newcastle’s badge is currently the oldest in the Premier League, having last been updated in 1988. Manchester United and Liverpool’s badges are nearest in terms of age with their last updates coming in 1998 and 1999 respectively. All the other Premier League teams have updated their badges in the new millennium.

Even with Newcastle’s somewhat tumultuous history over the last three decades, which includes cup final heartaches, Premier League relegations, ownership squabbles, managerial flops - there’s a lot of heritage and pride associated with the current badge. In 2025 Newcastle finally broke the curse and lifted their first domestic trophy in 70 years! An achievement that surely cemented the fans’ love for the badge and everything that it represents.

However, after thinking more about it, it became clear that the current badge was obviously not created with dynamic digital application in mind. The linework on the Lion’s face and some parts of the seahorses are too intricate and unclear. This creates problems when the badge needs to be either scaled up or down. Think of all the places where the badge will appear: TV screens, scoreboards, mobile phones, embroidered on shirts, printed on scarfs, and big outdoor advertisements to name a few.

This got me thinking about brand refreshes and rebrands, and what the appropriate time would be to take action. These two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are two different brand concepts. So, in this article I’ll be covering the difference between a refresh and a rebrand, and also provide a broad overview of when to consider it and how to implement it.

In the case of Newcastle, the club’s official statement confirmed that they plan to “refine and revive” the badge. This puts it in brand refresh territory. I hope that the new design refreshes the outdated elements, but also finds a way to retain key elements from its iconic visual identity. Only time will tell.

What is the difference between a Brand Refresh and a Rebrand?

What is a Brand Refresh?

A brand refresh generally involves minor updates to your existing brand elements. These changes will be significant enough to modernise your visual identity and messaging, but without changing your core identity.

Think of it as changing your brand’s outfit, without changing who it is underneath. You might refresh one or all of the following elements:

• Update your logo with a cleaner, more contemporary design: This could include simplifying complex elements, smoothing outdated edges, or adopting a minimalist style that works better across digital platforms.
• Tweak your typography to improve readability or modernise the style: This might entail switching to fonts that are easier to read on various screens or selecting a style that better reflects your brand personality.
• Refresh your colour palette for more vibrancy or alignment with modern design trends: This involves brightening muted colours or introducing complementary accent colours to better represent your brand across a multitude of digital channels.
• Refine your tagline or messaging to be clearer or more relevant: Update your brand’s key phrases and value propositions to better align with your target audience’s needs and pain points.

The goal of the Brand Refresh is to keep what works, and build on the goodwill of your existing audience, through subtle tweaks that indicate your growth and evolution.

What is a Rebrand?

A rebrand, on the other hand, is a fundamental transformation of your brand’s identity and positioning. This goes beyond aesthetics and reconstructs the very essence of who you are as a business.

Thus, a rebrand is not just changing its outfit, but its entire purpose, personality, and how it connects with the world. A rebrand often often involves:

• Changing your brand name or logo completely: A new name or logo provides the opportunity to signal a new beginning, better communicate your updated business vision, and reach new customers.
• Revising your brand values and mission: Significant growth or shifts in business direction can require a fresh articulation of your commitments and ambitions. For example: Increased emphasis on innovation, sustainability, and employee well-being.
• Renewing your personality and tone of voice: This involves changing the language, tone, and messaging used across all your marketing channels. For example: If your brand is changing from a traditional service provider to a more innovative, tech driven company, your personality and tone should become more approachable, inspiring, and forward-thinking.
• Realigning your positioning to target new markets or sectors: In this instance a rebrand is necessary to communicate your new value proposition effectively. For example: Shifting from a B2C to a B2B space will require presenting your brand in a way that resonates with the needs and pain points of this target audience.
  
  A rebrand is a strategic reset intended to reflect significant changes in your business and redefine how the target audience perceives you. It’s a bold move that can revitalise growth, but requires careful consideration and execution

When to consider a Brand Refresh?

Recognising when your brand needs a refresh can help you stay ahead of the competition whilst preserving the trust you’ve already built. The following scenarios and benefits will guide you in deciding when a refresh is appropriate.

• Outdated visual identity: Your logo, typography, or colour scheme is noticeably out of date compared to evolving competitors or new market entrants. Think of logos that are overly intricate or a dull colour palette that appears washed out on high-resolution screens.
  
  This can be exposed in digital applications (websites, presentations, brochures, and social media) which highlight inconsistencies that make your brand elements appear unclear and unprofessional.

• Market evolution: Your industry landscape has evolved through new technologies, trends or customer expectations which your brand needs to reflect in order to stay competitive.
  
  For example: A software company’s competitors now showcase streamlined SaaS solutions with clean, modern interfaces, whilst their brand still emphasises legacy features and overly-wordy product descriptions.

• Shift in target audience: Your core customer profile has changed due to new service or product offerings, new customer segments or demographics, or evolved buyer priorities. As a result your brand no longer resonates with the people that you are trying to reach.
  
  This type of misalignment can be illustrated by, for example, a financial services firm that once focused on tech-savvy start-ups, but now aims to target established corporations. Their informal tone and playful visual identity suddenly feels misplaced and needs to be tweaked in order to align with the more formal expectations of big corporations.

Benefits of a Brand Refresh

• Retain and enhance existing brand reputation: By implementing only minor updates to your visual brand elements, you preserve your hard-earned recognition and trust whilst demonstrating that your brand is growing in the market.
• Cost-effective improvement: Rather than redesigning every asset from scratch, you can modernise your current brand guidelines. This can entail swapping out old logo files for scalable vectors or tweaking hex codes to brighter shades. Thus, at a fraction of the cost for a brand overhaul you can deliver a fresher, more digital friendly appearance.
• Minimal disruption: Incremental roll-outs such as website first, followed by social media collateral, and then printed collateral will allow stakeholders and customers to adapt gradually.
• Faster time to market: Small-scale adjustments can be approved and launched within weeks rather than months.
  
  

When to consider a Rebrand?

Generally, a rebrand will be required when your business is undergoing a fundamental transformation that cannot be addressed with incremental updates. Here are a few scenarios that demand significant strategic changes in your brand identity.

• Brand reputation crisis: If negative publicity or a corporate scandal has seriously damaged customer trust, a rebrand can create psychological separation from past controversies. By adopting a new visual identity, updated messaging and revised values, you invite the target audience to view your business through a renewed lens.
  
  A relatively recent example is Uber’s rebrand in 2018. This rebrand came quickly after their 2016 rebrand which was widely criticised for being impersonal and confusing. However, the rebrand was just the start of a shaky couple of years for the brand which included reports of internal harassment, safety concerns and leadership controversies.
  
  The 2018 rebrand, which introduced a custom typeface (Uber Move) and a refreshed colour palette (anchored by Safety Blue), was a desperate attempt to signal renewed commitment to rider security and create a sense of connectedness.

• Mergers or acquisitions: When two companies combine their separate brand histories it can create confusion. Crafting a fresh identity can signal unity and ensure that the merged organisation speaks with one voice.
  
  The Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham merger in 2000 illustrates this scenario where neither brand’s legacy fully captured the combined organisation. The newly formed GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) brand signalled to both customers and investors that both companies were now operating under a single, cohesive identity.

• Major change in business vision: When your company’s core offerings, values, or vision undergoes a significant change, a rebrand becomes essential. This can include changing from budget-friendly services to premium solutions, or entering new markets and segments. A new identity will ensure that your brand effectively conveys its updated purpose and resonates with a target audience who expect a different level of expertise.
  
  In 2007, Apple dropped “Computer” from its name to rebrand as “Apple Inc.” The goal of the rebrand was to reflect its expansion from just selling computers to becoming a broader consumer electronics company. The new name and updated logo coincided with the launch of the revolutionary iPhone, which spectacularly signalled their expanded product focus.

Benefits of a Rebrand

• Complete strategic realignment: A rebrand lets you redefine your purpose, values, and positioning in one decisive motion, which ensures that every touchpoint tells a consistent story.

• Shedding negative perceptions: By launching a fresh identity, you can distance your brand from past controversies and outdated associations. This clean slate encourages your target audience to reassess your business based on renewed promises and values.

• Competitive differentiation: A rebrand allows you to carve out a niche in a crowded marketplace. Adopting a bold new name, refreshed messaging and modern visual elements can help your brand stand out against competitors who cling to outdated identities.
  
  

Best practices for conducting a Brand Refresh

Audit existing brand assets

Start by reviewing all digital and print touchpoints where your brand appears. This includes logos, colour specifications, typography rules, presentation decks, social media profiles, website, signage, stationary, and any other marketing materials.

Make a note of any inconsistencies, outdated designs and file formats, or missing elements. This comprehensive audit ensures that you know exactly what the current state of your brand is and will set a good foundation for the next step.

Identify brand elements that needs updating

With your completed brand asset inventory, assess each element against your refresh-vision. The following questions can help guide this step of the process:

• Does the current logo look outdated compared to competitors or modern design trends?
• Does the logo scale cleanly on a variety of digital displays?
• Are the typefaces optimised for readability across digital and print?
• Do the existing colours still accurately reflect the brand personality, and does it convey vibrantly on digital devices?
• Does the key messaging still resonate with current customer expectations?

Flag any assets that look dated and cause usability issues. Prioritise the high-visibility items, such as website and social media-related collateral as these touchpoints will have the biggest impact.

Implement an incremental roll-out strategy

By rolling out your brand refresh in phases it minimises the disruption to both your internal teams (who need to adapt to the new assets) and your target audience (who may otherwise be confused by sudden wholesale changes to your brand)

The roll-out can be broken into the following phases:

• Phase 1: Digital Presence: Update the relevant elements (logo, colours, typography, etc.) in your brand guidelines. Once finalised, roll-out these visual identity updates across your website, social media templates, and email templates. This ensures that the most frequently encountered touchpoints reflect the new look first.
• Phase 2: Core Marketing Collateral: Replace presentation decks, business cards, sales brochures and proposal documents. To simplify the adoption of the refreshed collateral, provide updated templates and guidelines to the relevant teams.
• Phase 3: Secondary Brand Material: Once the core items are live, you can start focusing on the remaining relevant brand elements, such as internal forms and documents, brand merchandise, office signage, etc. Deferring these lower-impact items reduces cost and allows time to adjust in case higher-impact changes need refinement.

Gather feedback and iterate

Remember to establish clear metrics before launching your brand updates. Digitally, this can include reviewing your website’s bounce rate, average time on page, and social media impressions, before and after the refresh.

After each phase, especially on the high-visibility channels, gather feedback from both internal teams and a small sample of partners or customers. If any element is not resonating, address it immediately by clarifying the guidelines or replacing the problematic assets.

Continuous monitoring and iterations will ensure that you capture the full benefits of the refresh.

Best practices for conducting a Rebrand

Conduct comprehensive brand research and competitive analysis

Start the process by gathering both qualitative and quantitative insights to inform your new brand identity. This intensive research process can encompass the following steps:

• Gather stakeholder and customer insights: Conduct interviews with the leadership team, key employees, and top customers for their perspectives on your brand’s strengths and weaknesses.

• Perform a SWOT analysis: Utilise the qualitative interview data in conjunction with an broad environmental analysis (using, for example, the PESTLE framework) to list your brand’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats.

• Map competitor positioning: Review your competitors’ service offerings, pricing tiers, value propositions, target segments, or any other important market differentiators. Plot them on a positioning map to identify overlaps and whitespace (opportunities).

• Evaluate competitors’ visual identities: Review the logos, colour palettes, and typography utilised by your competitors to identify any design trends that you need to either match or differentiate from.

• Synthesise insights: Review the key findings from each step and identify core themes, such as unique strengths, market gaps, and the desired brand identity. Translate these insights into actionable directives for the naming, design, positioning, and messaging of the new brand.

Define the new brand positioning and messaging:

Armed with the research insights, the next goal is to craft a concise positioning statement that defines who you are, your key target market and why your offering is valuable to them. This messaging hierarchy can be constructed as follows:

• Core promise: A one sentence articulation of your brand’s unique value. This can also be referred to as your brand positioning statement.

• Supporting pillars: Three to five key messages that explain how you deliver on that promise.

• Proof points: Evidence, such as data, case studies, testimonials, that validate each pillar.

With these key messaging elements clearly defined, you’re ready to formalise it in a single reference document.

Create comprehensive brand guidelines

Once your positioning, messaging hierarchy, and visual direction are locked down, highlight everything in a clear and user-friendly reference document. Your brand guideline should cover the following elements:

• Logo usage: Sizes, clear space, and acceptable variations.

• Colour palette: Primary, secondary and any other accent or background colours (if applicable) with their HEX/RGB values.

• Typography: Font families, weights and sizes for headings and body text.

• Tone of voice and messaging: Brand personality characteristics, messaging do’s and don’ts, and example copy snippets.

• Imagery style: Photo treatments, illustration guidelines and iconography rules.

The brand guidelines are not limited to these elements and can become more detailed depending on the nature of the respective business and its brand. However, this should provide a good starting point to cover all the essentials and ensure that the new brand identity is applied consistently across its touch-points.

Develop detailed implementation plans

Ideally, you should divide your implementation into an internal and external rollout. This can be conducted sequentially to ensure that internal teams are fully aligned and trained when the external audiences are starting to encounter the new brand.

• Internal rollout: Host a launch workshop to introduce the new visual identity, positioning, and values to the employees. Explain the strategic rationale behind the rebrand, address questions, and show examples of the updated brand collateral (presentation decks, email signatures, etc.)

  Additionally, provide detailed training materials or videos that outline the new visual guidelines and tone of voice. The leadership team should provide further guidance in reinforcing the new identity and ensure that their teams understand how to incorporate the new identity into their daily workflows.

• External rollout: Start by compiling a comprehensive list of every existing brand touchpoint (e.g. website, social media, packaging, advertising, document templates, etc.) and assign timelines for the updating of each one. Group the assets by priority, so that the customer-facing digital channels are updated first, then the physical packaging, and finally the office stationary.

  Coordinate with all involved external parties, such as design firms, printers, or web developers to confirm production schedules and handover meetings. Regularly review proofs to catch errors and inconsistencies early and avoid costly reprints.

  Create a master launch calendar that lists each touchpoint, its responsible owner, and its go-live date. By managing the external rollout with clear milestones, vendor check-ins, and proof reviews, you’ll minimise last-minute surprises and set up a successful launch of the new brand.

• Post-launch support and iteration:  Before your new brand launches, identify all the key metrics (e.g. website traffic trends, social media engagement, and customer sentiment scores) to serve as your initial benchmarks. This baseline will allow you to measure how the updated identity performs against your previous brand and highlight any areas that need attention.
  
  After the launch, continue to check in with both internal teams and a group of trusted customers or partners to understand how the new brand is perceived and performing. If any aspects feel unclear or fail to resonate, tweak the messaging and respective brand element promptly.

By maintaining ongoing communication and reviewing performance data regularly, you’ll ensure that the rebrand gains traction and continues to evolve in response to real-world feedback.

Final Thoughts

Deciding between a brand refresh and a full rebrand requires a deep understanding of your brand’s current position and future aspirations. Both approaches require thoughtful planning and stakeholder alignment to ensure that the refreshed or new brand is launched successfully. Whichever approach you decide to take, the golden rule is to ensure that your brand transformation remains authentic to your core values and resonates with your target audience.