Rebrand your studio or start from scratch?

In most cases an architecture studio's brand only needs a redesign, because after a few years it already has people who recognise it, and what it needs is to be put in order: redrawing the logo, defining a palette and typefaces and building a system. Starting from scratch makes sense when you've changed your name, your field or your audience, or when your brand simply doesn't represent you anymore.

One of the questions I get asked most when I start working with a studio is whether to touch up the brand they already have or throw it all away and start again. The answer is almost never to start from scratch, because a brand that's been around for a few years already has something very valuable: people who recognise it.

Why is starting from scratch rarely the answer?

Most of the time, the brand has fallen behind the studio.

They started with a logo a friend made or that they put together themselves, the studio grew, the projects and clients changed, and the brand stayed the same. What's needed then is to tidy up rather than erase, because if you throw everything away you lose exactly what people already associate with you.

It's the same as when an old industrial building is converted, like the Alpargatas factory in Buenos Aires or the former Renault factories, where what has value is kept and the new is added with care.

What does a brand redesign include?

A redesign starts from what you already have and puts it in order so it works everywhere, from the stamp on a drawing to your website. It usually includes three things:

• Redrawing the logo, keeping what people already recognise, so it reads well small on Instagram or on a stamp and large on a site hoarding.
• Defining a palette and two typefaces at most, always used the same way.
• Building a system with simple rules, like what goes on each type of piece, so you don't have to think about it every time you put together a post or a presentation.

The best part is that the people who already know you still recognise you, while your brand starts to live up to what the studio does today.

When does a new brand make sense?

Starting from scratch makes sense when something fundamental has changed: you changed your name, you partnered with someone and the studio became something else, you changed fields or you want to reach an audience very different from the one you have. Also when your current brand simply doesn't represent you and you'd rather not show it, because then there's no recognition to protect.

In those cases a new identity starts with research (who you are, how you work, who you want to reach) and only then moves on to concept and design, just like when you take on a building project.

What if you also want a new website?

Brand first and website second, because if you launch the website before you have your identity, you'll have to redesign it later and end up paying twice.

If you want to see how I approach a redesign or a new brand, I explain the process on the visual identity page, and if you're not sure yet what you need, a 1:1 consulting session is exactly for that.

So, do you feel your brand has fallen behind your studio?

This article first appeared, in a shorter version and in Spanish, in Planta Libre N°03.

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