Brand Identity Refresh

Overview

A comprehensive brand identity refresh for a national retail chain, modernizing their 15-year-old visual system to appeal to younger demographics while maintaining recognition among existing customers. The project spanned 200+ locations and required careful balance between innovation and brand equity.

The Brief

Our national retail brand needed to modernize its visual identity to appeal to a younger demographic while maintaining recognition among existing customers. The brand had remained largely unchanged for 15 years and felt dated in an increasingly competitive market.

The challenge was to refresh the identity system without alienating the loyal customer base, ensuring consistency across 200+ retail locations and all digital touchpoints.

My Role

• Leading the visual identity development from concept to completion
• Creating the refreshed logo system and brand guidelines
• Designing applications across print, digital, and environmental touchpoints
• Collaborating with stakeholders across retail, marketing, and digital teams
• Managing the rollout timeline and ensuring brand consistency

Deliverables

• Refreshed logo and identity system with updated colour palette and typography
• Comprehensive 120-page brand guidelines document
• In-store signage templates and environmental graphics system
• Digital asset library including web graphics, social templates, and email signatures
• Packaging design system for 50+ product lines
• Marketing collateral templates for ongoing campaign use

Constraints

• 8-week timeline from concept to final brand guidelines delivery
• Must maintain core brand colours for recognition (allowable adjustments only)
• Budget limitations requiring phased rollout across locations
• Existing signage contracts requiring compatibility with current mounting systems
• Print production lead times necessitating early artwork lock-off

Process

We began with extensive stakeholder workshops and customer research to understand brand perceptions across demographics. Competitive analysis revealed opportunities to differentiate while staying true to core values.

Multiple logo concepts were refined through iterative feedback sessions with senior leadership and customer focus groups. The chosen direction balanced modern typography with familiar brand elements, ensuring evolutionary rather than revolutionary change.

The new system was tested across all major touchpoints before rollout, with particular attention to consistency between physical retail environments and digital channels.

Outcome

The refreshed brand identity launched on schedule across all channels. Post-launch research showed 89% brand recognition maintained among existing customers, with a 32% increase in social media engagement within first 3 months.

The project demonstrated that strategic brand evolution can modernize perception while maintaining equity built over years. The new system has been in market for over a year and continues to perform well across all customer segments.