Reinvigorating a brand while leveraging the goodwill attached to a longstanding logo.
And that is exactly what the Les Schwab brand in Oregon did - it used it’s history to enlighten the path for the present and the future.
How does one understand the difference between a brand refresh and a logo refresh? When you do an audit of your marketing strategy and it’s shouts out that your product is out of sync with your audience - then you probably need a brand refresh. You need to attack the complete package. You need to figure out how to regroup your company’s assets and visually, cohesively come into sync with your target market. That’s what your brand needs.
Within that strategy, a discussion about the primary identifying mark - the company’s logo, must take place. In the case of Les Schwab, the decision to keep the logo was made. BUT the brand needed a new look and feel to match the evolving audience and the goals of today’s company objectives. Time to move forward.
As the customer experienced the company collateral, there was inconsistencies and confusion. This of course dilutes the brand’s power and therefore less competitive. A strategic refresh would unify the company brand of today, and match the world and its current players of tomorrow.
EXISTING LOGO
BRAND REFRESHED LOGO
To re-energize the Les Schwab Tires brand, the design studio went back to the company’s roots. Inspired by America’s 1950s service stations and the bold graphic language, they developed a new brand identity that celebrated today utilizing the inspiration of the past.
This brand refresh wasn’t just a cosmetic update; it was a strategic alignment of the company’s visual identity with its unwavering promise of exceptional service. It proves that even the most established brands can be re-energized by looking to their heritage to find their future. The new brand feels cohesive.
The logo was not changed but the ‘branding’ was. Les Schwab used a studio called - one23west out of Vancouver, BC., with illustrations by - Pedro Oyarbide. Unfortunately I do not know who designed the original logo.
So how do you RE-brand? - that seems to be the real question.
You need to start (as always) identifying your target audience. Have they changed? What does their personal profile look like today.
Find out what the company’s updated goals and objectives are, what is their story, today? This can be discussed with further analysis of - has the industry changed? what competition exists today? how has the company evolved and therefore, has their product positioning shifted?
If in this case the proviso seems to have been that the colors and logo are to be retained, then you must respect that - unless you have researched with logic provided to the client, why their existing elements do not work.
VARIOUS COLLATERAL REBRANDED ELEMENTS
Realign the branded content. Once again this does not specifically refer to the logo, it refers to the shifting of strategies. And this then refers back to an audit of the existing components the company has across all it’s output - electronic, social, printed, promotional etc.
Do you think you need a reset? Do you think your company or product recognition is stuck? Is it possible to that your competition has changed? Are there new markets you should be aware of or ‘your toes into the water’?
Find an experienced professional to review your existing situation and then have a serious conversation. You may need a new logo but may be it’s really the repositioning of your branding …. find out!
— the brand auditor —