“We trust you. You’re the experts.” This is something we hear a LOT. Clients come to us because they want to disrupt their market(s), and we love when they’re excited to break free from the mold of conventional branding!
The beginning of the rebranding process can feel overwhelming. We ask you for a lot of information right off the bat about your company, your goals and your preferences. This preparation helps guide our conversation and gives us direction to begin brainstorming new names or logo concepts.
We’re always grateful for the trust you place in us. While we’ll guide the journey, your input is essential to ensure we start strong and arrive at a brand that’s boldly disruptive and authentically yours. Your feedback keeps the process focused and ensures the final result reflects your business while resonating with the customers you want to reach.
So, what does helpful feedback look like, at any point during the rebranding process? We’re glad you asked!
When you sign your proposal, you’ll be given a project of your own: the creative brief. This survey is where we learn about you and your business, and it serves as the jumping-off point for your project! You’ll tell our team about your current brand (or lack thereof), your services and your hopes for the future. Whether you’re renaming or starting with a new logo, you’ll give us the information we need to ensure a productive and successful kickoff call.
There’s a particularly important part of the creative brief that we don’t want you to overlook. We ask you to take a look through our naming and logo portfolios and choose your favorites! We understand you’re looking for something truly unique—something unlike anything we’ve done before. And while we often hear, “I don’t want to steer you; you’ll come up with what’s right for us,” the truth is, even the best ideas need a starting point. That’s where your input comes in.
Look at it this way—we’re looking for the treasure that is going to be your rebrand. Once we get started, we’ll be your trusted guide! But we need you to hand us the map in order to get there.
Renaming your company can be scary. You’re moving away from something people already know, possibly with a longstanding history, and starting from scratch. And while it’s definitely worth it to give up a name that’s not serving you well, it can be daunting to find a new one you feel exemplifies your company, values and everything you’ve built.
And that’s where we come in! However, there are so many different ways we can go with a name. A scroll through our naming portfolio reveals a wide range of styles—from serious and buttoned-up to playful puns and even inventive, made-up words. Choosing your favorites from our portfolio is an essential step. It gives us clear direction and ensures your kickoff call is productive and tailored to your vision. Take a moment to note what draws you to each favorite—tone, meaning, creativity or attitude. That context gives our copywriting team a clear starting point for brainstorming names.
We also ask you if you’ve been brainstorming on your own and if you have any ideas you’ve been actively considering. Often, clients don’t want to share the names they’ve already been throwing around because they “don’t want to influence” our team. We promise we’ll still put in our best brainstorming for you! But if you’ve been thinking about some and may already be leaning toward a specific direction, that’s important for us to know! We don’t want to present you with five well-researched names, only to learn on your presentation call that you’ve thought of a similar one and decided against it.
Specific feedback is important through every step of the naming process, including after your options have been presented. If you’re not sure about the potential for one of the names, tell us why! We won’t be offended, we just want to make sure that our vision for your brand is coming through clearly, and that we’re aligned in our goals. Simply saying “I don’t like them” or “None of them stand out,” doesn’t give us a place to begin the conversation. Plus, being specific in your feedback will help us have more productive conversations and share resources that can help you. For example—not seeing “the one” in your logo concepts? We’ll explain why this is not unusual, and why you don’t need to start from scratch!
We’re all on the same team! Specific feedback for your name helps us find the best foundation for your new brand.
Many clients begin their rebrand with the logo process, and the creative brief is just as important here as it is for naming projects. By sharing your favorite selections from our logo & branding portfolio, you give us the insight we need to design an identity that will capture your vision and, most importantly, will resonate with your customers. From our five general logo categories—1) Fun/Playful Mascot, 2) Fun/Playful Icon, 3) Nostalgic, 4) Balanced, and 5) Serious—we’d love to know which style grabs your attention or feels right for the future of your brand. And don’t worry if you’re unsure—we’ll guide you with our expertise every step of the way. The more creative freedom we have, the stronger and more impactful the results.
Some clients are afraid to pick their favorites because they don’t want those specific logos. We get it! But everything we design is going to be with you and your team in mind. Giving us direction ensures we get started on the right foot, which will also hopefully cut down on future revisions as we move through the process.
Detailed feedback is also important once you’ve seen your logo concepts. It’s an exciting call, and a lot to consider, but once you’ve had time to weigh your options, we want to know your thoughts! However, it’s not helpful to simply express dislike without new direction or specifics. Saying “This isn’t what I want” or “This doesn’t pop” does not help our team learn what you want, and it’s going to slow down the process. Concise, specific feedback helps our team keep the process moving smoothly.
We know this process can feel overwhelming, but you can trust that you’re in the best of hands. Our team has built over 3,000 brands over the past 30 years, and we’re so excited to bring that same expertise to your business. Once we have your input and the kickoff call to align on objectives and ensure we’re all on the same page, we’re ready to steer the ship and create something memorable, disruptive and built to stand the test of time.
Disruptive might feel outside your comfort zone—and that’s OK! You came to us because you want something bold. If your feedback leans toward something safe or “blanded,” we’ll guide you back to a direction that’s truly branded. Keep an open mind, and trust that we’ll take you exactly where you want to go.
Are you ready to jumpstart your rebranding conversation? Contact us online or call us directly at 908.835.9000 today!
Meghan Coates