Does it really matter if your logo is out of date? You and your “logo committee” designed it ten years ago, and the company is doing quite well. Why change it? 

Five reasons to upgrade your logo:

1. It looks dated. Employees say it looks old, or “flat”, or busy. Customers confuse you with your competitors. Colors are too bright or too dull.
2. It represents the company you used to be, or reflects your old primary market before it migrated to China. It does not position you for the business you are trying to attract, or the markets that are the future of your business.
3. It’s complicated. That logo committee of ten years ago managed to include -- in the size of a postage stamp -- your technology, your markets, your customers, and the universe. Lettering is small and dense. It hurts the eye.
4. There’s possible infringement of a competitors brand.
5. It’s just time for a change.

How to upgrade your logo:

1. Do it in phases. Phase one is the redesign. Phase two is the application of the new logo to such things as business cards, stationery, signage, and your web site. Once you have the new logo, put it everywhere.
2. Hire three designers and ask for three-four designs from each. Not every designer will have a feeling for your company. Some will be too trendy, some too conservative. It’s more expensive this way at the front end of the process, but it will save you revisions on the back end. Above all, don’t turn this into an employee contest. Employees may be good at what they do and loyal to your company, but they shouldn’t be entrusted with your market image. Leave that to a professional.
3. Keep your decision committee small. Four people at most. Be sure one of them is a close advisor from outside your company, from your primary market. No lawyers.
4. Set a deadline for making a decision. Think of the decision process as an upside-down-pyramid. Once you narrow your options from ten to six, don’t go back. Now go from six to three, then to the final design. When you hit your deadline, make a decision.
5. Pull together examples of all the places you use your current logo (take photos of signage and delivery vehicles). Turn these over to the designer with the winning logo, and contract him/her to apply the new logo to each of these examples. Set another deadline for your committee, and make a decision on each example by that time.
6. Implement the new logo on a reasonable schedule. You’ll have some inventory of stationery with your existing logo, but at some point you’ll have to bite the bullet and throw away a few boxes of it. Allow 2-3 months for full implementation.
7. Protect your new logo. Now you can involve your lawyer – in applying for a registered trademark. Create a standards binder for all possible uses of your logo and distribute it to your key managers. Hold everyone responsible for supporting your new image in the marketplace.