Revolution vs Evolution

When to go big and when to stay closer to home? A question that I’ve seen pop up on LinkedIn in relation to the new Graze branding, which Jamie Lang himself said was based around the motto of “evolution, not revolution.”

We often see a rebrand or brand refresh get a lot of coverage on socials, with lots of opinions and voices jumping in to share their views and opinions, meaning that what the brand has done has been noticed. BUT the question we ask when working with our clients on any brand or website project is…do you need a brand revolution or evolution?

For us, it all starts with a Discovery Session that gets all the key stakeholders in the same space, and we ask a few questions to help us work out how hard to push:

• What do you like about your brand? Colours, fonts, logos, tone of voice, imagery?
• When did you last rebrand?
• Who is your audience? Has it changed?
• Who are your competitors? What do you like about them and what they are doing?
• Do you feel your current branding represents who you are right now?
• Do you feel it represents who you see yourself being over the next 5 years?

Ultimately, if you have a brand that represents you now and your plans for the future then don’t reinvent the wheel. Your customers won’t recognise you, you risk your values being questioned, the quality of your product or service – don’t do it! If this is you, think about an evolution:

“Brand Evolution retains what makes you you but refines, updates, breathes new life into you. We will look at your colours, logos, fonts, imagery, tone of voice and we look for opportunities to enhance what you already have.” – The GeoBrand Definition

However, if you have been through a transition, new owners, new leadership, repositioned your service or product, are doing something new then please, please make a statement, shout about it! Be bold, be proud and be sure that how you look matches what you do, who you are and who you are speaking to. It is time for a revolution:

“Brand Revolution respects who you were but acknowledges your growth, and embraces your change. We work with you to understand what you like, what you have been captured by, competitors, horizontals, anything that got you excited and together, we find brand gold.” – The GeoBrand Definition

Revolution. Evolution. Pros and cons to doing both, and at GeoBrand, we are privileged to be part of the journey with so many brands over the years, it’s what is at our core, how we started and will always be what runs through our veins.

Personally, I love it. All of it, the evolutions, the revolutions, the positive and the negative. I love seeing the conversations around them, it is the stuff that gets me excited and, once again, reminds me why I’m here, doing what I’m doing, I just love being part of the process, the conversations and seeing it all come together!

We run workshops as a stand alone service, they are a great way to bring the team together and align your vision for the brand and the business. They can be tailored to be sure you get what you need out of them but if you’re looking for an idea for your next Senior Leadership or Team meeting then check out our Brand Workshops. What’s even better is that we have some pretty cool venue options too, yes we have our GeoBrand offices or we can come to you but why not consider Stationers Hall or our GeoBarge, which means a cruise along the Thames too.