Every brand identity project has a unique outcome and story, and each one deserves the attention it takes to reimagine the new brand.

We’ve previously discussed which questions to ask before hiring an agency to design your logo and how projects work from start to finish.

But one question needs more attention: How long does it take to redesign a brand?

Well, we have some answers for you. We’ll discuss the common pitfalls that can blow up timelines and how to avoid them.

Two factors affecting brand redesign schedules

Rebrands usually involve many opinions and even more tough decisions, both on the creative and business sides. A solid plan must be in place to ensure everyone can be proud of the final outcome.

However, two things can affect the trajectory of a company’s brand refresh.

Scope and complexity
Company rebrands can be as simple as updating a logo and color palette, which can take roughly four to six weeks to complete.

However, more complex projects usually have longer timelines. They often involve redesigning the logo, defining—and designing—a style guide, and creating the look and feel of each of the brand’s assets.

As a result, these projects can take upwards of a year or longer to finish because they involve multiple decision-makers, departments, and creative revisions.

Client Engagement
Streamlined feedback during a company rebrand keeps everyone focused on the project. The best way to keep things moving is to have one person in the company who collects and organizes feedback.

This person, often the owner, if it’s a smaller business, or the marketing manager or director for larger organizations, communicates with the agency’s account manager or creative lead. Then, the information gets disseminated to the rest of the creative team.

But when there’s a deviation from this, such as someone within the company side-stepping the point of contact to deliver their direct input or failing to respond entirely, this impacts the rebrand’s timeline—sometimes by a few days or weeks.

Making rebranding projects run smoothly

It goes without saying that brand redesigns have many moving parts. But remember these two things to avoid frustration with the project’s progression.

Transparency is your best friend
Who likes to be kept in the dark during a project? No one. Before embarking on a company’s brand identity design project, the creative lead at an agency meets with you to discuss your target relaunch date and goals so they can develop a schedule that meets realistic deadlines.

Throughout the process, they’ll communicate openly about the redesign’s status and address any questions or concerns before they become problems.

Embrace flexibility and compromise
Because life happens, there are times when you need some wiggle room in the schedule. For instance, if the company’s review process is supposed to take a week according to the agreed-upon schedule but actually takes three, the overall timeline for the redesign gets moved out.

Pushing the schedule out when there’s a delay helps retain the high-quality standards the client and the creative team want to maintain.

Rebranding case study: Colquitt County School District

Sometimes, it takes an entire community to redesign a brand, which was the case for the Colquitt County School District in South Georgia.

KEYLAY rebranded it and its multiple elementary, middle, and high schools over 18 months. For this branding project, over 100 administrators, staff, teachers, and parents provided feedback through one point of contact.

What was their issue with the previous brand?
Different fonts. Inconsistent colors. Unofficial or nonexistent logos, depending on the school. The district wanted the new brand to be cohesive and updated to reflect educational excellence, their industrial past, and the local community.

So, what was our solution?
We brought in an illustrator to create new logos for all of the elementary schools and modernized the district’s beloved mascot: the Packer Hog.

Our team also redesigned the district’s crest and devised new brand standards to unite all the schools within the district.

We also worked through multiple iterations of the color palette and created a set of brand guidelines for people within and outside the school system. These guidelines would help ensure that any new materials produced for each school stayed consistent.

And then what happened?
After the rebrand, the community, school system, and its students had a reference they could use to make sure their new logos and mascot looked the same, whether they were printing signage, using online graphics, or ordering uniforms.

Taking the time to do it right

Overhauling a brand doesn’t happen overnight, but the end result is worth it, as brand redesigns reveal another facet of its personality.

The timeframe for completing this type of project largely depends on its complexity and maintaining open communication and transparency. But the best way to ensure it goes smoothly is to set realistic expectations from the beginning.